Toying with the Flash

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Red and yellow.

Two colors of lightning shot out of the coffee shop in an instant.

Swish. Swish. Swish.

The two men raced through the neon-lit city, one chasing, one leading.

To Barry Allen, Iris was the person he cared about most. Yet that bastard had done something like that right in front of him. Barry was completely enraged.

Watching the red blur ahead of him, Barry had only one thought.

Catch him.

Faster. Faster. Faster.

Barry Allen's speed kept rising. The distance between him and the red figure narrowed. But just then, Barry slammed on the brakes.

His shoes carved scorching tracks across the pavement as he stopped and watched the red blur charge straight toward the tall building ahead.

Then the blur ran up the wall.

In the blink of an eye, Damon had reached the rooftop.

"Barry, you can do this. If he can do it, you can do it too. You just have to run fast enough."

Barry Allen had never tried running up a building dozens of stories high. He took a deep breath, turned, backed up a short distance, and then sprinted forward with everything he had.

He planted one foot against the wall, controlled his body, and ran upward.

Barry Allen shot up the side of the building.

It worked.

Delighted, Barry accelerated toward the roof. Then he saw Damon running down from above, faster than if he had simply jumped.

Red lightning swept past Barry. The powerful rush of air hit him at once, knocking his body backward.

He fell.

"Aaaaaah!"

Barry shouted on instinct. The red lightning touched down below, flashed once, and vanished without stopping.

Fear flooded his chest. Barry struggled to bring himself closer to the wall. When his feet touched the surface, he tumbled down it, rolling several times before stabilizing. By then, the ground was already in view. He had no time to think. He could only pump his legs and run forward.

After landing, he kept running for two full blocks before collapsing face-first onto the ground.

His heart felt as if it might leap out of his chest. His body was weak, and a nauseating wave of dizziness washed over him.

"Exciting, was it?"

Damon appeared in front of Barry with a swish.

"You..."

Furious, Barry tried to stand, but his legs suddenly gave out and he slumped back down.

"Looks like you really liked my gift," Damon said, amused. "Do not worry. If you are too shy, I do not mind giving you one every time we meet. I can guarantee it will be fresh."

He opened his hand and smiled at Barry.

"The only annoying part is having to wash my hands every time."

"What do you want?" Barry snapped. The thought of Damon constantly harassing Iris made him burn with anger.

"The world may spare fools, but people won't," Damon said. "So if you do not understand why I did that, I do not mind continuing."

He paused, then smiled.

"Actually, I was going to bring you the other half of Iris's outfit too, but I decided against it."

"My coffee should be ready, so I am going back. One reminder: using the Speed Force affects your blood sugar. Also... you need new clothes."

Damon vanished with a rush of red light.

Only then did Barry react, hurriedly stomping his feet and patting at his clothes.

His shoes and clothes were smoking from the high-speed movement and had nearly caught fire.

"Why is he fine?"

Fighting down dizziness, Barry steadied himself and realized Damon, who was much faster than him, seemed completely unaffected.

How did he do it?

Filled with anger and doubt, Barry called Caitlin Snow. He told her he had to leave first and asked her to pass a message to Iris for him. After hanging up, Barry staggered into a nearby fast-food restaurant.

He needed sugar.

"What did you do to him?"

Caitlin put down the phone and looked at Damon, who was calmly drinking his coffee.

"I just gave him a small gift and told him I did not kill his mother," Damon said. "If I had done it, I would not need to deny it. He cannot beat me anyway."

"So... that conversation is over?" Caitlin asked.

"Probably."

"Then let us talk about you forcing Weather Wizard to attack S.T.A.R. Labs. Was that because of what you asked me to help with yesterday? Did you get your answer?"

"I did."

The subject put Damon in a very good mood. His mouth curved upward.

"His Speed Force and mine have nothing to do with each other."

"Then I do not have to notify you anymore?"

"No."

"Good."

Caitlin let out a breath. Monitoring Barry had weighed heavily on her.

Ring, ring, ring.

Damon's phone suddenly rang. He took it out, faintly puzzled.

"Laurie, what is it?"

On the other end, Laurie glanced at the visitor.

"Someone is here. A woman. She says she wants to see you. She says her name is Felicity, and that she is your girlfriend."

"Got it. I will be back soon."

Damon hung up.

"If you have something to handle, go," Caitlin said. "I will wait for Iris and pass Barry's message along."

"Good."

Damon nodded simply, activated the Speed Force, and left the coffee shop.

At the villa, Laurie put down the phone and turned to Felicity.

"He said he will be back soon. He..."

Laurie looked behind Felicity.

"He is back."

Felicity turned in confusion and saw Damon standing behind her.

How long had they been apart?

More than five years?

Although she had grown used to that absence over the years, the longing she had built up for so long erupted the moment she saw him again.

One look.

Just one look, and tears slid down her face.

"How did you find..."

Damon had only managed the first words when Felicity threw herself at him, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him fiercely.

Holding that familiar body, Damon could feel how much she had missed him.

A long, long while later, they separated.

Felicity looked at Damon and raised her hand to slap him.

Smack.

Felicity's palm hit her own shoulder instead.

She stared in surprise at Damon, who had dodged, and Damon laughed softly.

"I am not Thor. I am not going to stand there like an idiot and let my girlfriend slap me."

"You still admit I am your girlfriend?" Felicity asked, stunned.

"Shouldn't you be more curious about who Thor is?"

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