Getting Barry to come to S.T.A.R. Labs hadn't been as hard as Iris had thought it would be. It seemed Barry didn't remember much about his life past the age of twelve though he recognized everyone for who they were. Caitlin had wanted to take Barry to the lab to see what was happening and although he had refused at first, it seemed his love for science hadn't diminished and so all Cisco had to do to get the kid to go with them was mention some of the science gadgets that they had.

Getting the overgrown kid to comply with the tests Caitlin wanted to do was another problem but was mostly sorted by telling about the science behind whatever test they were doing. Iris just smiled at how big of a nerd her best friend was.

"Okay so, everything looks normal except the brain scan shows that areas of his brain have been affected by whatever the meta-human did to him."

The Doctor pulled up the image of the brain scan on one of the monitors and was excitedly pointing out areas of interest.

"His temporal lobe has shown signs of decreased activity. This part of the brain controls his sense of identity as well as behavior and emotions and memory. I believe that this meta-human causes Barry's mind to revert to that of a twelve year old using electrical impulses to block certain pathways and neurons in the brain. I'm not quite sure why it lasts so long after ceasing contact with the meta-human but it's certainly handy in causing a distraction."

Joe crossed his arms and tried to understand everything that the doctor had said.

"It's not permanent though right? He's not brain damaged or anything?"

The woman suddenly realized that not everyone would be as excited about the brain scans as her.

"Oh, no of course not, it should wear off eventually. The other victims returned to normal after about a week but I'm not sure how long it will last for Barry with his speed healing and everything. But he'll be fine."

She still looked excited and Cisco laughed.

"Sorry, Cait just gets overly excited about this stuff sometimes."

Caitlin looked at her lab partner in disbelief.

"Of course I am! If this meta-human can control all brain waves and neurons then imagine the good we could use it for? Alzheimer's, dementia, traumatic brain injuries! This could be the start of a future where-"

"I'm bored." Barry, of course interrupted the scientists rant, making Joe laugh a little and also made him a little relieved. He had to listen to hours of science stuff he didn't understand every day and sometimes it just got too much for his brain to handle.

"Okay kid, we can get going soon." The cop looked to Caitlin who nodded.

"Yeah he can go home."

"Thank you Dr Snow."

Cisco looked a bit worried as he gestured to where Barry was playing with the medical equipment.

"Just make sure you keep an eye on him and don't let him do anything Flash related."

Iris tutted at her best friend and took the stethoscope that he was using to listen to his tummy.

"How hard could it be to look after a 12 year old in a 25 year old meta-humans body right?" She did not look amused as she took Barry's hand and led him from the lab to the car.

Cisco could just hear Barry mention a race to the car before sparks flew from where the boy once stood leaving Iris furious.

"BARRY!"

By the time they got Barry back home he was sulking.

"I want to go running and do superhero stuff."

Joe shook his head and gave his best stern look which wasn't hard since he used it on Barry all the time anyway.

"You're staying at the house with us today and I don't want any arguments about it, now go upstairs and change out of your Flash suit."

Iris laughed at Barry as he crossed his arms and pouted.

"I don't want to."

"Barry Allen you march up those stairs right now. One…"

The boy sprinted away up the stairs before Joe continued counting.

"What were you gonna do when you got to three?" Iris would have liked to see what happened when a speedster was grounded but her father only shrugged.

"I have no idea."

Barry was done in a few seconds and suddenly appeared on the couch with a can of coke and a pile of comic books and looked annoyed when Joe strapped a watch-like device to his wrist.

"What's this?"

"A tracker from Cisco and Caitlin so they can check your location and some basic vitals at all times. Don't think I forgot your tendency to run away and no super-speeding in this house young man."

Iris came to sit on the couch beside Barry as he fiddled with his new accessory.

"Sooo Barry what's up?" She couldn't help laughing at the clothes he had picked out. A nerdy superman t-shirt with some blue shorts that she didn't know he owned and of course his high-tops.

"Why are my legs so long? I'm really tall." Iris smiled at him as he stretched his limbs in front of him marveling at their length.

"You're bigger than you remember Barry." The kid smiled back at her, the sort of smile that crinkled his eyes and made his cheeks flush red the tiniest bit. She loved it when he smiled like that.

"You're really pretty Iris. You're bigger too." Iris blushed.

"Thank you Bar." He went back to reading his comic books and Iris decided that while it was weird that her best friend had a child's mind, it was nice to see him so happy and unburdened by all the responsibility he had as an adult. Normal Barry had the weight of the city, and occasionally, the world on his shoulders. He vowed to keep everyone in Central City safe with his Flash powers and when he wasn't super speeding around he was helping solve cases as a CSI.

She was so proud of her Barry but this younger version was so innocent and although he had seen the darkness of the world when his Mother was murdered and Father sent to prison, he hadn't yet seen all the terrible things that happened because of normal people.

Iris couldn't even remember the last time her Barry read his comic books; he hadn't had time. At least while he was like this he had a chance to be happy.