Whammied

[run_barry]

Barry's lost Bivalo. A search yields nothing and Barry heads back to S.T.A.R. Labs where Caitlin and Felicity check him out.

Despite him telling them he's fine and that Bivalo's powers didn't work on him, Caitlin and Felicity insist on fussing.

And on chastising him for trying to take on the meta by himself.

"It was stupid for you to go out there alone," Caitlin chides. "You take too many risks. As fast as you are, that's going to catch up with you."

Being reprimanded is the something Barry needs right now and he snaps at Caitlin for it.

She walks off, upset with him, but Barry has other annoyances to worry about. Like Oliver, who wants another 'training session'.

*****

Barry almost doesn't come. After last night with Bivalo he's already frustrated and feeling lousy, and given how things went with Oliver before, Barry really isn't in the mood to find out what Oliver has to try and teach him now.

Annoyed with the whole situation and Oliver, Barry couldn't care less if he's late again or not, so when Barry arrives back at the abandoned warehouse where Oliver is waiting, he saunters in without any of the excitement he felt at meeting the other hero before.

"Thinking of new ways to embarrass me?" Barry asks Oliver who's standing in the doorway already throwing disapproving looks Barry's way.

"I'm not trying to embarrass you, Barry, but you went after Bivolo last night alone and you lost him," Oliver says, and his tone seems calm but Barry can hear the admonishment in it and it rankles him.

"And you've never had a misstep?" Barry counters, knowing full damn well Oliver isn't perfect.

"Of course I've had missteps," Oliver replies. "Barry, I have been living this life for almost eight years, encountering things that you can't even fathom, and I am still alive. Not because superspeed kept me out of the ground… "

Oliver's talking down to him. Lecturing Barry like he has any idea about the things Barry's been up against. Or what he can do.

Listening to the man, Barry realizes where all of it is coming from.

"I finally see it," Barry says, ignoring Oliver's last point. "You're a little bit jealous of me, aren't you?"

And as high and mighty and arrogant as Oliver Queen is, he probably doesn't even recognize it.

"That's your theory?" Oliver asks, holding a level stare on Barry.

"Absolutely," Barry replies, not intimidated an ounce by the man.

Barry steps forward, crowding Oliver's space, up in his face as he continues, "See, you can train, lift weights, climb that stupid bar until your heart explodes, but you'll never be as fast as I am. You'll never be What I am. And that's gotta hurt your rock-hard pride, Ollie."

Oliver doesn't react, and Barry is over this. Stepping away, Barry heads for the exit.

"I told Felicity you didn't want my help," Oliver calls after him.

Barry gives a derisive snort, realizing how stupid it was of him to ever think he needed the Arrow. "Yeah? You're finally right about something."

Not about to give Oliver a chance at a comeback or the last word, Barry speeds off.

*****

Frustrated and angry, Barry is roiling with emotion and has a headache on top of all of that when he arrives at CCPD. All he wants to do is get to his lab, but of course Captain Singh can't just let him be.

"Allen! Where are you with the Bivolo case?" the Captain shouts at Barry as he walks by. Barry tries to press forward, heading up the staircase with a brush off reply of 'I'm working it', but Singh won't take it.

"Care to be more specific?" the Captain presses and when Barry doesn't respond he shouts, "Hey, how about you answer me when I ask you a question?"

Barry whirls on the man, shouting right back, "Hey! How 'bout you back off?!"

"Excuse me?" Singh asks, affronted.

"Look, I work just as hard as anyone in this building," Barry continues, ignoring everyone who's staring at the confrontation. "I don't need you constantly berating me to do my job. When it's done, you will have it, all right?"

Barry has more for the man if he doesn't want to take all of that, but before Singh can bluster up a response Joe is there, holding the Captain back.

"Sorry, Captain. He's having an allergic reaction to some bad medication," Joe cuts in.

Barry doesn't need Joe here or his interference and he gives an irritable reaction to the whole situation while Joe talks to Singh.

"Have you lost your mind?" Joe demands after the Captain has left.

"I'm so sick of Singh talking to me like that," Barry responds. And he IS. Nothing Barry does is ever good enough and Singh is always on his case about something.

And he's not the only one.

Joe is speaking, but Barry interrupts, cutting in over him as realization strikes.

"Wait, wait-- you're just like him," Barry accuses Joe. "Like Wells, and Oliver, and everyone else my whole life that didn't think I could get the job done."

It's true. Everyone is always putting down on Barry. Despite how many times he's proven himself.

The thoughts are lined with jagged edges and it's like they're shredding Barry apart from the inside. According to everyone else he can't do his job as a CSI, he can't cut it as a hero as the Flash, he can't even help the people he cares about, like his father.

"Do you want to help me, Joe? You want to help me?" Barry demands, chest heaving as he struggles with the sudden onslaught of overbearing thoughts and emotions. "Get my dad out of prison. You helped put him there, didn't you?"

Joe puts a steadying hand out, laying it up on Barry's shoulder and says, "Barry, I need you to calm down. Why don't we both take a ride to S.T.A.R. Labs?"

No. No, no, no, everything is wrong and the inability to fix it is building into a rage.

Barry's gaze wanders from Joe and that's when he sees the absolute last thing he needs to see in this moment; Iris and Eddie leaving the precinct. Together.

That's the final cut and Barry lashes out at Joe. Throwing his arms out, Barry shoves Joe away.

"I'm calm! Okay?" Barry informs the stunned man, glaring at him through a sea of red. "When I am not calm, you'll know."

Leaving Joe to stand and stare, Barry stalks out of the precinct, following in the wake of Iris and Eddie.

[ooc: dialogue taken from episode 1.8.]