The Flash | Gotta Go Fast - [DCU Male Reader]

"The lightning didn't choose me. It just couldn't find anyone else in time."

Nineteen-year-old Y/N is the fastest man in Metropolis, and he's absolutely terrified of it.

Six months ago, he was just a kid from Central City, a protege learning the ropes under the legendary Barry Allen. Then came the Breach. The Reverse-Flash tore a hole in reality, and in a heartbeat, Barry was gone-sacrificing himself to save the kid who wasn't ready to lead.

Now, Y/N is living a double life that's running him ragged. By day, he's a sophomore at MetU and a caffeine-addicted junior researcher at the Daily Planet, dodging deadlines and trying to ignore the way Jimmy Olsen looks at him when he accidentally vibrates his coffee onto the ceiling. By night, he suits up in a legacy that feels three sizes too big, cracking jokes at Mach 2 because if he stops talking, the grief finally catches up.

He moved to Metropolis to be a nobody, but you can't outrun the Man of Steel. When Superman looks at him, he sees a hero. When Lex Luthor looks at him, he sees a weakness to be exploited. And when Sofia Gigante (Hailee Steinfeld) looks at him... well, Y/N is just hoping she doesn't notice he's wearing the same sneakers as the "Red Blur" on the news.

Caught between the shadow of a fallen mentor and the pressure of a city that needs a savior, Y/N has to decide: Is he just a placeholder for a dead man, or is he finally ready to stop running from the name The Flash