Burning Down The House - Snowbarry

Chapter Two

Barry blearily opened his eyes as his alarm rang out boisterously. He simply sat there for a moment, staring into oblivion, the corners of his eyes fading into darkness. When he finally blinks for the first time in a while, his eyes water at the sudden change and he realizes he should probably move. He shifts into a sitting position, and realizes he feels like complete and utter shit. There's an ache in his body, and the formation of a headache is nearing.

In all likelihood it was because he hadn't slept, truly slept, in weeks. Most, if not all of his nights were filled with restlessness and aching thoughts of how bad he had screwed things up until he went out for patrol and eventually once his exhaustion caught up with him he'd head back to the loft to pass out. 

Reaching over, he grabs his phone and turns it on to check the time, groaning as he sees it's already past noon. He sees the missed calls. Kramer, Joe, Chester, but he takes note of the absence of two names. Caitlin and Iris. 

His eyes dance over the loft for a moment. Empty, cold, and despite the beating sun trying to crawl in thought sparsely parted blinds, dark. 

He's alone, and he deserves it. 

His entire life was all one big race to a finish line chock full of death, mistakes, and regret.

He knew Caitlin wouldn't call, she hadn't been to the lab in almost a month and she sure as hell wouldn't know about his unhealthy sleeping habits and growing absence from Star Labs and the CCPD, but he can't help but picture how she'd scold him, how despite the awkwardness and tension between them she'd patch him up, or at least, he hopes she would.

His mind suddenly flooded with the memories of the previous night. He'd broken his unceremonious tradition of self-deprecation, crime-fighting and exhaustion he'd created the past few weeks. After another uneventful day of tracking the Black Flame, and continued non attendance of Doctor Caitlin Snow, he realized he needed to tell Iris everything, and so he did. He went to Coast City, and told her everything about that night, about how he felt, and about what had changed.

He brings his hand up, running his thumb along his since-healed bottom lip that Iris had busted open with a punch, and he clenches his eyes shut. His mind is wondering, pulled in so many directions he can't seem to focus on any one thing in particular besides Caitlin, and just as he realized today was the day that he had unintentionally made a habit of visiting Argus on a regular basis to ensure a certain man in yellow was still rotting in his cell, a round of knocks brought him back to reality. 

He dresses himself and arrives at the door in a matter of seconds, turning the knob and opening it, only to still in his movements as his eyes land on Joe. Barry stepped aside, letting him enter. 
The older man stepped into the loft with a heavy breath, eyes glancing over the decor he had seen a hundred times, and yet now it all feels so different. Barry is taught his tension as Joe continues his reminiscing. "Are you here to punch me?"

"No, I heard Iris already did." Joe said solemnly, leaning against the back of the sofa, his eyes finally landing on Barry.

"I deserved it." Barry breathed out, and a tense silence continued to permeate the air as Joe's glare was unwavering in its intensity. "So... you talked?" Joe gave a curt nod. "H-how's she doing?"

"As well as you'd expect." 

As Barry opened his mouth again, an alert rang out from his phone where it lay on the nightstand. His eyes flickered back and forth between the man before him and the device that begged for him to check it. "Joe, I'm sorry I..." He quickly moved past Joe to check the disturbance, knowing lives could be at stake if the Black Flame had decided to make itself known. 

"SR?" Barry jumped, turning to look at Joe who was peering over his shoulder. "What's an SR alert?" 

"Someone just entered the Med Lab." He hitched a thumb behind him as if gesturing to the room, and after another moment of silence he left the loft in a flash of lightning, coming to a halt within the Med Lab, eyes landing on Frost as she rummaged through supplies haphazardly.