The next day I went into work as usual, pretending my life was as normal as I had lead it to be these past few months. But I knew it wasn't. Today I'd be standing in front of a crowd as my superhero alter ego. The thought of even getting back in my suit made my hands shake nervously, and I felt the slight prick of nausea in my stomach.
"Are you okay?" Caitlin whispered as she watched me across from the station we were working at.
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine," I lied, trying to brush it off. She stared me down, not convinced by my charade, and I let out a sigh. "Alright, fine. It's just... Well, I talked Barry into going to the Flash Day celebration today."
"That's a good thing!" Caitlin interjected enthusiastically. "So, why are you acting all mopey and anxious?"
"Because I have to go, too. As Eclipse," I mumbled, and I felt the anxiety roll through me in a wave all over again. It would be a miracle if I didn't throw up before the end of the day.
"And that's a bad thing?" Caitlin questioned.
"Of course it is!" I exclaimed. A few heads turned in my direction, and I snapped my mouth shut as I realized just how loud I'd spoken. After a few moments, once everyone had returned their focus to their work, I continued on in a lower voice. "We went over this yesterday. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I've told you this every other day for the past six months. But it's not just for that reason. I mean, think about it. How is the public going to respond to seeing the hero that practically abandoned them when they needed her most? They probably hate me now, Cait."
"They do not," she chided, and I rose a brow at her, unconvinced. She rolled her eyes and rummaged through her purse. "I'm surprised you haven't read the news this morning. I thought you were the one person in our group who liked to read newspapers."
She handed me the copy of today's paper, and I skimmed over the headline and subhead.
* * * * * * * * * *
CENTRAL CITY'S MAYOR HOLDING FLASH DAY CEREMONY HONORING CITY'S HERO WITH KEY TO THE CITY
Attendees Optimistic for Appearance from Our Very Own Scarlet Speedster; Citizens Holding Out Hope for Possible Surprise Attendance and Return of Central City's Shooting Star, Eclipse
* * * * * * * * * *
I guess they'd given me a nickname while I'd been gone. I smiled as I glanced over the cover page before looking back up to Caitlin.
"See? You have nothing to worry about," she reassured me as I handed back the article to her.
In all honesty, it did make me feel a little better about the whole situation knowing that at least there were some people out there who still saw me as the hero they'd once known. I hoped I could live back up to the expectations. Maybe all I needed was the time to flex my powers again, freshen up on my skills. Maybe then I could be the hero everyone remembered.
"I guess," I sighed, still not entirely certain that I would be welcomed back that easily. "So... You're coming today, right?"
I looked to her hopefully, clasping my hands in front of my chest and pouting out my bottom lip as I pretended to be innocently begging her. Caitlin shook her head as she smiled at me, a quiet chuckle escaping her lips.
"You're a kid, you know that?" she teased playfully, and I stuck out my tongue at her to further prove just how childish I was. She rolled her eyes at me, but gave me a half smile. "Okay, okay. I'll come. But only because someone is going to need to force you to stand in front of that crowd without you running away."
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Paralyzer || Barry Allen (The Flash) Fanfiction
Fanfiction"Being two blocks away from STAR Labs had always been interesting and appealing in some ways, especially for its location in the science district of Central City. However, today it showed just how destructive being so close to the lab was. It was on...
