Heart Breaker ❉ Barry Allen #wattys2016

chapter 11

The very next morning, Mack was saying her goodbyes at the station and getting ready to return to Central City. Olivier, Flee, Thea and Roy all came to the station with her and were making her promise to stay safe and check in regularly, before letting the brunette go. With a final wave and jokingly blowing flirtatious kiss, Mack left her 4 friends and called Cisco as she sat down on the train.

Cisco answered on the first ring.

"Ring-a-ding-ding, you're speaking to the king!"

"Cisco, you dork." Mack laughed, shaking her head as she looked out the window and watched her Starling family leave.

"You better be calling to tell me you're coming home. It's been like 4 days and everybody's driving me crazy. No one buys into my banter and Barry has asked me to stopped flirting with him."

"You've been flirting with another one of our friends?" Mack gasped, pretending to be deeply hurt. "I thought what we had was special.."

"It is, baby; these past few days I've learnt there is only one Mackenzie Taylor and it's you."

Unable to hold back her laughter anymore, Mack lost her composure and burst out laughing into the phone; Cisco's laughter blending with hers.

"Oh god, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Mack. When are you coming back?"

"Right now actually, I thought I'd call you to kill some time on the train." Mack shrugged, despite being aware that Cisco couldn't see her.

"You've should've called Barry! He could've come got you and been back in like 5 minutes. 5 minutes, Mack."

"Well he could have been busy saving the city!"

"Mack, it's like 9am, what metahuman would attack the city before 10? I mean that's just unnecessarily cruel."

"That's true, we've only just left; do you think Barry can get onto  moving train?"

"I bet he's willing to try. Hey Barry!" Cisco said, his voice sounding distant as he called out to Barry. "Do you think you could run onto a moving train? What do you mean why? Can you or not?" Cisco continued, clearly not talking to her. "Well Mack is stuck on the train and- and you're gone. You there Mack? Yeah, well Barry will be there any minute."

"Thank you, Cis. You're a legend."

"I know, I know. I'll see you soon, Mack!" Cisco replied, hanging up before she could even ask about Multiplex. The current state of the pesky metahuman sparking Mackenzie's curiosity. Before Mack could wonder about Danton Black too much, Barry Allen was seated opposite her with a smug grin on his face.

"How was your trip?" Barry asked, leaning back in his seat.

"It was good, I learnt a lot about myself and where I belong actually. Thanks, Barry; I really appreciate you organising this for me. In fact, to thank you, why don't I take you out for drinks tonight?"

"Date 2?" Barry questioned, raising an eyebrow at the smiling brunette.

"Depends, do you want it to be a date?" Mack asked, shocking herself as she felt her pulse quicken and nerves tie her stomach in knots as the question left her mouth. The peculiar feeling erupting throughout Mack only heightened as Barry simply stared back. He didn't answer; instead he just looked into her eyes and contemplated what to say.

When Barry finally opened his mouth, Mack thought her heart was going to leap out of her chest.

"No. Mack, I already told you I'm not interested in being one of your boy toys. You don't know what you want yet and that's fine, there's no rush, but until then I just want to be your friend."

"What do you mean?" She questioned, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach as Barry took a deep breath.

"Look, I'm not saying I'm in love with you, but there's something about you that I like to be around. In saying that, I'm not letting you play me. When you know what you want, you'll give me an answer to my question of whether or not it's a date instead of throwing it back to me." Barry replied, carefully watching Mackenzie's expression as she nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay. Drinks as friends then?"

"Sounds great," Barry smiled, trying to hide the disappointment in his tone as it didn't appear to phase her. She clearly wasn't into him because she couldn't care less that he just rejected her and admittedly, that stung a little. "So are you ready to come home?"

"Beyond ready," Mack grinned, stretching her arms out towards Barry as he stood up and stepped closer to her and quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching. Knowing the coast was clear, Barry pulled her into his chest and lifted her up before dashing out of the train and back to Central City.

-

When Mack walked into STAR Labs, she was a little creeped out upon seeing the Mackenzie Taylor shrine Cisco had clearly set up while she was away, but otherwise, she felt the relief of being home.

"Okay, that's gotta go." She called out, pointing to the heart board with pictures of her plastered all over it and battery operated candles scattered around it.

"Curtsy of yours truly," Cisco beamed, walking into the room and over to Mack upon hearing her voice. "I much prefer the real you though, you're hotter in person."

"I love you, but this is beginning to feel a little stalkerish.. I was gone for 4 days, Cisco!"

"Okay, now I see how this can be viewed as creepy. Yeah, I'll get rid of that asap." Cisco nodded, a sheepish smile on his face as Mack wore an amused expression.

"And I don't want to find it hanging up in your apartment."

"But it's so cute! My family still thinks we're dating, this'll just make it more believable."

"You're such a dork," Mack laughed, turning off all the candles.

"A dork who shall burn this; bonfire this weekend?" Cisco suggested, picking up the heart board and tucking it away behind the bin so it was hidden.

"Sure. How's everything with Multiplex anyhow?"

"Great, he's dead." Cisco told her, his happy, upbeat tone making everything he said even more shocking.

"Dead?" Mack asked, almost choking on air at the unexpected answer. Had Barry killed him?

"Sorry, was that insensitive? But yes, dead, gone, deceased, never to bother you again."

"Did Barry-"

"No, no, Barry was there but it was technically suicide, he beat himself to death. Rather worrying I guess. Hey do you want some pizza?" Cisco hurriedly explained, shrugging as though it was a completely normal occurrence before becoming focused on the idea of pizza.

"Wow, that sounds terrible."

"Yeah, sure is. Pizza?"

"Oh, um, yeah; pizza's perfect. Haw-"

"-aiian? Yes, definitely." Cisco finished, already dialing the pizza shop before he even completed his sentence. As her friend spoke on the phone, Mack stared simply at the blank wall next to the bed Barry spent the majority of his comatose time in. Multiplex was dead, but she had a funny feeling that this wasn't the end. Multiplex was only the beginning.