Within Seconds // Barry Allen

Emotion That's Taken Him Over

When Oliver heard Parker's winter boots clicking against the creaking tile of the abandoned shack, he turned, throwing his bow into his dominant hand. Unsure if she was safe from his wrath, Parker took a cautious step backwards. 

"I'm not going to shoot you, Parker," insisted Oliver. "Barry, on the other hand, won't be so lucky. His lesson is today."

"Then what am I doing here?" asked Parker. 

Oliver neglected to answer her inquiry. 

Parker groaned. "I'm being used as bait, aren't I? Whatever. You're only docking points from your best friend score."

"Sometimes I wonder about the words that come from your mouth."

"Sometimes I wonder what your life is like without my comments."

"A whole lot quieter."

"Docking points..." sang Parker. "Oh, hey, did you hear what happened last night? Barry found Bivolo, although, if we're being serious, I found him, and didn't let us help. The motherfucker turned off his earpiece."

"So, he didn't catch Bivolo."

"Nope."

Outside of the shack, a crack sounded. No more than a few seconds passed before Barry pushed through the swinging door and entered. He paused in the doorway when he noticed Parker leaning against the wall. 

"I'm here to help Oliver," she explained casually. 

A jealous ember within his chest sparked. His face hard, he snapped, "What, you two are dating, now?"

"No," said Parker, raising her brow.

"She's here to help," said Oliver again. 

Barry stared between the two, devastated. "You were with me, Parker."

"I wasn't with either of you," said Parker, tilting her head. "What's going on, Bar? What's your problem?"

"You're my problem, Parker! What is this? Where are we going with this relationship?" he yelled.

"Nowhere if you keep acting like this," she frowned.

Barry, dissatisfied with the answer, grabbed Parker's hand. Her frightened squeak caused Oliver to point his loaded bow at Barry. 

"Let her go," ordered Oliver.

Barry didn't move.

"Barry, don't make me shoot you."

"I'd like to see you try again," he taunted. 

A wiggle from Parker's hand caused Barry's grip to tighten. She heard her knuckles crack, one by one, the more she tried. 

Oliver hoped to distract Barry into loosening his grip on Parker. Bow still raised, he kept his eyes locked with Barry's, purposely not acknowledging the situation. Instead, he spoke, ridding the hostility from his voice and maintaining a flat tone.  

"My problem is with you. You went after Bivolo alone, and you lost him."

"And you've never had a misstep?" challenged Barry.

"Of course. Barry, I have been living this life for eight years, encountering things that you can't even fathom, and I am still alive. Not because super-speed kept me from the ground. It was because I realized that I needed to keep learning, keep training, keep getting smarter. And until you realize that, despite your best intentions, you will do more harm than good."

In thought of Oliver's words, Barry's grip faltered. 

Parker ripped her hand from Barry. She backtracked, almost tripping over her feet, to close the distance between her and Oliver. She didn't reach him. She stopped in her place when Barry laughed.

"I finally see it. You're a little bit jealous of me, aren't you? A guy like you: handsome, rich, can have any girl he wants..." His eyes narrowed at Parker. "Jealously is probably a new emotion for you, so you might be a little slow to get what it is your feeling."

"That's your theory?" asked Oliver.

"Absolutely. You can train, lift weights, use that did ladder all you want. But you'll never be as fast as I am. You'll never be what I am. And that has to hurt your rock hard pride, Ollie."

Oliver nodded once. "I told Felicity you didn't want my help."

"You're finally right about something," said Barry darkly. Lightning started to flicker underneath his shoes. 

Protectively, Parker stepped in front of Oliver. 

Barry's lightning faltered. He stared at her, heartbroken over who she decided to defend. Confusion was quick to morph into irritation. He made sure to knock his shoulder roughly against her own on his sprint from the shack. 

After the initial thud of Parker's body hitting the floorboards, a pop sounded, then Parker's sharp inhale as the pain registered in her mind. A thousand sentences worth of swear words, some of which Oliver had never heard, passed before she started to whimper.

"I'm--" she tried.

"Quiet," said Oliver, leaning over her. "You're hurt."

Parker felt dizzy. In all of her active years, no part of her body had experienced a fracture, break, or tear. She was appalled by how much it hurt. Fainting didn't come straight away, like most people, she fell into a different state of shock. 

Unusually calm, Parker said, "I'm not tryin' to be a doctor here, but my shoulder is definitely broken." 

"It's not broken, it's dislocated. Think of something else. I'm going to pop it back in," ordered Oliver.

"The hell you will!" yelled Parker. She struggled to bat at his face with her opposite arm.

Oliver slapped her hand away, using enough force to make it tingle slightly.  While she shook her hand viciously, he applied his hands to her shoulder.

"Oliver, please, knock me the fuck out. I am terrified of pain, especially when I know it's coming. Why do you think I'm not having children? Why do you think I punched my nurse in the face when she tried to give me three shots in one day? Why do you think--"

"Parker, shut up," he begged. 

With a couple of final sentences, "Oliver, listen to me. Look me in the eyes, man! Good. Now, I have to tell you something important. I'm not a total wimp," Parker fainted on the floor of the shack.