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To be honest, Eobard didn’t even notice the mistletoe at first. He was much more concerned with stopping crazed metahumans AND trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for Barry, thank you very much . He thinks he can be excused from not recognizing the conspicuous placement of some dumb twigs.
He had been heading into the Cortex after checking up on the state of the timeline in the Time Vault (he had already checked earlier that morning, but there was no harm in looking again, especially with how crazy things had become) when all of a sudden he was ambushed by 160 pounds of very excited speedster who wasted no time slipping his tongue into Eobard’s mouth. Even with his enhanced reflexes, it took Eobard a moment to process things before he started thoroughly kissing back, because naturally there was no way he could say no to Barry.
“Not that…I’m not...appreciative of this,” he breathed in between kisses, “But...what’s this all about?” Eobard asked, pulling away to look his (adorable/amazing/gorgeous/incredible) boyfriend in the eyes. Barry pouted a little due to the fact that they weren’t kissing anymore, but he pointed up to a collection of misshapen sprigs hung over the Cortex entryway. “Mistletoe. Merry Christmas, Eobard.”
“Christmas,” Eobard said, with a dignified sniff, “Still isn’t for another week. I don’t understand why all you people feel the need to decorate and celebrate for at least a month in advance.”
Barry rolled his eyes and untangled his limbs from Eobard.
“Aw, come off it, Mr. Grinch. Christmas is fun. Decorating is fun. And if there is a certain decoration which requires me to kiss my boyfriend whenever we happen to both be underneath it, well…” Barry wiggled his eyebrows in a way that was probably intended to be suggestive, but ended up just looking like he had a bad itch.
Eobard shook his head before zipping over and removing the mistletoe from the doorway.
“As much as I appreciate the effort, I’d rather not have to kiss Joe West if we both happen to come through the door at the same time,” he said, cutting Barry off before he started complaining about Eo “ruining his aesthetic” again.
Barry sighed and looked as if he was about to make some terribly quippy comment when the police alert went off and Barry had to zoom away to stop an oil tanker from exploding (that was the third one this month! Eobard honestly wondered how humans had survived long enough for him to even be born, especially with how disaster prone the 21st century was).
After that, Eobard kind of forgot about the mistletoe and once again became preoccupied with finding the perfect present for Barry because this was their first Christmas together, like actually together-together, and it needed to be completely flawless because he needed to show Barry just how much he meant to him and what if it wasn’t perfect, oh God Barry would remember just who Eobard was and he would remember that they were supposed to hate each other and....and….
So the present search was going well.
Eo picked up dinner that night (it was Monday, Big Belly Burger night) on the way back from Star Labs, because Barry had needed to run back to CCPD after averting the oil disaster since he had left some tests running. Barry, it seemed, always had some tests left running. Maybe it was about time Eobard “borrowed” some police tech from the 2100s, that way the tests could do themselves and Eobard could do Barry. Yes, that would be a much better use of time. Eobard mentally jotted that down for future reference.
He had just made it through the door of their (née Harrison Wells’) house where he barely had time to set down the food and drinks before he once again found himself being attacked by Barry’s lips.
“Mlurphhh,” Eobard said eloquently, before furiously ravishing Barry’s mouth and drawing out those lovely little moans he adored so much.
“Barry! Again?” He said, slightly scandalized when he looked up to find yet another bundle of mistletoe hanging above them.
“What, I’m not allowed to kiss my cute speedster boyfriend when he comes home from work? In our own home?” Barry said, nibbling at Eo’s lower lip.
Eobard rolled his eyes and pulled his burger and curly fries out of the fast-food bag.
“I suppose you’re right,” he sighed, “A little mistletoe isn’t that bad.”
Little did Eobard know that with those few words, he had utterly doomed himself. Because the next day when he showed up early at Star Labs to make sure all of the prisoners...ahem, unwilling guests in the Pipeline were fed and taken care of, there was another sprig of mistletoe hung above the Cortex entrance. Right where he had taken the one down yesterday.
“Oh, Barry,” Eobard muttered, holding his head in his hands.
Eobard felt a tremor in the speed force behind him and the crackle of lightning in his ear and then Barry was there, whispering in his ear, “Did someone say my name?”
“Barry I…” Eobard groaned, but Barry reached up and shushed him by putting a finger over his lips, before pointing upwards and saying “Uh-uh. Mistletoe.”
“You can’t be seri-”
“Nope. Kissing now, grumbling later. Those are the rules,” Barry said with a grin. Eobard sighed, but leaned in anyways.
“You little shit,” he muttered.
The morning was pretty busy- two car chases, three robberies, and one random appearance by the Snarts (and Mick Rory, of course), so Eobard didn’t leave the Cortex again until about noon when he realized that holy shit he could use a coffee and one of Cisco’s protein bars and a fucking bathroom break.
That’s when he noticed the mistletoe hung up above the coffee machine. And above the fridge. And the printer, the workshop tables, and the mannequin Barry put his Flash costume on when he wasn’t wearing it. And every. Fucking. Doorway.
“...bbbBARRRRYYY!” Eobard yelled.
“...Yes?” Barry said, popping his head in.
Eobard took a deep breath.
“Would you like to tell me...why exactly...there is mistletoe. ON. EVERYTHING!!” he shrieked. But then Barry was kissing him and oh yes, that was lovely, yes, just like that -
“So I get to do this,” Barry whispered, when they finally pulled apart.
“Ugh,” Eobard muttered, but fondly. “This is ridiculous.”
“I agree,” Cisco said, stepping in through the door holding his favorite Star Labs coffee mug (the navy blue one, as opposed to the cobalt, cerulean, white, off-white, cream, and tan colored ones. Cisco had a lot of mugs). “I swear if I hadn’t noticed the mistletoe above the computers in time I would have had to kiss Ronnie, which means Caitlyn would now be trying to kill me for sneaking in on her man.”
“So just avoid the mistletoe if you don’t want to get kissed,” Barry said plainly, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.
“A little hard to do that when you’ve hung it everywhere, love,” Eobard said exasperatedly.
“I’m just trying to maximize productivity,” Barry said with a little shrug, before leaning in to kiss Eobard again.
“Ugh,” Cisco said. “Can you guys eat each other’s faces off somewhere that doesn’t block my access to the Espresso maker?”
By the afternoon, Barry had once again zoomed away to CCPD upon remembering that oh yeah, he had a real job too leaving Eobard to ponder anxiously about the Great Gift Dilemma, aka Operation Find-Barry-the-Perfect-Present. Eobard considered getting him a new microscope and some of the most cutting-edge science books, but quickly abandoned the idea. It just wasn’t special or personal enough. He’d also considered the sex toy route- they were a couple after all, and couples sometimes got each other stuff like that in the 21st century, didn’t they?- but honestly Eobard couldn’t imagine that being anything but awkward, even if they only opened up presents between themselves. Eobard distinctly remembered receiving a pink, floral-patterned dildo as part of a joke-gift exchange in college, and even though it was in jest, he thinks one gift-wrapped dildo and the resulting excruciating embarrassment was enough for a lifetime. He considered getting Barry a car, or a motorbike, but that would be pointless (hello, speedster) and all the best top-of-the-line tech gadgets (also pointless, the stuff they have at the lab is already light-years ahead of anywhere else). He’s even considered taking Barry on vacation to Bali for a week, just them, no expense spared- but that doesn’t seem right either.
The problem, Eobard thinks, is that he just can’t find anything that properly speaks to how much Barry means to him. No gift that he can think of can accurately represent the impact that Barry (this Barry, HIS Barry) has had on his life. Sure, he was obsessed with the Flash before- worshipped him, cherished him, adored him- but not like this. The Flash in the time before, the one that Eobard had ran back to destroy, was always more of a distant idol. He never cared for Eobard as anything more than an temporary sidekick while Wally West was away. And that was even before he broke Eobard’s heart and cast him aside. That man was always The Flash , never Barry Allen.
But this Barry, oh, Eobard doesn’t even know if he possesses the words to describe him. He’s so young , so genuine, so full of hope and life. He’s the man that won’t hesitate to put his life on the line for others, and is willing to give a second chance to anyone. Even the man who killed his mother and he hated for so many years, Eobard thinks. This Barry is the one who chose to come to Eobard, even while knowing who he was, and confess his feelings with such certainty that Eobard couldn’t help but be swept off his feet in their wake. This is the Barry who proved to Eobard that perhaps even the most unrequited of loves could still have a chance and that he might still have some good in him, after all.
And there is Eobard’s problem. What gift, what trinket, could possibly exist that would express all of this to the man he loves? And how can he possibly locate such an object in less than a week?
“Fuck me,” Eobard whispered, holding his head in his hands. Yes, he was doomed.
This affirmation was only confirmed when Eobard arrived home. Because if he had thought Barry had gone overboard with the mistletoe at Star Labs, well-
Eobard hadn’t even realized that this much mistletoe existed in the whole country, let alone the whole world. The small twiggy plant was hung from every surface in the house it could possibly be hung from- light fixtures, ceiling fans, rafters, and every inch of the ceiling. It looked like some sort of apocalyptic disaster had occurred and the plants had started infesting the indoors.
He stood there for a moment, shell-shocked and utterly unable to decide how to proceed.
Thankfully he was spared from having to decide on a response himself due to the fact that Barry picked that exact moment to speed in and jump on him.
“What do you think?” Barry whispered, sucking a path along the side of Eo’s neck.
“Excessive and unnecessary,” Eobard mumbled back, more concerned with getting his mouth to connect with Barry’s. “But still, I wholly admire your dedication. Where did you even find this much mistletoe?”
Barry blushed and ran a hand sheepishly through his hair. “I may have, uh, bought up the entirety of Central City’s supply. And Keystone’s. And also a good portion of all the mistletoe in the Midwest,” he admitted.
“So what you mean to tell me,” Eobard said incredulously, “Is that basically the whole city, plus a sizeable chunk of the country, is being denied the extreme pleasure of mistletoe this holiday season because you want to kiss me?”
“...Yes?”
“Oh, Barry,” Eobard said, burying his face in the crook of Barry’s neck. “Have I told you just how... adorable you are?”
Barry’s face lit up with a brilliant grin. “Yes, quite often in fact.”
He leaned in closer. “But I’m always willing to hear it again.”
And after that, how couldn’t Eobard drown himself in the feeling of Barry’s lips against his?
The rest of the week, Eobard resigned himself to his fate- under every sprig of mistletoe he happened to find himself beneath, he would indulgently kiss Barry until the both of them were left gasping for air. It was turning out to be somewhat of a problem, unsurprisingly- very little work was getting done at Star Labs, to the point where Cisco had started vibing any mistletoe he found to other dimensions (although it always seemed to re-appear within hours, if not minutes). Eobard thanked his speedster healing for the fact that his lips weren’t swollen and sore from all the kissing, although he had a feeling that before long even that wouldn’t be enough.
At one point on Christmas Eve, Eo had even found Cisco curled up in a ball on the Cortex floor mumbling, “Please, God, just end my suffering,” while Caitlin and Ronnie kissed in the corner. Well, at least they were having fun, Eobard thought.
In what was nothing short of an absolute miracle, Barry hadn’t had time to inflict his mistletoe decoration wrath upon the Wests’ house, which meant that thankfully Christmas Eve dinner provided Eobard the smallest of respites from Barry’s near-insatiable desire for kisses. In all honesty, he had been shocked to be invited- the Star Labs crew had (mostly) forgiven him for his deception and slight attempts at murder, but Eobard wasn’t sure he could say the same for Iris and his ancestor Eddie, let alone Joe West. So to be invited to their family holiday dinner was somewhat unexpected, to say the least.
Barry had suggested that they all get together on Christmas Eve this year, instead of the next day. When Eobard had asked him why, Barry had replied, “So I can spend all day with you, silly.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to keep you away from your family- you could go over in the morning and open presents with them, and then later on-”
“Shhh,” Barry said, sliding into Eobard’s lap. “Don’t worry. I’m sure, Eo.”
Eobard still wasn’t convinced. “Promise?”
Barry smiled. “Promise.”
Eobard, who being very honest with himself had admitted that he had absolutely no cooking ability whatsoever, had wisely placed an order in with a gourmet grocer beforehand and was now holding a frankly awe-inspiring sweet-potato casserole in his hands as he waited to head over to the Wests with Barry. After many, many long hours of deliberation, Eobard had finally decided on a gift- it wasn’t anything special or fancy, but it was the only thing he could think of. And because he was a terrified anxious wreck, he’d decided to get Barry everything else too- a microscope (from the future), first-edition copies of all his favorite books (all signed by the authors), a new loft for the both of them in the city, all of it. Sometimes it didn’t hurt to be a billionaire.
“You ready?” Barry asked, appearing beside him in the most garish red and green Christmas sweater Eobard had ever seen.
“As I’ll ever be,” Eobard replied, and the both of them sped off.
Joe met them at the door, giving Barry a big hug and a cautious although not completely hostile side-eye to Eobard.
“Everyone else is already inside,” Joe said. “You can go ahead and put your stuff on the counter.” Barry carefully took the casserole from Eobard and headed in, and Eobard made to follow him, but not before Joe grabbed ahold of his shoulder and held him back.
“I’m warning you,” Joe whispered in his ear, “Any funny business, anything at all, and I won’t hesitate to shoot you, Barry’s boyfriend or not. Are we clear?”
Eobard looked him straight in the eyes. “Crystal.”
Joe studied him for a second before seeming to decide that was acceptable. “Good.”
The rest of the evening was, for the most part, uneventful- Eobard tried to stay on his best behavior and enjoy the evening. To his surprise, he actually managed to have quite a nice conversation with Eddie, who although still being a little wary of him was genuinely curious about his great-great however-many-greats grandson and the future. Eobard would probably never admit it out loud, but it felt fantastic to actually have a family member who seemed to be interested in him.
“You know,” Eobard said, after they’d been talking for a while, “I was wrong.”
“Oh really?” Eddie said interestedly, taking a sip from his wine glass. “What about?”
“You’re the best of all of us. The rest of us Thawnes are useless, arrogant pricks.”
Barry and Iris, who had both been listening in both stifled a snort and Joe simply raised a glass, saying, “Well, I’ll drink to that.”
It was only after dinner and everyone was just hanging around in the living room that Eobard was struck with how unusual all this was. Just a year ago, he had been hell-bent on getting back to the future even if it meant killing everyone in this room, but now here he was celebrating Christmas with Cisco, Caitlin, Ronnie, the Steins, all of them- while holding the man he’d pined for and loved more than life itself in his arms. Was this what every Christmas felt like? If so, Eobard could begin to see why everyone seemed to like it so much.
Before long it was late and everyone eventually found a reason to take their leave.
“Hey Eo,” Barry said, as they were heading out the door after wishing everyone a good night. “Can we stop by Star Labs before we go home?”
Eobard frowned. “I don’t see why not. Any particular reason why?” he asked.
“You’ll see,” Barry said with a smirk, and then sped off, leaving Eobard to chase his lightning.
When he arrived at Star Labs, it took Eobard a bit of searching before he finally found Barry in the Time Vault.
“Barry?” he asked. “What is this?”
Barry grinned. “Your Christmas present.” He stepped aside to reveal the alcove where Eobard stored his suit. Except, it wasn’t his suit that was hung up there. Instead of the bulky mustard colored Reverse Flash costume, there was instead a sleek yellow and red suit accented tastefully with black. It was slightly armored, but by the looks of it still very maneuverable and comfortable. In short, it was gorgeous- exactly the sort of Flash costume Eobard had dreamed about having as a child.
“Barry…” he whispered, choking up. “I...I don’t know what to say.”
“I thought it was about time you had a new suit, what with you officially joining the team and all. Cisco helped me fabricate it, but I created the design. Do you like it?”
Eobard kissed him. “I love it,” he whispered when they broke apart. “I can’t even tell you…” And oh yes, those were tears clouding his vision. “Thank you.”
“You deserve it,” Barry replied. “It’s time for the rest of the world to see you as the hero I already know you are.”
And with that statement, Eobard knew what he needed to do. He pulled out of Barry’s embrace slowly, stepping back.
“I’d planned this out a little differently,” he began hoarsely, “But as always, you have utterly destroyed my plans.”
Barry’s face contorted in a small frown. “Eo, what…”
Eobard knelt down and withdrew the small box that he’d been carrying around with him all week.
“Barry Allen, will you...I mean, would you…” he trailed off. God, why was he so nervous? Isn’t this the question he’d been waiting his whole life to ask?
“Eobard…” Barry said breathlessly. “Are you...are you asking me to marry you?”
“I...um...yes?” Eobard stuttered, heart pounding through his chest.
“Eo,” Barry breathed, and then suddenly Eobard found himself pinned to the floor under attack from Barry’s lips.
“Is...that...a yes?”
Barry threw his head back in joyful laughter.
“Yes. My God Eobard, of course it’s a yes.” Tears welled up in Eobard eyes and he found himself crying because he said yes, Barry Allen just agreed to marry me .
“You know, it’s funny,” Barry said, withdrawing and reaching into his pocket. He pulled out another small box, very similar to the one Eobard had just presented him with. “I was about to ask you the same question, but you beat me to it.”
“Barry,” Eobard laughed in disbelief.
“I love you,” Barry whispered, holding him close. “I want to spend every minute left in my existence with you, my Reverse. I want to be,” he said, just millimeters from Eobard’s ear, “I want to be Barry Thawne .”
“Holy fuck, I love you,” Eobard said, kissing him again. He closed his eyes and laid his head back against the cold tile floor and reveled in the pleasure of their tongues sliding against each other, licking and sucking and yes...
They laid there like that for a minute, just breathing in each other's arms. Finally, Eobard opened his eyes and looked up, then burst out laughing.
“What? What is it?” Barry questioned. Eobard pointed up.
And lo and behold, the ceiling was covered in mistletoe.