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Barry Allen’s heart raced, and not just because of the fight. The adrenaline coursed through his veins as he dashed down the street, his feet barely making contact with the ground. The meta he was facing had the power to control sound—waves of destructive energy that shattered windows and sent cars tumbling across the road. It was chaos, but Barry was used to chaos.
The villain wasn’t easy, not by any means. But Barry was faster, and as the meta sent out another wave of sonic energy, Barry was already there, grasping the villain's arms and twisting them behind his back before the man could react. In a flash, the meta was on the ground, Barry’s speed giving him the upper hand once again.
The fight was over before it even really began, but Barry wasn’t feeling victorious. His arm throbbed, a sharp pain shooting through his shoulder where the meta had struck him earlier. His chest ached from taking a blast to the ribs. He barely registered the pain, but it was there, a constant reminder of the risks he took every day.
With the villain restrained and the authorities on their way, Barry took a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering tension. He needed to get back to S.T.A.R. Labs. He needed to see Harry.
But as he sped back toward the lab, a deep sense of unease settled in his chest. What if he had pushed himself too far this time? What if this time, he wouldn't be fast enough? The thought gnawed at him, but it was quickly replaced by something else: the image of Harrison Wells, looking at him with that unreadable expression, his eyes softening whenever Barry wasn’t looking.
Barry pushed the thought aside as he arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs. He barely made it through the doors before Harrison was there, waiting for him, his face tight with concern.
“Barry,” Harrison snapped, his voice laced with an edge of panic that Barry wasn’t used to hearing. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Barry, trying to suppress the exhaustion and pain that was starting to catch up with him, stood a little straighter. “I’m fine, Harry. It’s over.”
But Harrison wasn’t convinced. “Fine? You’re barely standing, Barry. You’re never fine. How many times do I have to tell you that you can’t keep doing this?”
Barry frowned, suddenly feeling a sting of frustration. “What’s your deal, Harry?” He tried to keep his voice steady, but there was a sharpness to it that he didn’t mean. “I took care of the meta. What else do you want?”
Harrison’s eyes flashed with something that wasn’t just anger—it was fear. Fear for him. The realization hit Barry harder than any of the punches he’d taken during the fight. Harrison wasn’t just angry; he was terrified. For him.
“I want you to stop acting like you’re invincible, Barry,” Harrison spat, his voice low and biting. “You’re not. You can’t keep throwing yourself into danger like this. Do you even understand what would happen if—if something went wrong?”
Barry’s breath caught in his throat as Harrison took a step closer, his eyes wild with emotion. “I can’t… I can’t keep watching you do this. I can’t keep pretending I’m not worried every time you leave this lab. Every time you run off to face a villain, not knowing if you’ll come back. I can’t.”
The vulnerability in Harrison’s voice struck a chord deep in Barry’s chest, and for a moment, all the anger and frustration melted away. But the silence that followed felt thick, suffocating, as Barry tried to find his voice.
“Harry…” he began, but Harrison shook his head sharply, running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t want to hear it, Barry. Not this time. I’ve been… I’ve been watching you. I’ve been watching you throw yourself at danger, and I’ve been pretending it doesn’t hurt. Pretending I don’t care. But I do care, Barry. And it terrifies me. Every time you walk out that door, I don’t know if you’re coming back. And I—”
Harrison’s voice cracked. The walls he’d built so carefully around his emotions were crumbling, and Barry saw it—the rawness of it, the fear and the care. It was something that made his heart twist with guilt.
He hadn’t known. No, he hadn’t really seen how much Harrison cared. How much his safety mattered to him.
“Harrison, you don’t have to—”
“Don’t,” Harrison interrupted, his voice harsh now. “Don’t tell me I don’t have to. You think this is easy for me? Watching you risk your life every day? You think I don’t know how much you mean to this world, to everyone here, to me?” His voice lowered to a near whisper, and his eyes darkened. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m scared every time you’re not here. And I don’t know how much longer I can stand it.”
Barry’s pulse quickened as Harrison’s words hit him like a wave, drowning him in the weight of the emotion that Harrison was barely holding onto. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” Barry asked softly, his voice shaky with emotion. “Why have you been keeping this from me?”
Harrison looked away, unable to meet Barry’s gaze. “Because I’m older than you. I’ve been through things… things I don’t want to drag you into. You deserve better than this—better than me. You’re young, you’re full of life. You should be out there, living your life. Not… not worrying about some broken man like me.”
Barry’s chest tightened at Harrison’s words. The man he admired, the one who had been a constant in his life, was convinced that he wasn’t enough. That he wasn’t worthy of Barry’s love. And it hurt. It hurt more than anything he’d ever felt before.
“I don’t care about any of that,” Barry said quietly, stepping closer, his voice gentle. “I care about you. Not your past, not your mistakes. You.”
Harrison shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
Barry reached out, his hand resting gently on Harrison’s arm. “I know exactly what I’m asking for,” he said, his voice steady. “I care about you, Harry. I always have. I’ve just been too scared to admit it. But I’m not running away from this. Not from you.”
Harrison’s breath hitched, and for a moment, it felt like everything was on the verge of breaking. Then, slowly, Harrison turned to face him, his eyes softening, filled with a quiet intensity.
“I…” Harrison started, his voice barely audible. “I don’t know how to do this, Barry. I don’t know how to be what you want me to be. But I… I love you, too. I love you in ways I never expected. And I’m terrified of it.”
Barry’s heart swelled with emotion. “You don’t have to be perfect, Harry. You just have to be here. With me.”
There was a long silence between them, the weight of everything they hadn’t said finally pressing down. But in that silence, something shifted. Something between them finally clicked into place. Harrison reached out, his hand trembling as he cupped Barry’s cheek, his thumb brushing over the skin there.
“I’m not letting you go,” Harrison whispered, his voice rough with emotion.
Barry smiled, feeling the ache in his chest finally ease, knowing that, despite everything they had feared, they would make it through. Together.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Barry said, and for the first time in a long while, he believed it.