100 Ways
92. I want you to be happy.
"I can't believe I'm finally going to see the inside of S.T.A.R. Labs," Eddie said as Barry held the doors open for him.
"Come on, Cisco and Caitlin are waiting," Barry said, then scooped Eddie up and raced to the main terminal.
Eddie stumbled a little as Barry set him down on his feet. "That…is going to take some getting used to," he said, straightening up.
"Trust us, it gets old," Cisco said with a grin, then clapped Eddie on the back. "Nice to see you brought into the fold, man!"
"Hi Eddie," Caitlin greeted, walking over and hugging him.
"Hi guys," Eddie said, then gazed around. "So this is where the magic happens, huh?"
"Yep! This is where we monitor Barry when he goes out on patrol," Caitlin said, gesturing to the computer bank. "But the treadmill is the really exciting part."
"It's where we train Barry," Cisco added as they made their way out of the room.
Barry beat them to the room, wearing a S.T.A.R. Lab sweatpants and sweatshirt. Eddie was staring at him with blatant amazement and awe. It almost made Barry blush.
"Ready to show off?" Caitlin asked.
"Always," Barry said with a grin.
Cisco rolled his eyes and started up the monitoring equipment as Caitlin and Eddie took a seat behind the monitors. "Okay, superstar, go ahead."
Barry stepped onto the treadmill and began walking to get the treadmill rolling, then leapt into a light jog. He looked over at his friends and boyfriend, and Eddie winked at him.
"This isn't very impressive, Flash," Eddie teased. "Even I can do that."
Barry rolled his eyes, then amped up the speed. He knew from watching footage that, to the ordinary eye, his body was now just a solitary blur of motion. He heard Eddie's audible gasp, but to him it was long and slow. He turned his head and saw Eddie's face morph into one of shock. Cisco was grinning despite himself, and Caitlin was smiling at Barry.
Satisfied, Barry slowed down to a normal speed and then stopped.
"Oh my god," Eddie said, rising from his chair. "Like, I've seen the Flash run before, but it's something else knowing it's you and seeing it right there in front of me."
"Pretty cool, huh?" Barry said.
"Oh my god, so cool," Eddie replied.
Barry saw Cisco and Caitlin exchanged eye rolls.
"Come on, I'll give you the rest of the tour," Barry said, taking Eddie's hand in his.
"But the—" Cisco started.
"Cisco, show me the ray you're working on," Caitlin said quickly, steering him by the elbow away from the couple.
"Will you be okay walking at a normal pace?" Eddie asked.
"I think I can manage," Barry returned.
He took Eddie around the rest of S.T.A.R. Labs, showing him all the defunct wings and laboratories that were no longer used as well as the Pipeline and other rooms.
"This is really cool, Barry," Eddie said. "Thank you for showing me."
Barry turned to face him, taking both of Eddie's hands in his. "I just…I want you to be happy."
"I am," Eddie said, smiling up at him.
"I know, but…" Barry sighed. "You didn't sign up to be dating a superhero."
"You're right. I signed up to be dating Barry Allen. The superhero thing is just part of the package."
"And you're sure you're okay with it?" Barry asked.
Eddie tilted his head up and pressed his smiling mouth against Barry's. "One hundred percent."