Title: Endless Possibilities
Author: an-alternate-world
Rating: T
Characters/Pairing: Barry Allen, Eddie Thawne
Word Count: 597
Summary: A collection of Beddie/Thallen drabbles prompted via Tumblr.
Warnings/Spoilers: None for this drabble.
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with The Flash, The CW, DC Comics or anything else related to the universe.
Anonymous on Tumblr prompted a fic which included the sentence: "You're warm."
Sometimes it feels like he spends a lot of his days chasing ghosts. Regardless of Cisco's ability to track metahumans or Caitlin's ability to discern containment solutions, metas are notoriously difficult to wrangle and they always seem to slip through his grasp. Just because he's fast doesn't mean he can catch them and too often that makes him feel like he's not really achieving anything substantial.
Sometimes his feeling of uselessness follows him around like his own personal ghost. He takes refuge in his lab and pokes at buttons and pushes around paper because even if he can't stop a meta from wreaking havoc on Central City, maybe he can stop an ordinary criminal from inflicting more pain on innocent victims.
On one particular Thursday, a dreary day where rain hammers against his window and thunder rumbles above his head and his nerves jangle because he remembers another storm one night which changed his life, he's staring at some lab results that are inconclusive when the power goes out. He freezes, his fingers curling into fists, and tries to ignore the nausea that sweeps through him. He glances towards the window out of instinct, half-expecting another blinding flash of light spreading dangerous energies into the atmosphere, when the door to his lab screeches open and he nearly falls off his stool in fright.
"Hey."
His fear recedes as Eddie enters with a pair of sparkling eyes and a small smile that settles some of his anxiety. Better yet, he carries two coffee cups and Barry shifts on the stool to take the one Eddie extends towards him.
"Thank you," he says, sipping from the cup and feeling the sweetness of caramel flavouring pool on his tongue and trickle down his throat. He knows his body will absorb it quickly and the sugar will calm him.
Eddie nods, a hand settling on his back for a moment too brief to be comforting. "I thought it might help," Eddie explains, tilting his head towards the storm raging outside.
He ducks his head, wondering if his fears are really that obvious, but Eddie inches closer and places his cup on the bench beside Barry's.
"I'm a detective. I notice things," Eddie murmurs, slipping his arms around Barry's waist and hooking his chin over Barry's shoulder.
Barry hums and tilts into the safety Eddie's body provides. It's almost possible to forget about the storm when he can hear the gentle inhale and exhale of Eddie's breath against his ear drowning out the sound of the rain and the steady beat of his heart can be felt easier than the thunder in his veins.
"You're warm," he says, huffing a laugh when Eddie nuzzles at his neck.
"And you're wound too tight," Eddie retorts, pushing a kiss to the ridge behind his ear.
Barry can feel some of the tension leaking from his shoulders as Eddie continues to hold him. "You know, I can't do anything up here when all my equipment's down," he muses.
"I can't do much either. Our radios are out."
Barry tips his head back to find Eddie's eyes, a little crinkled at the corners with how bright he's smiling. "So if neither of us can work, do you think anyone would notice if you disappeared and I locked my door and we pretended neither of us were in here?"
Eddie's grin widens further. "I like the way you think, Allen."
Their coffees don't get finished but Barry likes to think he found something better than sugar to calm him down and distract him from the rotten weather.
~FIN~