A New Beginning for@greenhood

[chosenbylightning]

Barry was sure that the two scientists at STAR Labs meant well. They'd taken care of him for the past nine months while he'd been comatose. But when the impossible began to happen, when he began to vibrate at crazy speeds, Barry turned to the only person he knew who could help.

Oliver Queen. The Arrow of Starling City.

What he didn't expect was to run all the way there in record time.

His shoes might be smoking just a tad as he skids to a halt outside of Verdant.

Okay, no. His shoes are on fire. "Crap, crap! Oliver? Felicity?"

Comments

[chosenbylightning]

"Thanks." As much as Barry wanted to trust the people at STAR Labs - maybe he'd even meet Harrison Wells! - he trusted Oliver. He trusted Felicity. They'd help him figure out how to deal with whatever was happening to it and the longer term implications.

He can't help but linger near the line of dummies with the gear Ollie and Roy used. "Hey, maybe I could help? I mean, superspeed might come in handy?"

[greenhood]

Oliver eyed him dubiously. "You're almost literally running ahead of yourself, aren't you? First we need to figure out what you can do and how well you can control it. You'll only get yourself killed if you run headlong into trouble and can't get yourself out of it." Never mind that having someone as fast as Barry might be useful. He wasn't putting someone in the field until he was sure of them.

"If you can beat me even with your powers, then we'll see. But let's not worry about that tonight, okay?"

[chosenbylightning]

"You have met me right?" Barry's grin is easy as he teases. His entire life he's run headlong into a situation, for better or worse. (Usually worse). "Tomorrow then? I'll.. I'll have to call Joe and Iris. Let them know that I'm here. That I'm okay."

He feels guilty for leaving like he had, but Ollie was the one person he thought he could trust with this, the one person who could help him get his head around these new powers.

[greenhood]

"They're family?" Oliver asked, although clearly the answer was yes. "If you can run that fast, then maybe you should go back and see them in person. If you've been in a coma all this time, they really should know that you're okay without it being over the phone."

He knew he would have given anything to be able to talk to Thea or to his mother during those five years he was gone and Barry'd only been in a coma for a few months.

"Go and you can always come back when they know you're safe."

[chosenbylightning]

Barry instantly feels guilty and it shows easily in his expression as he scrubs his hands through his hair. "Okay. I.. I'll head home and come back when I can."

As much as he doesn't want to go, Barry knows that he has to. He owes Joe and Iris that and so much more. "Okay. I'll try and come back tomorrow once I figure out how to tell them I'm running between Central and Starling. Literally." Because not telling the two people closest to him about his new powers doesn't even cross Barry's mind.

[greenhood]

"Good. And in the meantime, I'll tell everyone here what's going on and we'll try to figure out a way to find out what's going on." Maybe he'd see if Felicity could hack into Star Labs and figure out just what they'd been doing that had caused this. Not to mention coming up with some kind of training routine to make sure that his powers were under control.

It would help to find a doctor they could trust. He could do first aid and some limited combat medical, like Diggle, but he couldn't do anything more advanced and they definitely needed advanced.

[chosenbylightning]

"Okay. I'll.. I'll be back when I can."

And like that, in a rush of wind and lightning Barry is gone, speeding his way back home. The reunion with Joe and Iris is tearful and heartfelt and Oliver was right. He needed to see them. He can't explain going back to Starling or his powers just yet, but it's enough that they know he's okay.

Barry trusts Oliver with whatever comes next.

Provided he can keep his completely stupid crush on the vigilante under wraps.