#{⚡} zack allen ; threads

[painofhumanity]

@queenxvixens gets a starter (because I said so)

After (almost literally) running into his dad, Zack wound up being taken to S.T.A.R. Labs. While he hadn't told The Flash everything, he'd revealed enough for him to know that the boy had nowhere to go. He was already walking on eggshells and doing his best not to reveal too much about his background, and Zack thought he was doing a pretty good job keeping a lid on things.

Until Iris showed up. A star reporter in his time, and also just an insanely intuitive person in his experience, he knew he wasn't going to be able to hide anything for long. That didn't mean he still wasn't gonna try to lie his ass off.

"Are-- Are you okay? You're just. . .staring. At me, and the- the, um, Flash guy."

[painofhumanity]

@queenvixens liked my queued starter call

"Pass out once, and suddenly it's all needles and tests," Zack grumbled. "Caitlin, I keep telling you, it's not that big of a deal. I was running around too much, wasn't watching my blood sugar, and I went splat. No mystery here. . .definitely not one that requires a needle that looks like it'll go through my whole arm-- Why the hell is that thing so big?!"

[painofhumanity]

@beycndredemption gets a few random starters

Zack woke up on a surprisingly warm floor, though still felt disoriented. He sat up slowly as he got his bearings, and it took him a moment to remember how he'd ended up in. . . a DEO cell? One made for Kryptonians, if the green light was anything to go by. "First they knock me out, then they throw me in a kryptonite lined cell. . . bit overkill," he muttered to himself. It wasn't until he started to stand that he realized someone was standing just outside. "Look, I don't know what you're guys' deal is, but I was just running around, I wasn't actually. . ." Aunt Alex. They had Aunt Alex watching him. Except. Well. She wasn't really his aunt here, now, was she? "Hi there. Um. Last I checked, it wasn't SOP to knock out and lock up teenagers for no reason, so. . . Is there a reason?"

[painofhumanity]

"Anyone ever tell you you're really cool?" Zack wondered. "Seriously." Of course it was the obvious thing to do in her eyes; whatever the universe, Zack was confident that would never change in Lois.

@painofhumanity sent: “ why did you help me? ” (Zack Allen to Lois)

"Because you needed it. I wasn't just going to abandon a kid that needed help. What kind of person would I be then?"

[painofhumanity]

"Really? My Caitlin's the best, she, uh. . she worked with Uncle Cisco to make a specialized pump for me, and the insulin's like. . .super concentrated, because of how fast my body metabolizes. . everything." Zack closed his eyes and leaned his head back for a moment, trying to ride through the wave of dizziness.

He opened his eyes so he could watch what Don was doing. "Right. 'Kay, so. . . You gotta inject it in my stomach, um." Zack used the heel of his hand, which was just barely solid, to expose the skin. "Pinch the skin--go on the other side of the pump, it'll be easier. Then you just. . . stick the needle in, press down on the plunger. Easy enough, right?" Aunt Caitlin and his dad had made him start carrying syringes that were pre-filled for situations like this, and he was glad he'd actually listened. The way Don's hands were shaking told him his brother would've struggled if he had to fill the syringe himself.

“got it.” he reached out a hand to try to help when zack sank down to the floor, and out of sheer nervousness, he cracked a weak smile. “lucky for us that this dr. snow is nice here. where i come from she kinda lost her mind, and turned into a villain. but i don't really know what happened to her after a while. maybe she switched sides and it's with the good guys there too, who knows ?” why the hell was he telling this now ? it wasn't something worth sharing, especially at a time like this, but it was an attempt to distract the youngest a bit from anything but what he was going through.

don crouched down in front of his brother and looked for the black case. he found it quickly, and then took one of the syringes. he hated those things, but he tried not to think about it too much at the moment. “okay, i got one. now what ?"

[painofhumanity]

Zack looked to his dad, standing off to the side, subconsciously still looking to him for answers despite him being 18 and this Barry Allen not actually being his dad--at least not yet. Then he looked back at Iris. There was something else, something he was missing. "You're-- You're fine, I just. . . I don't know, I guess I thought you were gonna ask a question or something." He really shouldn't be opening up that door, but he was a sensitive boy who couldn't help checking in on his family, regardless of what timeline he'd found himself in. "Are you okay?"

Iris wasn't sure where she'd seen this young man before, but he looked awfully familiar to her... He kind of reminded her of her best friend who had just brought him here, but she knew that Barry didn't have a brother. Lips pressed together tightly, forming a thin line as she continued to study the male - knowing that Barry had done this for a reason. Ever since she'd found out that he was the Flash, Iris thought anything to be possible and was open to pretty much everything. Though as she was questioned, the young woman quickly moved a hand to her stomach in hopes of not giving herself away. "I'm fine, it's just hormones. I didn't mean to stare, I'm sorry." she mused gently. It wasn't like that was a complete lie - she was hormonal due to the baby that she was carrying and also because she'd just lost her boyfriend.

[painofhumanity]

This wouldn't be a lie, at least. "Oh, ya know, stuff like Grandpa Joe giving him a hard time when they first became partners, and how he taught Dad to box to fight his childhood bully." Which Uncle Eddie had told him when he was teaching Zack to box, but that part didn't need to be shared.

her eyebrows came together in confusion at his peculiar response. it was obvious that zack wasn't telling her everything and that he knew a lot more than he was letting on. but maybe he was trying to protect her and didn't want to get her hopes up or something. or maybe he was just trying to be nice - he was her best friend's son after all. the young woman couldn't help but wonder what kind of stories he'd heard exactly and who had told him about them. though she assumed that it was barry, since that was his dad. "stories? what kinda stories?"

[painofhumanity]

"Would. . ." Would've been? Uncle Eddie was an amazing father. Wasn't he. . ? The awful realization hit Zack hard and fast, and he knew he couldn't tell her the truth about the future--the earth--that he came from. "I'm sure he would've been," Zack said sadly, feeling guilty that he apparently got more time with her husband than this Iris, or her children, ever would. "I. . heard stories, growing up."

"i just wish..." iris trailed off, her mind wandering towards eddie once again. these were his kids too and she knew that he would've loved the idea of being a father and raising a family with her. hell, he'd even intended to propose to her right before he'd heroically sacrificed himself to save the world. it was almost ironic - iris had grown up in a one parent household and now, her own children would too. the only difference was that eddie hadn't deliberately abandoned them. and iris would tell her kids every day how their father was a hero and had given up his own life to save everyone else. she wouldn't let a single day go by without reminding them of the kind of person he truly was at heart - the best person. "eddie would've been an amazing father."

[painofhumanity]

Whatever it takes, Zack thought darkly. But he couldn't very well admit in front of everyone that he was willing to sacrifice everything for just the chance to save his mother. He knew how that would go over, and he wasn't in the mood to be lectured. Zack smiled watching Iris protectively put a hand over her baby bump. "Yeah. Esther and Allen-- but everyone calls them Echo and AJ."

"but at what cost?" iris couldn't help but question, more so concern present in her voice rather than anger. time wasn't something to disturb and it always came with a price, it was a sad and harsh reality. she understood him wanting his mother back, but if other things would be destroyed in the process... would it truly be worth it? and then came the answer to her question that had iris entirely baffled. she was pregnant with not one, but two babies? she was expecting eddie's twins? "twins? a boy and a girl?" she could barely get the words out at all, but her hand instinctively moved to her stomach. it was as if she felt more comforted now, knowing that her children would be fine. a soft smile covered her lips, simply thinking of the man she loved and how she'd have her own mini iris and eddie in a couple of months. "a boy and a girl..."

[painofhumanity]

"It's. . .not that simple," Zack sighed. "I wanna leave here, I just. . .don't necessarily want to go back to my own time just yet. I know I'm not supposed to mess with the timeline, okay? I've heard all the lectures from my dad already. . . But she's my mom. I can't-- I can't just go home without at least trying to save her." Zack pulled back a bit when Iris asked about her baby-- "Babies. Twins," Zack corrected awkwardly. "But, yeah, they're great. They're like my big brother and sister."

"well, you are an allen after all. your dad could easily teach you. you're just... not exactly giving off the vibe that you wanna leave." iris couldn't even blame him for that, for wanting to stay here and see what his dad's life was like prior to his birth. it was funny how she hadn't even met her own child yet, but here barry's child was - right in front of them, her best friend's son. "are you sure you wanna go back?" she decided to inquire, hoping that she'd receive a genuine reply. the dark haired girl bit down on her bottom lip and felt the curiosity inside bubbling to the surface. it was getting the better of her and she knew that she'd end up having regrets if she didn't ask. "what about my baby? do you... i just need to know if-- is it gonna be okay in the future?"

[painofhumanity]

"Well, yeah," he answered lamely. "I realized I went back too far, and I thought I could just run back, but I- I haven't been able to figure out how to do it again." Zack looked at his dad for a moment before saying, "I didn't have anywhere else to go." He'd just hoped they would've figured out how to get him back home before he was found out. Zack looked back at Iris and shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't know why I haven't been able to time travel again since I got here. . . I figured everyone here would be able to help me figure that out."

"before what? before we'd find out?" iris inquired. she'd been right and she wasn't mad, but she didn't understand why he'd come to the one place with people he knew. if he wanted to get back before they'd find out, why hadn't he avoided star labs? "so you came here to save your mother from dying? sounds awfully familiar." she shifted her attention back to barry momentarily, he'd also gone back in time himself before to save his own mom. "you're definitely an allen. so, how can we help you now?"

[painofhumanity]

Zack shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, maybe. . . But even if I can get back up to speed, I don't know if I'll end up back in my time, on my earth, or if I'll just end up somewhere else." Guess that's why Dad told me not to try it in the first place. Zack sighed and hung his head, the reality of how badly he'd screwed up once again hitting him. "Even if I get back. . . How am I supposed to look my dad in the eye again?" He didn't really expect an answer.

"maybe barry can help you get faster." caitlin offered, trying to provide ideas that were safer. she'd been there whenever timelines were altered in some way and the consequences were never positive ones. lives changed for the worse and she wanted to try and prevent that from happening even more than it already had. "there might still be some velocity nine laying around here somewhere."

[painofhumanity]

Of course Iris had figured it out; she had some of the strongest intuition of anyone he knew. Still, Zack hadn't planned on any of them finding out this soon--he'd have preferred they never found out--so he wasn't prepared for how to handle this conversation. He looked at his dad, who seemed to be coming to the same realization as Iris, given the look on his face. All Zack could do was stand there. ". . . I'm sorry," he said quietly. "You weren't supposed to-- I thought I could maybe get back, before. . ." Small sparks of lightning arced off of the boy as he fought the urge to fun as fast and far as he could.

Iris loosely crossed her arms over her chest while listening to Zack go into further detail about his family. The moment he spoke of going back in time in order to save his mother... that was enough for her to understand. It instantly dawned on her that the reason he was here was because he was from the future and related to Barry. So this was why he looked so much like her best friend, why he also had superspeed. But Iris didn't think that she was his mother - he would've told her straight away, right? She wasn't gonna end up marrying Barry like Thawne had claimed once, Iris refused to believe that. "I don't think I have to call him. He's standing right here, isn't he?"

[painofhumanity]

"Wha-? No, it's not like that. He's. . . He's the best dad, he'd never leave me. . ." Zack sighed and sat down on one of the stools. "I left him," he admitted guiltily. "Dad tried to help, but I was so messed up, I didn't let him. After a while, I just. . I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted. . ." At that moment, Zack realized he had to tell them the truth, at least part of it. There was no other way if he wanted help getting home. "I wanted to save her. I had to save her. Dad told me it was dangerous, but I didn't care. I wanted my mom back, so. . . I started running, faster than I'd ever gone before, and I went back in time alright, just. . ." Zack looked around at all the young faces around him. "Just went back way farther than I meant to." He looked back at Iris seriously. "When I say my dad's unavailable, I mean he's not even my dad yet. Calling him won't do any good."

"Oh..." Iris fell silent then, absentmindedly rubbing her stomach. Her mind instantly went to her unborn baby, who also didn't have a father and she didn't want her child to ever feel alone. Zack probably did, if he truly didn't have anyone. "I'm sorry. But why's your dad unavailable? Did he abandon you after your mom...?" she didn't mean to pry, but it was also something that had been a trait for a long time - it came with the whole being a reporter thing. But she also noticed that Zack appeared to be awfully comfortable in a foreign space and being surrounded by people that he didn't know, like Iris herself and Barry who was in his suit. "I bet we could track him down with the Flash's superspeed and we've got plenty of technology around here."

[painofhumanity]

"I've tried. I can't do it," Zack admitted. "I thought it would just be as simple as running again, but it's just. . .it's not working. I don't know if I'm not running fast enough, or if there was some sort of environmental trigger." Or a mental block, a traitorous voice supplied. Because you don't actually want to go home. "At this point, I'm starting to think that the only way back home is for my dad to find me and drag me back into the Speed Force by my hair."

"why don't you just run back to your original timeline?" caitlin question, dubious about creating something sooner than she was supposed to. it would be messing with the timeline and she'd seen from barry just how many complications that could bring along. it wasn't that caitlin wanted zack to leave because she didn't like him, but she didn't want to alter or ruin the natural order of things. who knew what could potentially happen and go wrong... "i mean, wouldn't that make the most sense?"

[painofhumanity]

Zack was about to say something cocky about how he did alright handling himself, but then Iris mentioned his parents, and all of his humor fizzled out. "You can't," he said carefully. "My mom. . .she's. . . She died recently," Zack finished quietly. He'd managed to avoid the full weight of his grief the few days he'd been in the past, but he felt it settling heavily back onto his shoulders. "And my dad probably is worried about me, but he's not. . ." Zack couldn't help glancing over at Barry. "He's not really available? There's no one else you can call, either. I'm. . . I'm alone." What had he done? Why hadn't he thought this through? What if he couldn't find his way back? What if he ended up lost in time, just jumping between time and universes, never able to make it back home, let alone save his mom? Stupid, impulsive, reckless-- Zack stared ahead, not really seeing Iris anymore, as the reality of how badly he'd screwed up began to set in. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to see his dad--his actual dad, not the young Barry Allen across the room--and get yelled at and lectured, before being pulled into a rough hug. He just wanted his dad.

Iris' gaze continued to fling over the young man. There were many metahumans in this city, but it wasn't like Barry brought all of them to the team. Mostly when they needed help controlling themselves or their powers. But so far, Iris couldn't see anything dire about Zack and if he had no place to go, then Star Labs was no more than a mere orphanage right now? "I see. And why exactly do you need help, Zack? You seem pretty together to me. I think maybe the Flash and I should call your parents so they can come and pick you up. They must be worried about you."