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“Hey, Thawne!”
Eddie sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before turning around, the books he was about to shelve still pressed against his chest. “What do you want, Allen?”
“Well,” the boy began; he leaned against the shelf, arms crossed over his chest, a smug grin on his face. Jerkface, Eddie thought, grimacing. “I need some help with a Biology project.”
“Oh.” Eddie put the books back on his cart. “Sure. What topic?” He couldn't believe Barry Allen was, for once, not here just to annoy him but to actually--
“Human sexuality.” Allen laughed when Eddie blushed immediately. “What, is that a problem?”
“I can't remember even touching that subject in Bio last year,” Eddie mumbled and tried to squeeze past Allen to get to the non-fiction area. Their chests brushed briefly, making Eddie jump back and almost knocking over a shelf. The other boy's hand was gripping his arm, trying to prevent him from falling over.
“You okay there, Thawne?” He looked like he was trying not to laugh. Bastard.
“What exactly is your project on?” Eddie tried to change the topic as he walked towards the Biology section, the other boy following him.
“Not sure yet. I don't even know if Wells is gonna let me present it. He hates me.”
“He hates everyone,” Eddie mumbled as he scanned the shelves. He took out a large volume that covered various topics. “This should help you decide.” Their fingers brushed when Eddie handed him the book, and the other boy seemed to linger, a small smile on his lips. Eddie swallowed hard and looked away. “So, uhm.”
“Thank you.” Eddie looked up at him and flushed at his intense gaze. “I'll be back tomorrow.”
Eddie couldn't decide if it was intended to be a threat or a promise.
The following day, Eddie tried not to let the thought of Barry coming to the library again affect his work. He didn't know why today should be any different – the other boy had been coming here every day for months. Eddie was used to it. There was nothing special about this.
However, he couldn't help but feel disappointed when Barry didn't show up. It wasn't like... Eddie didn't think there was anything more to it than the other boy needing his help with his project, of course not. That would be ridiculous, right?
After his shift, Eddie strolled through the vacant hallways, enjoying the peace and silence, letting his thoughts wander. It wasn't until he passed by the nurse's office that he was brought out of his reverie.
“You need to be more careful, Mr. Allen,” he heard the nurse say. “Next time you might not be as lucky.”
He heard a grunt and the soft sound of a door closing before his curiosity got the better of him and he knocked at the door.
“Yeah?”
“Uhm. It's me. Eddie? From the library?”
There was a rustle, a brief moment of silence, before he heard a “Come in.” and opened the door carefully.
Eddie frowned and crossed his arms over his chest when he saw the black eye and bloody nose. “What the hell? Why are you always getting into fights?” He couldn't refrain from taking a tissue off the nurse's table and pressing it to the boy's cheek when he saw a smidge of blood there. He swore Barry's cheeks darkened a little.
“I'm not always getting into fights. Just when someone pisses me off.”
“Which is most of the time, as far as I've heard.”
Barry shrugged. “Well, maybe, but it was different this time.”
Eddie frowned and disposed of the dirty tissue. “Why?”
“This asshole, Woodward, you know him?” Eddie nodded. “He called you a loser. In front of me. Shouldn't have done that.”
Eddie's eyes widened. “What-- You do realise I'm used to that kind of stuff, yeah? It doesn't bother me.” He huffed and tried to fight the heat rising to his cheeks.
“It bothers me.” Barry shook his head, wincing a little at the movement. “You're not a loser.”
“No?” Eddie asked with a raised brow. “What makes you say that?”
“You're just... not one, okay?”
“I'm guessing that's all the information I'm gonna get from you.”
“Your guess is correct.”
“Well.” Eddie adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. “I better go. See you.”
Barry bit his lip and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I-- I'll come by tomorrow? For... the project. Need more books.”
Eddie gave him a smile, hoping his cheeks weren't as red as he thought. “Sure. See you tomorrow, then.”