neighbors | barry allen//the flash

two | plants

The first thing Clara did every morning was down a cup of black coffee. Being in a new place didn't change that. In fact, Clara felt proud of herself for establishing her normal morning routine in the new city so early. She wasn't wasting any time moping around trying to figure out what to do. The coffee was just a nice reminder that she was still the same person, she just had different surroundings. After chugging the first cup, Clara settled down in the one chair in her living room by the window with a cup of coffee that included some cream. Now she could relax and really prepare herself for the day. 

She turned on her TV, which Barry had helped her set up last night, and absentmindedly watched the news. The reporter rambled on about some weird criminal stopped by a masked runner, a scarlet speedster. Clara had moved to a city that had its own superhero to save the day, how nice. Clara smiled to herself, quickly forgetting the news as she made a few to-do lists and outlined her next few days. She had given herself two full days to worry about nothing except unpacking and exploring before her job started on Tuesday. Worrying about starting a new job was enough, she didn't want to be overwhelmed with unpacking and getting lost in a new place on top of that. 

The first thing on her list was her plants. They were first for a few reasons. They were living things that needed water and sunlight, so she needed to unpack them as soon as possible so they wouldn't die. The plants also added life to the apartment, sprucing it up and making the white walls a little less dreary. Finally, the plants were like pets to Clara, especially since this complex didn't allow any actual pets, these plants were as close as Clara could get. She unpacked each one carefully, hanging some up in her window, and setting the rest in the windowsill. She stood back and admired her work, satisfied. Clara knew the plants had only been out a few minutes, so there was no way they had actually made an impact on the air in the room, but she couldn't help but feel that air was already fresher. 

Clara unpacked her way to lunchtime. First, she pulled out everything she wanted in her living room: lamps, pictures, posters, and other wall art, and any little knick-knacks she wanted to put on display, like her books and a little elephant figurine. Then she worked in the kitchen, organizing pots, pans, plates, and cups. With each thing she put into place, she began to feel lighter. Unpacking was such a rewarding feeling. But it was exhausting, too. Clara's stomach rumbled, and while she finally had access to her kitchen, she didn't have any groceries, so she grabbed her purse and a coat and headed out. 

The air outside was chilly, and the winter wind made it almost bitter. Clara immediately regretted not unpacking her gloves and hat, and buried her hands in her coat pockets. She briskly walked a few blocks, scouting out a good cafe that might have a warm bowl of soup. So far, she had only passed a few bars and a cupcake bakery. A gust of freezing wind hit her straight in the face, blinding her for a brief moment, and she stumbled just the slightest bit, slamming into someone walking the other direction. 

"Oh, I am so sorry!" Clara gasped, gently grabbing the person's arm to help steady them. 

"You're fine, I wasn't looking where I was-" the blonde head turned to look at her, and the man stopped mid-sentence, "Clara!" 

"Andrew?" Clara asked, surprised. Sure enough, Andrew Bradbury was the person standing in front of her. The tall, bulky build, killer jaw line, slightly crooked nose, and dreamy blues eyes were a dead giveaway. "This is crazy!"

"I know!" he replied, smiling. "Its been ages! What are you doing here in Central City?" 

"I actually just moved here," Clara shrugged, then added, "yesterday." 

"Wow," Andrew's eyebrows raised. "Well, welcome then." 

"Thank you! It's so great to see a familiar face." 

"I bet it is. Are you heading anywhere? I'm getting lunch now, if you would like to come."

"That would be great! That's where I was headed too, except I didn't know exactly where to go." This response earned a laugh from Andrew, and Clara was so glad to hear that laugh again. 

"I know a great place just a block east of here," Andrew smiled reassuringly. They made small talk as they walked to the cafe and ordered. Inside the cafe was warm, and Clara could feel her frozen fingers finally returning to a normal temperature. 

"So why the move?" Andrew asked.

"A job actually," Clara responded.

"Oh, really? Where? Those are hard to come by these days." 

"Mercury Labs. Its only as a lab tech, but I'm hoping it'll at least get my foot in the door, and maybe I can work my way up from there."

"So basically you'll be feeding rats and counting fruit flies?" Andrew raised his eyebrows playfully. He knew he was riling her up. 

"Yes," Clara rolled her eyes, but grinned. "But at least I'll be feeding rats and counting fruit flies for some of the best scientists in the country, even if I don't get the best pay." 

"I'm sure you'll be such a brilliant rat handler they'll have no choice but promote you to head scientist in two days." Andrew one of the killer crooked smiles he was known for. The first year university, Clara had quickly become friends with Andrew, and with a smile like that, they didn't stay just friends for long. However, they never really made it to anything official. Everything between then was always a maybe, what-if, a huge grey area. Clara had always felt herself drawn to him, even in this short time together in the present, she felt herself slipping back into old habits. They never worked out in the past, but maybe they had both grown up a bit, maybe they could handle it this time. 

"That's the dream," Clara laughed. "So what about you? What are you doing here?" 

"I just fell in love with this city during school here," he shrugged. "I couldn't leave. I've bounced around a few jobs, but I'm working in real estate now." 

"So you gave up on finding some occupation that only included partying?" Clara smirked, recalling his past behavior. 

"If I remember correctly, you don't have much room to talk." 

"True," Clara mused, "But I also had no problems balancing grades and partying." 

"That was a low blow," Andrew shook his head. "My grades weren't that bad. At least, nothing so terrible a beautiful, brilliant girl next door couldn't help me fix." His eyes were sparkling, and Clara felt her cheeks heat up. The tutoring sessions between the two usually included more alcohol than astronomy and more making out than microbiology. 

Clara returned his sly smile, but she was thankful that the food finally came. She cherished the taste of the creamy tomato soup and the warmth it spread throughout her body. They settled into a more casual conversation, catching up on the time between graduating university almost two years ago and now. Clara shared about her trip to Europe right after graduating and attempting to be a yoga instructor, and Andrew explained a few of crazy jobs he had taken, including being a sign flipper for a sandwich shop and house sitting for a famous author his father knew. 

"I should probably head back the office," Andrew sighed as he finished up his sandwich. 

"It was really great seeing you again," Clara said.

"Same to you," Andrew smiled, "You know, my number hasn't changed. So if you want to see me again, you know what to do. And you know I would never turn down a chance to see your face." 

"Well, thanks, Andrew," Clara laughed, "I'll see you later."