The Flash Season 4 Drabble Collection (A Series of Reader-Inserts)

Heartstrings (G)

Summary: You accidentally walk in on Harry having an emotional moment.

A/N: S04E15

~

After Harry sends a more enlightened Jesse on her way back to Earth-2, he retires to his S.T.A.R. Labs bedroom to have some time to himself. Time to reflect on the experience he shared with his daughter, finally opening up to her about his late wife.

Of course, you don't know he had had this recent, extremely emotional "talk" and are currently making your way to his room to ask him a question. His door isn't closed all the way so you call out to him.

"Hey, Harry I was w-"

But you stop short. Harry sits hunched over at the edge of his bed, one hand holding his glasses while the other rubs his eyes. Had things not gone well with Jesse again?

"Harry?" you ask softly, inching a little closer to him. He looks up from the floor to meet your eyes and you're rattled by what you see.

The cold blue stare you're so used to seeing is no more. Harry's eyes well up ever so slightly with tears you can tell he's trying so hard to hold back. He acknowledges your presence, then casts his gaze downward. You half wonder if you should leave, but something invisible pulls you slowly toward him, tugging you by your heartstrings.

Maybe his own.

Taking a careful seat beside him on the bed, you also stare at the concrete floor, not exactly sure how to proceed from here. Harry's your teammate. Your friend. Your secret everything. How could you possibly know how to help him without crossing some kind of line?

Letting instinct take over, you turn your head to him and rest your hand on his leg.

"Um, Harry," you start quietly, "I uh, don't know what was discussed in your chat with Jesse, but I..." Harry turns to look into your eyes again and his gaze makes you forget how to breathe. A melancholy peacefulness. "I'm always here for you. You know, if you ever want to talk... or better yet, just sit in silence."

Harry frowns for a second, searching you as if in thought. You should probably leave. He should be left alone after all, you don't even know why you tried-

He grabs your wrist at your attempt to leave.

Harry swallows before saying in a scratchy voice, "Be with me?"

"O-Okay." You sit back down next to him and notice he's still holding onto your wrist. This poor man. Whatever has rendered Harry this way must be the worst kind of thing a person could go through because, as far as you know, nothing could ever break Harrison Wells.

You have the biggest urge to take him in your arms and you know if you ask he'd surely deny you of even trying.

So you do it anyway.

Your arms wrap around him and you practically cling to his chest while letting your chin rest on his shoulder, your lips happening to be close to his ear. At first, Harry doesn't know what to do. But you don't let go and neither does he and after a brief moment, he hugs you back. Then, if by a miracle, he hugs you closer, tighter, until you feel like one melded being, and you can feel how desperate he really is for this.

He needs this.