A/N: This is kinda just a random one-shot I came up with. LOL R&R please.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.
Barry Allen ran through cars, hurrying to get to the place of the current crime. When he arrived, six men were beating up an old man and his wife. They kicked at him, refusing to stop. Barry ran towards them, grabbing the old couple and taking them elsewhere. He checked to see if they were okay before looking at the muggers dramatically.
One saw him and gasped. "It's that Flash kid. He's supposed to be faster than the speed of light."The other guys nodded before trying to run. They knew they wouldn't all make it, but some could at least try. Three got as far as past the alley they were in, two got to the street and one got away. Barry cursed under his breath.
Cisco said into the microphone, "Okay, Barry, search for him a little bit before coming back."
Police sirens pulled up and Barry nodded at one before sprinting away. He was looking for the last robber but was unsuccessful.
~( )~
Caitlin rushed around Barry, checking if he was okay. Even though she checked, she knew she would find nothing. After all, his entire body process was sped up, meaning he would heal extremely fast. It didn't mean his heart would heal. He heard someone talking to him, but started walking away. He only got as far as the doors to the cortex before Caitlin grabbed his arm.
"Barry, what is up with you lately? You've been acting like this for a week." She looked into his eyes.
Barry tilted his head. "What do you mean? How have I been acting?"
She rolled her eyes unhappily, pulling him back in to the cortex. "You've been zoning out, ignoring us, and Cisco says that sometimes you black out, but are still awake. What's up?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. I've just been thinking a lot lately." He yanked his arm out of her grasp, going home. When he got there, he sighed, hoping Joe wasn't home. Luckily, he wasn't. Barry went to his room, collapsing on the ground. "I can't do this. I can't live up to the hero that everyone wants me to be. It's impossible." Slowly, he felt a tear slide down his face, then a following one. They created a steady stream before he let out a choked sob. "I'm not fast enough..."
The door to the house opened and Joe called, "Barry, are you home?"
Managing a steady voice, Barry replied, "Yeah. I'm up in my room."
Joe frowned. Barry's voice sounded wobbly, like he was crying. Instead of questioning it, he decided it was best to leave him to sort out his own problems. "Okay. Come down when dinner's ready!"
"Yeah..." was the meek answer. Barry began crying silently. He couldn't let anyone know. It was his secret to keep, and his only. That meant he had to act like usual. He wiped his tears away, changing clothes. Then he went to the bathroom across the hall to wash his face. All tear stains were gone in an instant, and it looked like he hadn't cried at all. He put on his regular smile, and it looked convincing. That made him happy.
He walked down the stairs and smiled at Joe. "What happened at work today?" That made Joe raise an eyebrow, but chose to say nothing about it.
"It was good. We had no cases, so I just worked on paperwork. It was exhausting." He paused. "And where were you, Barry?"
He shrugged. "I had nothing to analyze or complete, as I keep up on paperwork. So, I went off and saved the people of Central City." It was an honest answer, mostly. The thing he forgot to mention was that he cried for hours before going to save the citizen.
Flashback (pun totally intended)
Barry looked around, trying to figure out what was up. A woman was screaming as some drunkard tried to take her shirt off. Barry rolled his eyes and as a blur, handcuffed the idiot. Pushing him to the ground, the man passed out. The woman looked at him, thankful, before seeing his eyes. Concern enveloped her face as she spoke, "Were you crying, Flash?"
Smirking, he made a 'sort of' motion with his hand. When she looked worried, he replied, disguising his voice, "Even heroes cry, Miss." Then he was gone, leaving the woman confused.
Flashback over
Joe waved a hand in front of Barry's face before the young man responded. "What, Joe?"
The black man (I swear I'm not racist) sighed in exasperation. "I asked if you were alright, but I think you just answered my question. Barry, what's wrong?"
Barry bit his lip. "Nothing. Why?"
"Tell me the truth."
"I am."
"Barry, I know you. Please, just tell me the truth."
Barry bit his lip harder. "Joe, I-" Stopping himself from lying, he took slow, long breaths."I am not okay, Joe." A tear fell. "I will never be fast enough to save the people who need to be saved. I hate myself for it. There was yet another fire and I couldn't save two of the people in there. I wasn't fast enough before their screams started then stopped. I can never be fast enough to save the people I love if I can't save the people who live around me."
Joe gave a look of pity. "Oh, Barry. It's okay. Everything will be alright." He brought the semi-depressed boy into his arms. "I can't say you'll be able to save everyone because we know that's not true. What I can say is that you are going to be fine. This'll mull over, and you will be better and more confident than ever. You will be fine, Barry." His deep, throaty voice stopped and he let Barry sob in his shoulder a bit more.
Barry retracted from his adoptive father's arms, nodding to what he said. "You are right, Joe. You always seem to be right. That's why I look up to you so much. Thank you." With that, he wiped residue tears away and sat down at the table. He noticed that pizza was on the table. He pumped his fist. "Yes, pizza." Lucklily, it was about 6 pizzas. Jalapeño, cheese, sausage, pepperoni, taco, and supreme. Yum.
Next day, Barry was fine as he went to S.T.A.R. Labs. Dr. Wells, Caitlin, and Cisco wondered why he was so positive, but they shrugged it off. At least it was better than yesterday.