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Barry was good at hiding. Hiding his temper, hiding his sadness, and hiding his pain.
It took him seconds to heal from injuries that would land Iris in the hospital for days. He could break a leg and be up and running in minutes.
But he wasn’t indestructible.
And it hurt.
He hid it, when he could. Even from her. Maybe especially from her. She knew he hated to worry her. He would keep his smile up, keep his second mask up, keep standing until he couldn’t any more. He would push and push, dealing with- she suspected- far more than he had ever confessed to her, and likely ever would.
But sometimes it was too much. Sometimes he got home and Iris could see him struggling to keep that mask on.
And sometimes he just needed a reminder he was allowed to let go when it was her. Yes, she worried about him, but she loved him. She wanted to be there for him to lean on when he needed help, just like she knew she would always be able to rely on him to come running as soon as she called.
The lightning had left a mark, when it struck. Iris had read about lightning strikes, years ago. The injuries they could leave. Brain damage. Hearing loss. Fatigue.
Chronic pain.
Lichtenberg Figures normally faded after a few days, from what Iris read, but the lightning bolt across Barry’s back was still raised as she ran fingers across the branches that traced from his right shoulder all the way down to his hips, stark white against his skin, the once almost bruising purple now a pale pink tinting at the edges.
It seemed to throb under her fingers. A constant reminder of the strike that had changed his life forever.
His breath hitched under her and Iris’ hands found their way across to his side, to the scorch mark Snart had left on him this time. It would be gone by morning.
She leaned down and pressed her lips to his shoulder, and again closer to his neck.
His breath hitched again, and for an entirely different reason this time. Tiny sparks of yellow lightning clung to him.
The attempted massage had been an attempt to ease his pain a little. Iris couldn’t ever take it away, shoulder it for him for a while, no matter how much she wanted to.
She did have an idea for how to take his mind off it for a little while though.