Chapter 5: New life and maturing

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Bonus chapter as promised

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Avenger's compound

Morning

Time seemed so much longer for a speedster than anyone else on the planet. Yet it still surprised Barry how much time had passed since he had come to this new earth. Just under a month since he had arrived on this earth, a little over three weeks since he had decided not to be depressed and joined The Avengers, and two weeks since he and the other Avengers had moved into the compound. During that time, Barry had gotten to know his new teammates/housemates.

Steve was a soldier from World War Two who had been frozen in a plane crash into the Artic ocean. Steve was vague in the details of that and Barry didn't push the issue. In a lot of ways, Steve reminded Barry of Oliver, willing to make the hard choices as a leader but also willing to do whatever it took to save his team. And other times, he reminded Barry of himself, lost in a world he didn't entirely understand as Barry had when his mother died, forever mourning a life he couldn't get back to, feeling like he had to look out for everyone, not wanting to lose anyone else. Barry guessed Steve was this world's attempt to roll himself and Oliver into one person.

The redhead was Natasha Romanoff, the internet revealed she was a former assassin for Russia who had defected to America. Now, she reminded Barry a lot of Oliver when he had first met the archer. She was extreme, ruthless, and paranoid. And she could also kick his ass if he wasn't careful. She had begun training him in ways to defend himself outside of just using his speed, along side Steve that is.

"You're fast, that's all. Someone takes away your speed, you're dead." Natasha had told him when he's protested.

He'd had nothing to say in response, because she was right. Every time Barry had lost his speed, he's been left utterly helpless. So Barry didn't complain, just learned from Steve and Natasha without a complaint or whine. Although he's never been more grateful that his speed came with accelerated healing, otherwise he'd never get rid of the bruises Natasha left during training.

The red humanoid was called Vision. He was even harder for Barry to get a read on than Natasha. He was a very private person and didn't seem to like to talk. However, for some reason, Barry got very creeped out when he would look at Wanda. Something in Barry just screamed 'stalker alert' when he saw that. And he idly wondered if he acted like that with Iris before becoming The Flash. Which brought a whole set of questions Barry did not want to deal with.

Clint came and went as he pleased. He didn't say where he went and it wasn't any of Barry's business. Although Clint did remind Barry of a more smartass version of Oliver.

Tony reminded Barry of Ray, except, from what he had discovered about Tony online, was more successful and arrogant than Ray had ever been. Although Barry was a little concerned about Tony basically being a war profiteer before Iron Man, but he guessed everyone had a past. He also came and went as he pleased, although he promised Barry he had something for him next time he came.

He'd also met two new teammates: Sam Wilson and James Rhodes, who preferred to be called Rhodey. Sam seemed like the Diggle to Steve's Oliver and Rhodey the Cisco to Tony's Barry. Rhodey was alright, although he seemed to have a more black and white view of things, something Barry had learned wasn't always helpful. He got along with Sam better, found Sam to be a fun guy.

But the person he had spent the most time with was Wanda. Maybe it was out of a sense of guilt over failing to save Pietro (Who was still in his coma) or out of obligation to his fellow speedster. But whatever the reason, he and Wanda spent most of there time together when not training of spending time with there new team. He liked spending time with her, he felt a certain kinship with her that he didn't feel with the others except maybe with Steve. But still, it wasn't the same with Wanda.

She reminded him of himself after his mother had died, he's seen the signs from personal experience, of how Joe and Iris would worry about him closing himself off. So Barry did his best to make sure Wanda didn't close herself off, made sure she didn't sped so much time by her brother's bedside. He didn't keep her away, like his father and Joe had tried to keep him away from Iron Heights, But he also didn't let her obsess over it like he had obsessed over his mom's death and getting his dad out of Iron Heights, he had learned from his own mistakes, as well as Joe's with him. He made sure Wanda was interacting with the rest of the team, that she was still trying to live her life. And when he wasn't worrying about her, or training, he was getting to know her. With each new thing he learned about Wanda, such as letting her cry over the trauma she and her brother had endured in part to Tony's company, or hearing her laugh at stories of her brother's antics, he felt his attachment to Wanda grow stronger.

Barry was currently in the kitchen, having breakfast with Wanda and Sam.

"So wait, Disney bough Star Wars three years earlier?" Barry asked stunned and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, but they ruined it. If anyone asks if you wanna see the Last Jedi, don't. It's horrible." Sam warned as Natasha walked in, sitting down as she poured herself a bowl of cereal.

"Hey kid," Natasha said, her little pet name for Barry bringing a sigh from him, "Cap wants to see you in the meeting room."

"Did he say why?" Barry asked and Natasha shrugged.

"Something about Tony." She said as she reached for the milk.

"Well that was helpful." Barry said sarcastically even as he walked out of the kitchen.

Barry met Steve in the meeting room, he was sitting down as Tony stood there as well.

"Hey Allen, how's it going?" Tony greeted, waving.

"Not bad, all things considering. So what's going on guys?" Barry asked, noting Tony looked absolutely giddy.

"Can I tell him. No you tell him. No, I'm telling him," Tony had a one-sided conversation with an amused Steve before turning to Barry, "I built a suit for you."

"What?" Barry asked confused as Tony pulled out a small box.

"Well, Cap here tells me you keep complaining about having to control yourself so you won't burn your clothes, so I did something about it." Tony set as he set the box on the floor.

Pushing a button, Tony stepped back as the box seemed to come alive. It opened up into some sort of projector and Barry stared as a hologram of a suit appeared. It seemed to be made of the same materials his old one, destroyed during the fight with Ultron, had been, and had a similar design, but was different. It had gold strips mixed in with the red and had the eye holes absent, instead white eyes stared at Barry.

"I took a look at the old suit you had, well what was left of it," Tony began, bringing Barry out of is shock, "It's not finished yet, but when it's done it'll be made of the same materials, plus bulletproof with an AI designed to help you. So, what do you think?"

Barry stared at the suit, a mixture of emotions playing across his face so fast neither Avenger could pick up on any. When Barry spoke, it was with a tired, resigned voice.

"Thanks Tony, I appreciate this, but...just scrap it. I don't want it." Barry said before turning around and walking out.

"Okay...I was not expecting that reaction." Tony said, staring in stunned disbelief.

"Don't scrap it," Steve said with a thoughtful look on his face as Tony looked over at him, "let me talk to him first. I think there's something going on with him."

"Okay, do your thing Cap. I'll do mine." Tony said and Steve chuckled.

"Just like always." Steve said and the two friends shared a laugh.

Steve found Barry staring out the window, overlooking the forest that resided near the compound.

"Hey," Steve said and it was silent for several moments, "You wanna talk about it?"

"It just...the suit brought back a lot of memories." Barry said and Steve nodded in understanding.

"And it reminds you of everything you lost." Steve guessed.

"Yes, but that's not it," Barry said and Steve raises an eyebrow, "I never told you guys what really happened before I came here."

"I thought you came her accidentally." Steve said confused and Barry nodded.

"I did, but that's not the whole truth," Barry admitted and Steve was silent, letting Barry gather his courage, "I told you about my mom and the Reverse Flash, my dad and Zoom, but I never told you what happened after."

"What happened Barry?" Steve asked quietly, realizing it was something terrible.

"I-I reset the timeline," Barry finally confessed emotionally, "I went back in time to the night The Reverse Flash killed my mom and saved her. I created a new timeline where both my parents were alive, I lived there for a couple months. When I realized I had made a mistake, I reset it, tried to make things the way they were."

"But they weren't." Steve realized and Barry, shuttering with emotions, nodded as tears of guilt and self-loathing slide down his face.

"Things were different, people I love suffered for what I did. And I did it. I caused the people I love so much suffering. And I didn't care, so long as I got my happy ending. When I saw that suit, I realized something: I can't put on that suit because the truth is, I lost the right to wear it when I created Flashpoint. When I created Flashpoint, I lost the right to be the Flash." Barry said, shuttering with emotions as he cried silently.

Steve was silent, musing over what Barry said as Barry sobbed silently. Then, he reached out and placed a hand on Barry's shoulder, causing the younger man to look up at him.

"You made a mistake, it happens," Steve told him, "we're not perfect people, we make mistakes. But the fact that you told me proves you are not the person who didn't care, you're a different person. A Barry Allen came into the battle against Ultron, maybe a different one came out. The Flash is who you are Barry. You think you don't deserve that suit? Than try to become the man who does."

Steve dropped his hand back to his side and left Barry alone to muse on what Steve had said to him.

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