Nightingale | Barry Allen x OC

As Barry and Emma stepped into the Cortex after returning from CCPN, they both felt the heaviness in the air. Caitlin was there, her expression tired but focused as she worked to clean Jay up after his altercation with Doctor Light.

"Cait, are you guys okay?" Emma asked, glancing between the two of them.

Caitlin gave a weak nod, wiping some blood from Jay's face. "Yeah."

Jay, still looking sheepish, turned toward them and sighed. "Guys, I'm sorry. Doctor Light's never killed before—I thought we could reason with her."

Emma pursed her lips but didn't respond. Jay was a good guy, but sometimes his judgment felt... off. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him make a questionable decision, but right now wasn't the time to voice her thoughts.

Harry, however, wasn't holding back. His voice was sharp, and his gaze locked onto Jay. The frustration in his words was obvious. "You cannot reason with someone under Zoom's influence, and now a man is dead because of you, Garrick. This whole thing is because of you."

Jay's posture stiffened, his jaw tightening in response. "I spent two years hunting Zoom—"

"Wrong!" Harry cut him off, not pulling any punches. "Zoom hunted you!"

Harry's voice grew louder as he continued, "You spent the last two years of your life running. Running, running from Zoom."

Jay's temper flared, and he stepped forward, his finger pointing directly at Harry. "Zoom would have killed me just like he'll kill Barry—if you lead him down this path!"

There was a heavy silence as both men locked eyes, their disagreement now fully visible to the team. The tension in the room was palpable as Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, and Emma stood back, watching the verbal sparring continue without intervening.

"No, because he is not like you," Harry said, his voice taking on a more authoritative tone. "Barry runs towards danger, not from it, because Barry's not a coward."

That was the tipping point.

Jay swung. His fist came at Harry's face, landing a sharp blow to his jaw. In an instant, Harry retaliated, shoving Jay back. It was like watching two titans go head-to-head, their frustrations boiling over in a way none of them had anticipated.

"Gentlemen, enough!" Emma shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos. Without hesitation, she moved between them, using her strength to pull them apart. She didn't want this escalating any further—especially not here, in a place already filled with so much uncertainty.

***

The tension in the room hadn't entirely dissipated, and as everyone gathered around the Cortex console, Harry was staring at the mask they had retrieved from Doctor Light.

"How did you get this?" Harry's voice was curious, but there was an edge to it.

Barry answered quickly, his eyes flicking between Harry and the others. "Iris shot it off Doctor Light when she attacked Linda at CCPN."

Jay, still on edge, crossed his arms. "You know how to use the mask to find Light?"

Harry straightened, his focus shifting. "Yes, I do." To everyone's surprise, he turned toward Cisco, his words catching them off guard. "All we have to do is give it to him."

Cisco blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Why me?"

"Because you have powers," Harry replied as though it were obvious.

Emma immediately turned to Cisco, concern rising in her chest. "Cisco?"

Cisco looked just as confused as Emma felt. "What are you talking about?"