The hill overlooked National City like a quiet sentinel, grass swaying under a gentle breeze that carried the distant hum of traffic and the occasional siren. Barry and Kara had come here after the debrief at the DEO, needing air and space to think. They sat side by side on the cool ground, knees drawn up, the lights of the city sparkling below like scattered stars.
Kara passed him a paper cup of coffee she'd grabbed on the way. "Figured you might need this. Even speedsters get tired, right?"
Barry took it with a grateful nod, the warmth seeping through his fingers. "Thanks. And yeah, even I crash sometimes." He took a sip, then glanced at her with a small grin. "Though I'm betting you don't need caffeine to keep up with the world."
She laughed, a light, easy sound that cut through the night. "You'd be surprised. Some days I could drink a whole pot and still feel like I'm running on fumes." She leaned back on her hands, cape pooled behind her. "So… what's Central City like? Is it anything like National City?"
Barry thought for a moment, staring out at the glowing skyline. "It's got its own rhythm. Busier in some ways, quieter in others. We've got our share of metas causing trouble, but the people… they're good. Stubborn. They keep showing up even when things get bad." He smiled faintly. "Kind of like here."
They talked like that for a while, swapping small stories. Kara told him about the time she accidentally froze an entire pizza place with her breath during an early training mishap. Barry countered with the story of the time he phased through a wall so fast he ended up in the women's bathroom at STAR Labs. They both ended up laughing, the sound carrying softly down the hill.
For a few minutes, it felt normal. Just two people who happened to wear capes, sitting under the same sky.
Kara's expression grew more thoughtful after a while. She picked at a blade of grass. "So… you're going back soon. To face yourself." She said it gently, like testing the water. "And you're not sure you can win."
Barry stared at the city lights for a long beat, then nodded casually. "Yeah. Imagine a version of me who doesn't hold back. Someone who can break the sound barrier without thinking twice, run so fast he rips holes between universes. That version has all my memories, all my skills, and none of the brakes I keep hitting. Not exactly an easy fight."
Kara turned to look at him fully, her eyes searching his face. "That sounds terrifying. How do you even prepare for something like that?"
He shrugged, keeping his tone light even though the weight was there. "You don't, really. You just show up and hope the man you are now is enough." He paused, then added with a half-smile, "Plus, I've got a few tricks he might not expect."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the wind rustling around them. Kara spoke again, softer this time. "What makes you so sure it's really you in that suit? It could be someone else wearing it. A copy, or… I don't know, some trick."
Barry went quiet. He picked up a small pebble, rolling it between his fingers. Then he smiled, a small, knowing thing, and stood up slowly. He looked down at her, the city lights catching in his eyes.
"There's something I've never told anyone," he said. "Not even Patty. After the whole thing with Zod's invasion… after I saw what I was capable of when I stopped holding back, I started working on a suit. Something that could handle everything I was becoming. Stronger materials, better energy conduits, the works. I made it genetically coded. To me and me alone. No one else should be able to wear it."
He let that sink in. "The suit I saw on that future version? It's the one I was building. Which means one of two things. Either someone stole my tech in the future and made it work for them—which is pretty unlikely given how I designed it—or it really is me. That's why I stopped working on it. Seeing it out there… it confirmed too much."
Kara stood up too, facing him. The wind tugged at her cape. "That's a lot to carry, Barry. Knowing that version of you is out there, waiting."
He nodded. "It is. But it also means I have time to change things. To make sure I don't become that." He looked at her then, really looked. "Meeting you… fighting beside you… it reminds me why I keep trying. Why I don't give up."
She smiled, a little sad but warm. "You're going to be okay. And if you ever need backup from this Earth… you know where to find me."
They talked more after that, the conversation drifting easier again. Kara asked about his Earth's Clark—whether he was anything like the cousin she knew. Barry described him with affection, the quiet strength, the farm-boy heart under the hero. They laughed about the differences, the little things that made each version unique.
Time slipped by. Barry eventually checked the horizon. "I should get going soon. There are people waiting for me back home. But… thank you, Kara. For everything."
She stepped closer, pulling him into a quick, genuine hug. "Come back sometime, Flash. The door's always open."
Barry returned the hug, then stepped back. In a blur of red and yellow, he was gone—faster than she could track, a streak cutting across the night sky toward whatever breach might take him home.
Kara stood on the hill a little longer, watching the spot where he'd vanished. The city hummed below her, alive and safe for another night. She smiled softly to herself.
"See you around, Barry Allen."
"See you soon too, Kara Denvers."
Barry blurred away from the hill, red lightning trailing behind him as he raced toward the faint dimensional ripple he sensed on the horizon. The conversation with Kara lingered—her quiet strength, the easy laughter. For the first time in a while, going home didn't feel quite so heavy. Central City waited. So did the fight he couldn't run from forever.