Author's Note: This fic mostly follows canon throughout S3 with a few exceptions: Killer Frost isn't an alternate personality, Caitlin goes to extremes to try and get rid of her powers and then to the other extreme trying to embrace them. Barry and Iris break up as they do in 3x16 but they don't get back together.
The bus metas do pop up in this fic but the Devoe storyline and the Amunet Black/meta-trafficking storyline of S4 don't occur.
This was originally meant to be crack treated seriously but I really enjoyed writing the media intrigue bc parasocial relationships are such a huge thing now with public figures and it stands that people would be interested in Barry's life as the Flash. Cancel culture is also huge on social media and so I wanted to explore the public's perception of Frost if her past actions were to be uncovered so this fic ended up being a lot more serious and a bit longer than I first intended. Oops?
Barry blinks against the onslaught of flashing lights, cameras shuttering loudly as reporters lean in to get the winning headline photo.
"Flash! Over here!"
"Flash, can you answer a few questions?!"
This was one aspect of being a hero Barry would never quite get used to, the media intrigue. It'd been one thing when it was Iris running her blog about him, quite another to have reporters hounding him after every fight, trying to get the inside scoop on the life of their city's resident speedster.
Admittedly, it wasn't all bad. With a grin, he nodded at the reporters. "I'll take a few questions."
One reporter, a blonde woman from one of the bigger news channels, jumped in immediately. "What can you tell us about this meta?"
Barry glanced back at the meta Kilgore, who was currently in handcuffs and being shoved into a prisoner transport van headed for Iron Heights.
"I'm not at liberty to disclose his identity but Kilgore, as he's identified himself, is a technopath which means he can control the technology within a given radius." Waving his hand toward the scene behind him, he continues. "Central City PD will coordinate with Iron Heights to process the inmate and ensure the appropriate modifications are made for his incarceration at Iron Heights."
The blonde reporter nods, a satisfied smile on her face as she mouths a 'thank you' that's promptly drowned out in the deluge of follow-up questions.
He answers a few more questions and he's about to cut them off, Cisco alerting him to another meta sighting on the other side of town, when he hears it. The question comes from a younger reporter, the credentials around her neck identifying her as an employee of a popular online entertainment magazine.
"Flash, is there someone you're seeing?"
The question makes him freeze, stabbing at a wound that's still a little raw. His mind flashes back to that night when he'd admitted to Iris the impetus behind his proposal. He'd never imagined that the break he'd proposed then would mean the end of their relationship.
The realization that he and Savitar were one and the same had shaken apart the very foundations of their relationship. He could hardly blame Iris for keeping her distance when Barry himself struggled with the knowledge that some part of him, however distant, was capable of such an act.
His disappearance into the Speed Force had only widened the rift between them.
Sensing blood in the water, the reporters seize on his reaction, clamoring over one another with more questions. The flashing lights intensify, cameras shuttering every second as they try and capture every microexpression on his face.
"No comment," he wheezes, voice half-pained. He speeds off, leaving the reporters speaking to thin air.
Cisco's voice is hesitant over the comms as he asks, "You alright, man?"
"Yeah, yeah," Barry lies. He heads for the address Cisco gives him, the place of origin for the alert but when he arrives, there's nothing at the scene.
Sweeping a critical eye over the place, he asks Cisco if he's at the right location, brows furrowing when Cisco confirms. Huh.
So caught in the mystery of the alert, Barry almost forgets about the encounter with the press. That is, until he sees the headlines the next morning.
'FLASH'S SECRET ROMANCE?'
He catches sight of it as he's headed to CCPD for work, the white letters bold next to a picture of him from the day before. He looks shocked in the photo, face pale behind the cowl.
Without thinking, he buys the paper from the stand, bewildered as to why this would even be front page news. He stands there, mind racing as he reads. What would Iris think, if she saw this? Would she think he'd moved on? Would she believe the speculations?
Shaking his head, Barry folded the paper under his arm and continued on his way. When he arrives at the precinct, he catches Joe's eye across the bullpen almost immediately. Joe waves the paper in hand, brows rising in askance.
Barry sighs, shaking his head. He makes his way up to his lab, Joe following behind as he expected. He seems bemused when Barry explains the situation.
"I just don't get why this is newsworthy, Joe!"
"You're a hero, Bar. People tend to get invested in the lives of their heroes." With a heaving sigh, Joe stood and clapped Barry on the shoulder. "This will all blow over soon. You'll see."
Chaos reigned in the streets of Central City as Becky's influence of luck continued to spread.
Barry watched as a car careened into a lamp pole, the driver stumbling out unharmed, save for a cut on their forehead. Down the street, a dog off its leash had latched onto someone's leg, the owner yelling at them as they hurried down the street to pry them off. A couple near Barry was in a full-blown shouting match over their mutual infidelity.
Before Barry, a sea of marbles covered the street, pouring out of the overturned truck down the block. Above him, he could see the Airbus with its two smoking engines descending from the sky set for a collision course with downtown. Barry couldn't be everywhere at once, he could barely run with these marbles in the way.
"Need a hand?"
Barry turned, eyes widening as he caught sight of Caitlin. Except it wasn't Caitlin. Not really.
Killer Frost's moon white hair framed her face but it was Caitlin's familiar brown eyes staring back at him. It takes him back to H.R.'s funeral for a moment, the thousand-mile stare he'd seen in her eyes as she made her peace with her powers.
'I'm something else', she'd said and Barry understood all too well what that was like. Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, Wally; they all did. They were all bound by the knowledge of what it felt like to wake up with powers but for Caitlin, the reality had been all the more terrifying.
He didn't blame her for leaving but a selfish part of him was glad to have her back. He'd tried to let her go once before after Ronnie's death, when she'd started working at Mercury Labs - he knew how important her career was to her - but in the end, he'd still gone to bring her back.
He didn't know what became of her powers while she was away, Cisco and Barry both wary of bringing it up with Caitlin equally reluctant to offer any information. But now, with Cisco on comms calling the shots and Wally away, here she stood. Using her powers to help save the city.
Barry beamed, it was really only the word he could use to describe the pure pride that split his face. Caitlin must recognize his silent approval because she nods her head and with an icy blast, she carves him a path out of the chaos towards downtown.
He hears her over the comms at several points throughout the day, sees signs of her presence in the ice she leaves behind but it isn't until everything is over - Barry never thought he'd be glad to see the particle accelerator explode again - that he sees her again.
He almost feels bad for Becky as he watches her get hauled into the back of a patrol car.
His attention is stolen by a series of exclaims and shouts behind him. In the distance, he can see a swirl of ice spiraling towards them, towards him.
"Is it Captain Cold?!" someone asks shrilly.
"No way. It's got to be a new meta."
Barry grins as the ice structure gets ever closer, the person riding upon it stepping off with a flourish just paces away from him. When Barry raises his brows in bemusement, Caitlin smiles and shrugs, "I've been practicing."
"I see that. Showoff," he teases.
It's all they have time to exchange before the reporters descend on them like a pack of vultures.
"Flash, Flash! Do you know this meta?"
"Hey lady, what's your name?" (Barry glares at the male reporter who asks this.)
Turning to Caitlin, who is blinking rapidly against the onslaught, he asks her wordlessly whether she wants him to handle this.
She meets his gaze, dazed for a moment, before she shakes her head. Squaring her shoulders, she stands beside him, determined and regal. Feeling the corner of his mouth twitch up, Barry signals to the reporters they'll be taking questions.
"Flash, is this your new partner?"
"What happened to Kid Flash?"
A girl of about sixteen, standing apart from the reporters and clearly a fan, called out, "Where's Vibe?!"
Barry straightens and wonders briefly what the city had been told about his own disappearance after he'd entered the Speed Force. "Kid Flash is currently away, taking care of personal matters. That's all I can say at the moment."
Glancing to his right, he hesitated for a moment, fingers twitching at his side with the need to brush against Caitlin's. "As for new partnerships, I suggest you all get familiar with the woman at my side. You'll be seeing a lot of her on the field with me."
Over the comms, he could hear Cisco catcalling. Barry resisted the urge to laugh.
Waving Caitlin forward into the proverbial spotlight, Barry watched as she took a breath and leaned into the microphones.
"What do we call you?"
"Can you tell us your name?!"
The overlapping questions died out almost as quickly as they'd started and in the sudden din of silence, you could hear a pin drop.
Caitlin's voice was smooth and steady as she announced herself.
"Frost. Just Frost."
Captain FlashFrost: OMG! Do you guys think Flash is dating Frost?
LilyPad64: They did look pretty close at that impromptu press conference ?ￂﾠ
FlashWatch52: Okay but look at how he looks at her in the video. LITERAL HEART EYES!
Hellcheer666 replied to FlashWatch52: I need me a man who looks at me like Flash looks at Frost ?
Kacchakos_girl: I ship them so damn hard #flashfrost
Cherrylicious: Have you guys seen the video of him helping her up after that nasty fight last week?! Hes so gentle with her, UGHHHH I'm obsessed [link]
Hannah_banana: We stan one (1) battle couple!
Frostygirl: She's so lucky, I hate her (jk)
The speculation takes off almost immediately and suddenly, everyone is asking whether he and Caitlin - or Frost, as the public knows her - are dating. Cisco starts sending him screenshots of Twitter chains, Reddit forums, Tumblr posts all dedicated to 'FlashFrost'.
Barry goggles at the portmanteau for a long time and begrudgingly admits, if only to himself, that it actually sounds really good.
"You should make an IG page," Cisco calls out, words muffled by the lollipop in his mouth. Barry shoves his feet off the desk, sending him a look. "I'm serious. It'll help curate your image as the Flash and getting ahead of the media is the only way you can control the narrative."
Barry mulls it over for a minute or two. "I barely use social media myself, I wouldn't know the first thing about 'curating an image'.
Cisco grins, mischief written all over his face. "I was hoping you'd say that."
FastestManAlive(verified) - 2 posts, 7.8 M followers
ArmadaOfShips: HOLY SHIT FLASH JUST CREATED AN INSTAGRAM. ITS VERIFIED AND EVERYTHING OMG OMG OMG
Frostygirl: EVERYONE STAY CALM! DONT BE WEIRD
LilyPad64: Do you guys think this is bc he knows about the ship?
KidFlaaaaash: I didn't ship this at first but I was by the museum when Flash and Frost were fighting Black Bison and the chemistry was INSAAAAANE. They make such a good team. Totally in sync
BuddieSupreme: I was there too! Saw them eating ice cream afterwards and I approached them to get an autograph and they were so sweet! They even allowed me to get a selfie with them (picture)
Delilah_dandelions: Awwwww this is so cute ❤️
CatradoraFTW: I dont usually ship people irl but god I love them so much
Sterek4Ever: Shout out to everyone who's been shipping them from the very beginning!
FastestManAlive has posted for the first time in a while.
FastestManAlive: Nothing like ice cream after a hard won fight #caramelcrunch #chocolatevanillaswirl [696,759 likes]
"So how are you faring after the separation?" Caitlin asks quietly, brown eyes warm over the ice cream in her hands. Barry's still a little thrown whenever he glances up and sees white hair instead of caramel brown but it's growing on him.
"As well as I can," Barry grimaces, the chocolate vanilla swirl in his mouth tasting bitter at the mention of his failed engagement. "We've been taking time apart, focusing on what we need to."
Caitlin nods, absentmindedly. "So you're avoiding each other."
He sighs. "Yeah."
Caitlin hummed thoughtfully. They let silence fall between them for the moment, content to enjoy their frozen treats. A nearby vendor had insisted they take them as 'thank you' for saving his life during the fight with Black Bison's animated effigies.
"Do you think you'll be able to resolve things, get back together?"
Barry sighed. "I'm not sure. Truthfully…" Barry hesitated, wondering whether it was right to share such private details about his relationship. But if anyone would understand, it'd be Caitlin. "I only proposed because of everything with Savitar."
Caitlin flinched. He watches curiously as her face falls with shame and guilt. He wants to reach across the table and take her hand but he doesn't know how she'd take that.
Instead, he ducks his head, trying to catch her gaze with his. "Hey. You know I don't blame you for anything."
"I know. But I blame myself," Caitlin whispers, staring at the tips of her white hair.
He wants to ask about her time away, how she came to terms with her powers and grew to control them. But he doesn't feel Caitlin is ready to open up about that and he's proven correct when she chooses to steer the conversation back onto the previous topic: his broken engagement.
"So you proposed because of… everything going on but that doesn't mean you didn't want to marry her."
"Of course I wanted to marry her but she got scared when we found out about Savitar. And me going into the Speed Force didn't help. Now there's this rift and I - I can't be the only one fighting for this relationship."
It comes out sharp and angry, surprising them both. But maybe it shouldn't, Barry thinks. He'd spent so many years pining after Iris and after everything, he'd lost her to forces outside of his control. Why shouldn't he be angry?
Caitlin seems to know what he's thinking when he meets her gaze because her eyes are sympathetic and warm. She offers a small smile and a lifeline: "It gets easier. I know it doesn't seem like it now but it does."
They finish their ice creams quietly and as they're standing up to leave, a twenty-year old girl comes up to them. She looks scared about interrupting but she grows a bit bolder once they assure her they don't mind.
She asks for their autograph and looks about ready to cry once they've signed her notebook but she bites her lip for a moment and then in a rush asks, "Can I get a selfie with you both?"
They pose for the picture, all bright-eyed and beaming smiles, and then the girl is thanking them profusely and darting away with a squeal.
Barry doesn't even see how the picture turns out, the girl hadn't shown it to them, until Cisco finds it online and sends it to him.
He saves the picture on his phone, feeling warm inside.
It's Cisco who first makes the connection between the new metas and Barry's exit from the Speed Force. It was the one question, outside of the prying inquiries into his personal life, that kept cropping up and Barry didn't know how to respond. He didn't know why these people had suddenly developed meta-human abilities.
It's their run in with Izzy Bowin that finally gives them the key to unlocking the mystery.
Iris points them in her direction surprisingly enough, sending Barry a video of a bar fight where they can clearly see Izzy's sonic waves knocking a man clean off his feet. When Barry and Frost go to interrogate her, she panics, swearing she was only trying to defend herself.
"I didn't ask for these powers, okay. And I have no intention of using them to harm anyone or commit crimes. I just want to work on my music and put out my album," she spits out nervously, eyes flickering rapidly from Barry to Caitlin and back.
"We believe you."
"Oh, thank God," she breathes out. Pausing, she asks hesitantly, "So why are you here?"
"We want to know when you got your powers."
"Umm. Back in October? Yeah, it was after that portal opened up near the bus I was on."
Sharing a glance, Frost reaches into one of the pockets lining her jacket and takes out the pictures they have for Mina Chaytan, Ramsey Deacon and Becky Sharpe.
"Do any of these people look familiar to you?"
Izzy inspects them for a moment, brown hair falling like a curtain around her face. "Yeah, actually. I think they were on the bus." She taps Becky's picture a few times. "She was the last one we picked up before that portal opened."
"Do you remember which bus it was?"
She thinks for a moment and then, with a scoff, replies, "Bus 405. I remember I was late to a gig that day because of the incident. Swear I'd never take it again."
Barry grins. "Thanks, we appreciate the help."
"Wait. Does this mean everyone on the bus became a meta? That we all got powers?"
Caitlin nods, silver white hair gleaming purple under the stage lights. They both watch as Izzy digests that, brows furrowed.
"I figured that's what happened but… it's good to have concrete answers, I guess." She fidgets for a moment, taking her hat off and raking her fingers through her hair with a sigh. "Thanks."
Barry nods. "Stay out of trouble and good luck on your album."
Caitlin nods her head towards the exit as they turn to leave, a sense of accomplishment bubbling warmly in her chest. Finally, they had some answers.
A screech across the bar halts them in place.
"It's the Flash!"
A wave of murmurs rolled across the room as heads turned in their direction. They'd been tucked away in one of the darker corners of the room, catching Izzy as she came out from backstage but now, in the light of the exit, they were all too visible.
Barry waved sheepishly, feeling Caitlin shuffle nervously at his back. Despite the attention, they weren't immediately rushed by the crowd. Rather, the crowd called out requests.
"Take a shot with us!"
"Sing us a song, Flash!"
Feeling a little shove from Caitlin, who only grinned mischievously when he glared back at her, Barry let the crowd urge him onto the stage. He could hear Caitlin behind him, telling people that he actually had a really nice singing voice.
As he moved towards the stage, he heard the crowd call out suggestions - Barry was absolutely NOT going to sing Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On, he'd burst into tears on stage if he did - but Barry already had a song in mind. He just needed a partner.
He stops at the DJ's booth on the way, putting in his request and then takes the stairs to the stage. Reaching the microphone, he found Caitlin's eyes in the back near the exit.
"Frost, come on up. Let's see if you remember the lyrics to this one."
He saw Caitlin's eyes widen, silver white curls flying as she shook her head. But the crowd was egging her on and Caitlin's stubborn streak only went so far in the face of such scrutiny.
"Payback," he whispers to her as she joins him on stage, pleased by the glare she throws at him. But then, a familiar jaunty tune starts up and Caitlin laughs beside him, eyes glimmering bright at the memories.
Her voice is smoother this time around, no longer stunted by alcohol, but she's still a bit off-key.
'Summer lovin' had me a blast
Summer lovin', happened so fast'
The crowd goes wild and Barry can see people recording on their phones as they crowd the stage and he'll know this is only going to fuel the fire of speculation but that was a problem for another day. He was enjoying himself right now.
'I met a girl crazy for me', he sings, leaning towards Caitlin.
'Met a boy cute as can be', she sings back. And then as one, they sing the bridge.
'Summer days drifting away
To uh, oh those summer nights'
The crowd sings along and buoyed by their energy, Caitlin and Barry put on a show. He startles when Caitlin takes it a bit further, grabbing his hand as she sings 'he got friendly holding my hand', shimmying against him as he sings the following line.
Somewhere in the crowd, someone wolf-whistles and Barry burns bright red beneath his cowl.
They finish to thunderous applause, each taking a playful bow. Caitlin's smile is brilliant when she glances at him and Barry's breath stutters, his chest squeezing tight at the sight. She'd always been breathtakingly beautiful.
He'd never allowed himself to look before, for various reasons: Ronnie. Iris. Jay. Linda. Patty. Albert.
But now… Now Barry looks.
ArmadaOfShips
So I'm sure by now you've all seen the video of Flash and Frost singing Summer Nights. I literally have not been able to stop thinking about this. This is the most we've seen of them interacting casually and like they're so clearly comfortable together, the chemistry is INSANE
Him teasing her at the beginning about knowing the lyrics to the song makes me think they've sang this before, this might even be THEIR song! She didn't even hesitate in making things flirty, even in front of an entire crowd of people.
AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON HOW HE LOOKS AT HER AT THE END! THAT MAN IS IN LOVE.
Jaceyhearts replied to ArmadaOfShips: If those two aren't actually a couple, I'm going to launch myself into the sun fr fr
Hannah_banana: Link for those who haven't seen the video! [link]
LilyPad64: They're soooooo cuteeee. I love them so much ?
CatradoraFTW: When they make it official, the internet might actually explode
KidFlaaaaash: Okay but can we talk about how good of a singer Flash is? Cause DAMN
Salvatoresbarandgrill: So glad our local heroes, Flash and Frost, could stop by our establishment last night and join in on karaoke! Somebody call Grease Lightning, that performance was hot hot hot! #summernights #flashfrost [59,629 likes]
"Well well well, if it isn't Central City's newest 'it' couple," Cisco teased, smirking as Caitlin and Barry made their way into the cortex.
"Cisco," Caitlin warned, the reprimand falling short as her lips twitched up in amusement.
"What? Not my fault you guys have chemistry, people have eyes!"
"You said you had something important for us," Barry said, neatly sidestepping the issue of their newfound celebrity. Ever since that night at the bar, Barry hadn't been able to stop thinking about Caitlin.
It was as if singing that song had taken him back to the very beginning. Before the Speed Force, before Savitar and Zoom, before everything had gotten so complicated.
Back to that moment when Barry had been so sure they were on the cusp of something.
'Time for me to move on. Find someone new to be crazy about'.
Cisco's voice brings him back to the present. "Right, so I was able to identify everyone who was on Bus 405 that day." He brings a series of photos up on the monitor, four of the pictures marked off, identifying the metas they'd already come across. "Now if any of them cause any trouble, we have a working profile to go off of."
Barry frowns at the screen. "I know that guy. Ralph Dibny. He used to work at CCPD."
"Upstanding guy or rotten apple?" Cisco asks, eyes narrowed.
"I got him kicked off the force for planting evidence in a crime scene."
Cisco winces. "Yikes."
Overhead, the alarm begins to blare, alerting them to a bank robbery in progress not too far from Star Labs. Caitlin nods for Barry to go ahead as she heads off to change into her suit. Cisco had been making modifications to it recently, similar to some of the safety measures he'd put in Barry's suit.
The situation at the bank is tense when Barry arrives. CCPD informs him there's about a dozen hostages inside and a meta with pyrokinetic abilities, judging from the way the external cameras have been melted down to a puddle of gunmetal silver.
"I'll take care of him," he promises and within a fraction of a second, he's standing before the meta. The man behind him is still speaking, his words failing mid-sentence as Barry gets in between them.
The meta, a well-dressed guy with a slim build and blonde hair, only blinks for a second before he's throwing out his palms, fire and heat pouring from them.
Barry whirls and whisks the man behind him away, the other hostages scrambling away from the pool of molten fire on the floor. From the corner of his eye, he sees one of Cisco's breach portals open up, Caitlin stepping through.
She hits the meta with an icy blast that throws him clean across the room and into one of the offices, the glass shattering upon impact. They watch as he gets up after a moment or two, disoriented but angrier than ever.
He hands the hostage off to Caitlin, who is just falling into step beside him, her fingers quickly assessing for any injuries. Poised to run and slap meta-dampening cuffs on him, Barry is stunned and horrified to find his powers don't react.
He moves forward as if in slow-motion but in actuality, it's just Barry moving at a normal pace. He reaches deep within and finds the ever-present hum of the Speed Force absent. Dread crawls down his spine, ice cold with the sudden fear that maybe this was permanent. Maybe this was where the Flash's journey ended.
A sudden vibration at his side jarred Barry from his thoughts.
Beside him, Caitlin is staring at her hands wide-eyed. Where he expects to see frost, he sees instead the familiar vibrations of a speedster. Icy cold air swirls out from her hands, the vibrations burning off excess frost that builds and melts in her hands just as quickly.
It was as if the two abilities, speed and frost, were fighting for dominance in her body.
As they stare, blue lightning begins to spit and spark around her, starting at her hands and growing until it envelops her whole body. Barry's throat dries as he catches sight of Caitlin's eyes, crackling with the same eerie blue lightning.
"What's happening to me?"
'In a shocking turn of events, a stand-off today at Central City Bank between meta-human Erik Frye and the hero duo now known as Flash and Frost turned chaotic when an unknown factor caused the Flash's powers to suddenly transfer to his partner, Frost.
Despite the confusion, Erik Frye, who took 12 people hostage and managed to melt a reinforced safe inside the bank before city authorities and heroes arrived on scene, has been apprehended.'
More after this commercial break. You're watching Central City News 11.'
KidFlaaaaash: What the fuck? How is that even possible ? is it permanent?
Frostygirl: SHE'S SO BADASS HOLY SHIT. DID YALL SEE THAT ICE LIGHTNING BLAST SHE THREW AT THE END?!
GenshinArchons: I dont go here but woah. She can step on me any day
ArmadaOfShips: THE LITERAL DEFINITION OF FLASHFROST ALKSJDFLDKS
Sterek4Ever: Pretty sure this is right out of a fanfic…
Jaceyhearts: Flash looks so proud of his girl :') but man, that's gotta be tough. Not being able to do anything and seeing someone else with your powers. I hope it's only temporary
"You think I did this?"
Matthew Kim's eyes were wide as he glanced between Flash and Frost and back. Barry nodded, glancing at Caitlin who seemed ill at ease. She'd done amazing with his speed, following his instructions to a T until they'd been able to neutralize Erik Frye.
But Barry knew she was still a little panicky at the thought that this change may be permanent. After all, Matthew had rewritten her DNA, infusing Barry's meta-human abilities with her own at the molecular level. Separating them would prove difficult and as a bio-engineer, Caitlin knew that better than anyone.
"You're the only one who came in contact with both of us and you were on the 405 bus the day that portal opened up. We know that everyone that was on the bus that day has had meta-abilities manifest since then, " Barry explained. "So yes, we think that you accidentally transferred my speed to Frost here."
"And I'd really like to give it back," Caitlin interjected, her voice high and more than a little shaky. She thrust out hands, impatience lining her body.
Blinking in bewilderment, Matthew reached forward hesitantly, gasping when his hand glowed red as his fingers came in contact with hers. Then, staring at his hand in wonder, he reached towards Barry.
Barry felt the electricity course through him, the Speed Force settling within him once again with a soft hum. Vibrating his hand as a test, he was pleased to feel his powers respond.
Beside him, he hears Caitlin gasp softly as ice springs forth from her hands at her own silent command.
When he glances at her, she's beaming.
'We come to you now at the top of the hour with breaking news. Recent footage has been discovered from a series of alterations that happened earlier this year between none other than Flash and his latest partner, Frost.
One altercation, as you can see in the video, took place inside Central City University where Frost allegedly broke in and caused significant damage in one of the university's labs. This reporter reached out to CCPD for a comment and received no response.
The following video was found on social media after extensive research. The poster, who has chosen to remain anonymous, allowed us to air this and further provided us with this first-hand account:
[crackling]
"It was crazy. I was out with my partner when all of a sudden we saw this trail of ice blasting towards us. I didn't see her face too clearly, she swept by us so fast but it was her. It was Frost. Flash was following behind her and when they doubled back, she was blasting people on the streets. She's not a hero at all, she should be locked up in Iron Heights with all the other metas. And, shame on Flash for trying to make it seem like she is. Central City deserves better."
[recording ends]
'Well, there you have it. Is Frost truly the hero we thought she was? And what does our resident speedster have to say about this? Next we'll hear from meta-human experts and city officials about this stunning revelation. More after this commercial break.'
BuddieSupreme: Nooooooooooo. RIP #flashfrost I guess
KidFlaaaaash: I feel so conflicted but like… if Flash is working with her now, then he must trust her right? We don't know the full story…
ArmadaOfShips: Keep the faith, guys! I'm sure they'll address all of this soon
Frostygirl: I feel gutted. Everything is garbage
Hannah_banana: Sooooo enemies to friends to lovers? #flashfrost
LilyPad64 replied to Hannah_banana: Too soon girl, too soon
Captain FlashFrost: Smiling through the pain ?
AmellArrows: And on the left, we can see the Flashfrost fans in total meltdown mode. As someone who's had my ships blown apart, I get it :/
Caitlin wasn't picking up.
She'd all but disappeared after the news had reported on the Tracy Brand attacks from earlier this year.
Barry could hardly blame her for hiding, he knew the guilt Caitlin still carried over her actions then as she'd struggled with her powers, her desire to get rid of them. But they were past that, she had to know he'd stand by her thick or thin.
He'd even quit his job at CCPD to protect her… although admittedly, that seemed a bit of a moot point now that the news had reported on her actions.
When his phone rings, Barry dives for it, picking it up without even glancing at the caller. Please be Caitlin, please be Caitlin.
"Barry?"
Barry startles at Iris' voice. They hadn't spoken since she'd sent him the information on Izzy Bowin and even that had been through text. He'd known from Joe that she was focusing on launching her own newspaper but beyond their unplanned run-ins at Joe's, they hadn't really crossed paths after she'd moved out of the loft.
"Hey. What's up?" Barry winced at how stilted and awkward he sounded.
Iris sounds similarly hesitant when she replies, "I saw the news, thought I should check in…" She takes a deep breath as if to steel herself and then adds, "Thought maybe we should talk."
Now?, Barry thinks, feeling slightly bitter as he thinks of months' worth of unanswered calls. Instead of mentioning that, he offers Jitters as a possible meet-up location, Iris agreeing to meet him there at 2.
Barry drags his feet through getting ready, trying Caitlin on her cell a few more times before he's heading out the door to meet Iris.
When he arrives, he finds her sitting upstairs, cradling a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. She slides his coffee across the table towards him. "Hope you don't mind that I ordered for you."
Barry shakes his head, taking a sip of his own drink. He waits patiently for Iris to begin, aware of her eyes scrutinizing him.
"How's Caitlin?" she asks, startling him. That wasn't what he'd been expecting her to say.
Barry shrugs, feeling defensive for some reason. "She's not picking up her phone."
Iris nods, seemingly expecting that. "This will blow over eventually. Although, she does need to be held accountable for some of the things she did."
"How can you even say that?" Barry snaps, barely avoiding slamming his mug onto the table. Instead, it lands with a loud and dull thunk. "She saved your life."
Iris narrows her eyes. "She also endangered my life and that of Cecile's and Tracy's. She was working with Savitar. Or have you forgotten?"
"No, I haven't forgotten. But I'm not going to hold her actions against her any more than you've all held Savitar's against me."
"Savitar was a hypothetical, Barry. You haven't done any of the things he set out to do," she argued, voice harsh and low. "Caitlin may have been under duress but she knew what she was doing the entire time. She was acting off her own selfish desire to avoid her powers."
"Which she wouldn't have gotten if I hadn't changed the timeline."
Barry's tone brooks no argument, final in its unwavering stance. Iris stares at him as if she's finally seeing him for the very first time. Her responding laughter is a brittle one.
"Believe it or not, I didn't come here to fight, Barry."
"So what did you come here for?" he interjects, a touch of frost underlining his voice.
"I came to check on you because I know the lengths you're willing to go to, to protect her." Iris shakes her head, lips thinning as she considers him. "I've never understood it, the connection you two have…"
Realization dawns on Barry and he has to lean back in his chair for support.
"You want to know if the speculation is real," he surmises, voice soft.
Across from him, Iris seems to stiffen. Barry feels like laughing or possibly crying, maybe punching something. He doesn't know.
"Is it?" she asks, eyes sharp as she waits. Assessing, analyzing. Ever the reporter.
Barry swallows. "That's not really your business anymore, is it?"
Iris grimaces and glances away from him but he can still see the tears that glimmer in her eyes. His heart clenches in his chest at the sight but he does nothing to soothe the sting. "No, I guess not."
Standing, she grabs her purse. She stands before him for a moment, hands fidgeting on the handle.
"Set up a press conference, take control of the narrative. It's the only way you can both move forward from this."
For the first time in his life, Barry doesn't watch her leave.
The sun is dipping beneath the horizon, bathing the hallway outside Caitlin's apartment in twilight and gold.
He can hear the television on in the apartment, had seen the light on in her living room windows as he approached the building, so he knows she's home when he knocks on the door.
"I'm not home," Caitlin calls, a petulant note to her voice. Barry smiles.
He takes it as permission to come in and phases through the door easily, cocking his head when he catches sight of her. She's curled up on the couch, knees pulled into her chest, watching the news where they're replaying the same segment about the attack at Central City University.
It's a better condition than he expected to find her in but something about how small she looks grips his heart.
Sighing, Barry grabs the remote off the coffee table as he nears and turns off the tv. Caitlin glares. "I was watching that."
"No, you weren't," Barry retorts, taking a seat on the coffee table before her. She glances at its wooden surface, a protest poised on her lips that withers on her tongue as she meets his gaze.
Barry's known Caitlin long enough to see that he needs to be direct here, surgical even. Cut to the heart of the matter before the disease that is self-loathing and guilt could do any lasting damage.
"The things you did when your powers first manifested, they don't define who you are today," Barry begins without preamble. "You're a hero, Caitlin. You were a hero long before you even had powers and joined me on the field."
Caitlin is shaking her head before he can even finish. "I love that you see me like that, Barry, I do. But I'm not. I'm not you. I can't shoulder the same burden you do."
"Do you know the abject terror I felt when your speed got transferred to me?" she continues, eyes taking on a faraway look as if she were back in that moment, staring once again at her hands as an unknown power coursed through them.
He grips hers now, the act pulling her back to the present. "And you handled it like a pro." He gives her a smile that feels almost too revealing with the warmth and pride he instills in it but it's an infinitesimal thing to offer when there's a countless number of things Barry is willing to do for her. "There's no one I'd rather trust with my powers."
Caitlin smiles, blinking fast against the tears that well up in her eyes.
"I know you feel guilty for the things you did but don't you think I've done things I feel guilty for? I'm not perfect, Caitlin, you know that better than anyone else. 'Fear makes us do a lot of things that we shouldn't'."
The words fall between them, Caitlin recognizing them for what they are; a shared burden.
Her face crumples and before Barry's even registered the thought, his body is moving. Bringing her into his arms, Barry feels shattered and stretched but as he breathes in the scent of her hair, he feels the jagged pieces smoothing out and fusing together until a new shape has taken form.
In the wake of Caitlin Snow, Barry Allen feels remade.
When she kisses him, it's hurried and sweet, their lips chasing a high without end. It makes the blood in his veins sing, longing pooling hot in his gut. He can barely breathe when they finally pull back, his chest heaving with the lack of oxygen.
He kneels before Caitlin, a devotee before an altar of divinity - and isn't that an ironic thought - and begs.
"Give the people of Central City the chance to see you as I do."
Caitlin doesn't respond, her gaze raw and imploring as she breathes him in and cups his face with a tenderness as soft as air.
"Only if you're there with me."
"Always."
It isn't easy, the media is skeptical at first, the public even more so.
Why should we trust her?, they ask. And the truth comes tumbling out of Barry like an avalanche sweeping everything in its wake.
"Because I trust her with my life." The implication remains unspoken but it's nonetheless loud and clear, you should too.
They don't quite understand the weight of his words, the way Caitlin's cared for him long before Central City ever had a hero to honor. The way she's held his life in her hands and coaxed him back from the brink time and time again.
They don't know the gravitational pull of someone who's seen you at your worst and stepped into the darkness with you; someone who has stared down death unflinchingly and supported you, saved you even at the cost of everything else.
But they must sense it, the conviction behind his words, because soon the doubt runs dry. His word is gold but Caitlin's dedication on the field, her unrelenting desire to protect the people of Central City, well… it speaks for itself.
It's a cold day in May when the media finally brings it up again.
"Frost! Do you have anything to say about the pictures circulating online?"
They'd been so careful to keep things secret from the press, reveling in the newness of their relationship but they were bound to slip up eventually.
The pictures in question were following a recent fight they'd had with a meta that had left Caitlin more than a little banged up (although her meta-human healing had kicked in pretty quickly after). Barry had pulled her aside after the fight, checking over her injuries and without thinking, he'd leaned in to give her a kiss.
The angle in the pictures was a little off and the overhang they were under made everything come out dark and grainy in the pictures but they were clearly kissing, one of Barry's hands coming up to frame Caitlin's hair and face, Caitlin's cradling his elbow and grasping onto the back of his suit in turn.
She glances at him now, a shy smile playing on her lips. It's a silent query and Barry answers it with a grin of his own.
"Yes, actually." Her response seems to catch the reporters off-guard but they regroup quickly, the noise level rising as the cameras click and they throw out question after question.
She waits till he comes to a stop beside her before she drops the bomb.
"Flash and I are in a relationship."
They break the internet.
Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed. Let me know what you guys think! :)