Prompt from KaMi-HiMe BVB. The Flash dying in her arms reveals he's Barry.
Today was not a very good day and it was barely ten. Barry had been woken up at three in the morning by a call from Cisco saying that there had been a shooting. Then he had gone to lab for tests and training. He still couldn't beat Dr. Wells at chess and he was beginning to wonder if he would be able to beat him even if he wasn't focused on two other games. Then Barry had to go to work where he had to deal with a case involving a corpse that had been shot several times in the chest.
That's where he was now, at a crime scene gathering evidence that was at least four days old judging by the smell of the body.
Barry leaned down to inspect some footprints. "The person we're looking for wears a women's 9."
"We're looking for a woman." Joe clarified.
"Or a cross-dresser." Said the new officer who was getting on the job training from Joe and Eddie. Barry hated him. He was disrespectful and made comments like that constantly.
"I'll be glad when he finishes his training." Joe said kneeling down next to him. "Yesterday he said, 'Too bad you only have one daughter because if you had two Eddie and I could each have one.' I might kill him before he finishes training."
"I could ask the Arrow to take care of him." Barry suggested.
"Don't even joke. Get back to work." Joe said, standing up.
"Wasn't joking." Barry said under his breath.
Barry continued to collect evidence and then headed back to his lab at the station.
He couldn't come up with anything concrete. He would have to go back to the scene again tomorrow. It was already dark outside so he wouldn't be able to do anything now.
Barry decided to check Iris's blog, and it was good that he did. Otherwise it might have been too late. The latest post was a call to him.
"If you ever want to see your little blogger again you'll come to Jitters after closing." It had been posted fifteen minutes ago and Jitters would have closed less than two minutes ago.
He changed into his Flash suit and ran over Jitters at just below Mach 1. Iris was in danger.
When he got there he saw a man with a gun standing over Iris. Her hands were tied behind her back.
"Sorry, just got your message." Barry said as he appeared behind the gunman. "Let her go."
"Why do people always say that? No one is just going to hand over a hard earned hostage for nothing in return."
"What do you want in return?"
"Oh, you misunderstand that was an example. I don't plan to release her. The point is to kill her and destroy you. You see I don't want you dead. I want you broken."
"And why is that?"
"You're the biggest threat to crime in Central City, congratulations by the way-"
"Thanks?" Barry answered uncertainly.
"Your wel-" Barry quickly untied Iris. "-come, but because of it I need to be the one to get you out of the way, but I respect you too much to kill you."
"I'm flattered, really, but I'm not going to let you kill Iris. Nothing personal towards you though. Ok?"
"We'll see what happens." The gunman suggested. Barry found himself wishing that this would be the weirdest conversation he would ever have, but considering he got super speed from being struck by lightning he doubted it would be.
Iris stood up and the gunman took aim and pulled the trigger. Barry ran toward Iris, but he wasn't quite fast enough.
The bullet lodged in his heart. He could feel that it wouldn't heal like other injuries. This was his last run, and he would protect Iris no matter what.
Barry attacked the gunman. He tried not to cry out because of the pain of the wound, he didn't want to worry Iris before he had finished what he needed to do. The wound affected his fighting and speed. It took him a full minute to discard the man's gun and tie him up.
"Thank you, he almost shot me you-you stopped the bullet. You saved my life."
"Stopped the bullet is an interesting way to put it. I'm sorry, Iris, I'm sorry I was late, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, and I'm sorry you have to see this." Barry fell to the floor and he was losing blood quickly.
"Oh my gosh." Iris began to panic. "What do I need to do?"
"There's nothing you can do. I heal really fast, but this is too bad a wound. It's not healing at all. I'm dying, Iris."
"No, no, you're going to be okay. I'm going to call an ambulance."
"The police will have heard the shot and will be on their way. I'll be dead before they even get here."
"Don't talk like that. You will be ok." Iris was trying to hold back her tears but some managed to fall to the dying form of her best friend.
"Just stay with me."
"Of course."
Barry stopped changing his voice. "I really am sorry, Iris."
"Barry?"
He just managed a small nod and he was gone. Iris cradled his head and let her tears flow. Her best friend had died tonight because of her.
The police showed up a few minutes later, but it was too late. Her dad and Eddie stormed into the coffee shop and saw Iris kneeling over the unmoving form of a man in a red lightning suit. Joe fell to his knees beside his daughter and looked down at his son. Eddie knelt on Iris's other side not understanding the full scope of the conversation.
"No, no this can't be real."
"Daddy, he's gone, he's really gone this time." Iris began to cry even harder. "It's my fault. It's all my fault."
"No it's not baby. And he wouldn't want you to think that."
"Iris, I know the Flash meant a lot to you, but everything is going to be ok." Eddie tried to reassure her.
Iris pulled off the mask to show Barry's face. Eddie was mortified. "No, Eddie, everything will not 'be ok.' I killed my best friend."
Joe held iris close and pointed to the man that was now being dragged out by their trainee. "That man over there killed Barry. Not you. Don't even for a second think that this is your fault."
"I started that blog, and I kept going even after you both tried to get me to stop. I brought that man into our lives. Barry came to save me. That gun was aimed at my heart, Dad. He ran in front of me, but it was too late. Daddy he- he's gone forever."
"Iris, I'm sorry, but it's not your fault, and I may not have known him as well as you, but I know he wouldn't think it's your fault." Eddie tried to comfort his girlfriend. "He would have been happy to sacrifice anything for you even his life."
"He would have sacrificed himself for you in less than a heartbeat, Iris. Eddie's right, he would have been happy to do it."
Iris continued to cry, but she knew they were right, yet she didn't think she would ever stop crying.
Today had been the worst day of Iris's life. She had lost her best friend, and she could never get him back.