Chapter Text
He knew he had a pile of paperwork on his desk that needed to be looked over before the end of the workday, but the pull to check his phone was stronger.
The screen was dark as it sat on the edge of his desk. He had silenced his notifications earlier in an attempt to help him concentrate. Still, his eyes kept wandering from the lab results on the page to his phone. Barry made a quick glance at the clock on the wall to the hallway beyond his lab door, then right back to the phone. He hadn’t heard Captain Singh or anyone else for well over an hour now.
“Shit.” He sighed, as he dropped his papers and reached for the phone.
He tried to keep his expectations low since he joined the dating site a day or two ago. A well-placed ad on a favorite website peaked his interest. It was a site catering to the nerdy and geeky looking for companionship or even convention buddies. Of course, the sample profiles were of the hottest looking people, but still, he had to admit that he was curious.
He didn’t mind an occasional bar hop during undergrad, but he was also much more social back then. Once he graduated and started working at CCPD, his social calendar was replaced with overtime, research, conferences and occasionally sleep.
He felt a slight pang in his heart as he opened the app. His feed was filled with beautiful singles, some in cosplay, some with just a generic bathroom selfie. He scrolled for a second or two before he looked at his messages tab, with no new notifications. He hadn’t received a single message since signing up and paying for the 3-month special they happened to running.
A bigger sigh came from his mouth. He knew that some people met their partners though sites and apps like these, so it wasn’t impossible. He went back to his profile page to look it over again. He had looked up one or two articles on how to make your profile interesting.
He chose a picture taken during a chemistry course his final year. He looked a bit younger than he does now and slimmed down after leaving college, but still, he would be recognizable. The second image he chose was more recent. Last Halloween CCPD allowed anyone not in uniform to dress up, so Barry chose to spend the day as Einstein, which got a couple of laughs. His main profile pic was one that he thought represented his truest self. It was taken a few months back by Cisco Ramon, an engineer from S.T.A.R. Labs, when vegging out one rare night.
Barry and Cisco first met at a future tech conference almost two years ago. Finding out that they shared other common interests and ran in similar circles, the two of them became fast friends. Their schedules made it hard for them to have marathon nights often, but they kept in daily contact via text.
Barry was grateful for having at least one good friend he could nerd out with or vent to. The night the photo was taken, they had just watched the campiest 1960s sci-fi film Barry had ever seen. They were full of pizza and beer and had been laughing for an hour straight. As Barry stretched his long legs out onto the coffee table and leaned back into the sofa, he heard a soft camera click.
“What did you just take a picture of?”
Cisco on the opposite end of the sofa leaned forward and show him.
“I took one of you, actually. You look like a cool dude right now, and not the zombie that entered in earlier.”
Barry’s smile got a little somber.
“God, I know. I can’t seem to make it out of the lab before 10pm. I’m just barely staying on top of things. Singh is constantly on me to speed things up. At least I have Joe, he’ll keep checking on me to see how I’m doing.”
Cisco went back to messing with his phone.
“Joe… that’s the guy with the daughter you keep blushing over, right?”
Barry’s ears turned red, as he stammered, “I don’t blush over her, It's a minor crush at best. She’s… just really pretty.”
Without taking his eyes off his phone, Cisco arched his eyebrow and said, “Yeaaaah… Uh-huh. Barry, I can hear you blushing. Look, you have history together, you have her father in common, and if I remember correctly, she stops by often. Why not ask her out to lunch?”
Barry felt his heart rate pick up as he imagined even saying more than hello to Iris West, daughter of Detective Joe West. Just seeing a glimpse of her as he walked through the pen made his day. She always looked so put together, and her hair was always bouncing as she walked towards her father’s desk. She was friendly and smiled at everyone, even him once. Funny enough, that was the same day he finished work on time. Barry’s reminiscing came to an abrupt halt with a ding from his phone. It was Cisco in their open chat.
Waaazzzzzup BA?
Wanna grab some grub and watch the replay of the conference after work?
Caitlin has been on my ass all day
With the amount of work I have left, I live here now. Forward my mail.
I refuse to let them hold you hostage!
But… I do have something I want show you. I’ll try to get there before 7.
Good man! Later.
Flipping his phone face down onto the desk, Barry stretched out his neck and shoulders and delved back into the lab reports. He now had less than two and a half hours to get the day’s work done. It was even harder to concentrate this time because now he had Iris on his mind. His imagination started to take off.
If by some miracle he ever had a chance to date her, he would hope she would visit him in his lab. Wearing one of those amazing body-hugging dresses and oh god, those tall boots. Sometimes he would see her sit slightly on the edge of her father’s desk as she waited for him to return. He hoped she would do the same at his desk. Barry dropped the papers and shrugged off his cardigan to make himself more comfortable. It felt hotter. Was the window closed again?
He could imagine her sitting right where his phone was, legs crossed, leaning forward, her hands on the edge. If he could take his eyes off her legs and those boots, he knew he would be graced with her blinding smile.
“If only…” he whispered under his breath.
Picking up where he left off, Barry tried to guess what kind of perfume she would wear. Basic choice would be a flower scent, but as his eyes hooded, he felt that she would smell more…rich. More sweet, like an Oudh.
It wasn’t something that came up in casual conversations, but Barry’s familiarity with chemistry flowed naturally into the world of fragrances. He dabbled here and there after class with custom scents, just to decompress and help with the funk in the boys’ dormitory.
He could definitely imagine Iris wearing a rich oudh scent, the kind that just lightly lingers in the surroundings as she passed by. A scent that, as her body temperature rose, the notes would become more intense and mix with her own natural scent.
Barry released a breath he didn’t know he was holding and began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. He tugged at the top button on his shirt until it became undone, stretching his neck to allow for some airflow.
He had no idea how, but he just lost 20 mins and was still on the same page. He felt a little flushed and embarrassed that he got that carried away. It was just a crush on an old classmate. Taking a quick glance out the lab door to make sure he wasn’t caught, Barry made his third attempt to finish up his work, focusing as hard as he could.
Patty stood just out of sight at the entrance to Barry’s lab. She was coming to pick up some files Joe needed but slowed her pace as she approached. She thought Barry Allen was incredibly smart and loved how enthusiastic he was about work. Tall, great green eyes that seem to change depending on his mood. A bit lanky, she usually went for guys built like Eddie Thawne, but very cute.
There was something about Barry that she just wanted to know more about. She considered herself open and approachable, at least that’s what most men told her, but for whatever reason Barry would not pick up on her hints. He always smiled and responded to her questions but would just as quickly focus back on the scene or run back to his lab.
So, her latest attempts were just to go visit him in the lab.
As she was about to enter, thinking of conversation topics she could bring up, she heard him release a breathy sigh. He was reading what looked like a report but his neck face and even ears were all red. He had a slight sheen on his skin and was pulling open the neck of his shirt. She was worried that he might be ill until he started to shift in his seat.
Patty’s mind went in the gutter. What was he really reading? Her crush intensified instantly. She had the good sense to take a silent step back, just out of sight. She didn’t want to embarrass him. Filing that vision of him for later, she straightened her posture, flashed her sweetest smile and knocked on the open doorframe.
“Hey, Barry!”
He lost another 20 minutes answering Patty’s questions about everything. He tried to end the conversation a few times, but she would just keep adding on to the conversation. It was only when Joe came to the lab to see what was taking Patty so long that she finally left.
Thank God for small miracles.
He was able to finish on time and catch the bus to Cisco’s place with just minutes before seven.
“There he is! Mister Barry Allen has entered the building!”
Barry smiled and closed the door behind him.
“Hey, Cisco. Thanks for the invite.”
Cisco began walking towards the sofa.
“I ordered from the Japanese spot tonight. You know the drill. Grab your plate, and I’ll get the video set up.”
Barry dropped his backpack, kicked off his shoes, then scoped out all the food trays on the counter.
“I haven’t had chicken teriyaki in so long, man. This looks great,” he said as he started to make his plate.
Cisco walked back towards the kitchen to make his own plate
“Well, we deserve it after the day we both had. Caitlin is usually chill, but whatever Hartley has her working on has her really icy lately. Hartley’s a dick most of the time, but he’s been extra-dicky too. I just wanna play my music and vibe, you know? They are both messing with my energy. What about you? You said you wanted to share something with me. It better be good. No more crap for the day.”
Grabbing his plate and a beer, Cisco fell back into his corner of the couch. Barry grabbed his beer and plate and sits on the opposite end. Taking another quick swallow of his beer, Barry placed it down and pulled his phone out of his jean pocket. Opening up the dating app to his profile page, he handed it to him.
A big grin spread across Cisco’s face.
“YES! The bear is on the prowl, ladies! Be prepared for the floodwaters! Look at this fabulous pic. A photographic masterpiece!”
Barry nervously laughed.
“Yeah, right. I haven’t received one message yet. It's been like three days. I know it's a site for nerds, but I would have thought I had more of a chance on here than a regular site.”
Handing the phone back to Barry, he resumed eating.
“Look, Barry, You and of course, moi, are absolute catches. Ok? We got the looks, the brains, the wardrobe and the gaming skills to set us apart the crowd. You will find someone. There is someone out there for you. In the meantime, you can reach out to some of those fine honeys on that app. Or you can go and ask Joe about his…”
“Don’t say it!” Barry interrupted.
Cisco snorted around a mouth full of chicken as he reached for his laptop on the coffee table.
“I set the TV to mirror the laptop. Work smarter not harder, right?” Tapping the keyboard, the screensaver disappeared on both screens replaced with a pair of huge bouncing breasts.
Barry started to choke on the rice he just placed in his mouth.
“WHOOPS. I don’t know why that is still running when I clearly remember stopping that before you arrived. Sorry, not sorry.”
Barry was still coughing up rice bits while reaching for his beer.
“Were you looking at porn Facebook?! What the hell?”
Cisco minimized the screen and the site name became visible.
“Ewww. NO. This is Only Fans. It’s like a spicy patreon. How have you not heard of this?? Like everybody’s heard of Only Fans.”
His eyes watering, Barry took a big sip from his beer.
“I’ve been way too tired to look for new sources of ‘inspiration’. It's more maintenance at this point.”
Cisco shook his head.
“That’s a damn shame. Well, lemme introduce you to my muses.”
Navigating throughout the site, Barry is strangely intrigued. He saw so many different people, some doing more risqué things than others, but all just doing whatever they wanted to and making a lot of money doing it.
“It’s not like regular porn. Everyone looks natural, like regular people,” he told Cisco. “Even the guys. Some look just like us, not just like the Marvel lineup. They’ve got thousands of followers.”
Cisco went back to eating.
“I’ve seen some videos where they never show their faces or get undressed. Just show a foot or an elbow and they still make some serious dough. Some guy was wearing a parka and talking about plans and timetables, while another guy was in the background grunting over a fire. You can do whatever you want on here. I should make some videos, just brushing my hair. Make everyone jealous and earn some cash to get the better conditioner.”
Barry got up to make a second plate, giving him the time to process his thoughts. His imagination wandered for a bit.
What if he had an only fans account? Would anyone even watch?
There was no way he would ever be naked, but maybe a tank top to show off his arms he worked so hard to build up. He didn’t mind people showing love to that. What would he even do or say? Scratch that, he could never say more than hello to Iris. There’s no way he could attempt talk to the women on there.
The only thing he could think about doing on there was chemistry experiments. God, he felt like such a dork. Lab experiments? On a site where 90% of the people are having sex? He would stand out from the crowd, for sure.
Wait. Was he really giving this a chance?
Part of him really wanted to know what it was like to be popular, to be desired. He knew all too well what it’s like to like someone, to love someone from afar. This might be a rare chance to see what life’s like on the other side.
Shaking the thoughts away, Barry reloaded his plate and returned to the sofa. Cisco finally had the conference replay loaded up and ready to go.
“You good?”
Barry nodded in response, and Cisco pressed play as they settled in to watch.
It’s well past 11pm when Barry made it back home, exhausted but strangely content. The conference was amazing, as expected, but he felt an additional pleasant feeling, one similar to expectation. The kind of feeling you get just before you realized you’ve solved a problem or finished a level in a game.
Buried under his blanket, Barry let his imagination run again on what would it be like having a fan page. He wouldn’t expect to make any money, but he had a small amount of hope that he could be popular. To have people want to subscribe to his page and become real fans of…him.
He had to protect his identity though. He really wouldn’t want to wear a mask like that vigilante out in Star City. Maybe he would just keep the camera on his neck and chest. He didn’t want to risk someone recognizing his voice either, so maybe no talking. Just the soothing sounds made by pouring liquids and clanking beakers.
With that last thought, Barry drifted off to sleep.
It took another day of daydreaming and three days of building up his courage before Barry created his account on a Saturday morning. He cleared his room of anything that could identify him, set up his supplies, adjusted his camera and adjusted his top. The last thing needed was his caption and title.
Taking a long deep breath, Barry typed “Want to experiment with THE CHEMIST?” and pressed the start live feed button.