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Joe West was no stranger to mysteries. He was detective, for gods sake. But this seemed to be a question no one in the room full of geniuses could answer.
Cisco chewed on his pen in frustration. "I just don't get it. Two days ago, Barry had been acting mopey for weeks. Now, he's practically skipping around the lab. What changed?"
Caitlin sat down, slightly defeated in her rolly chair. "We've been asking that for the last half hour, Cisco. What are we missing?"
HR shrugged. "We all have good and bad days. Perhaps BA is just feeling peppy today."
Both Iris and Eddie shook their heads. "We haven't seen Barry this happy since we erased his memories by accident. Something has had to have happened."
Eddie added on, "Yeah, I mean, he's been down at work too. I'd say hi to em' and he'd give a small acknowledgement to me, and work in silence."
Joe nodded his head in agreement. "Mmmnhm. But it wasn't until yesterday that he walked around like he just won the lottery. Barry wasn't just happy, he was over the moon."
"About what, though?" Caitlin asked the group.
"Question of the day." Cisco responded, chewing his lip in frustration.
Joe decided to use some of his detective tactics to help solve the mystery. "Maybe, we should ask team Arrow. Crowdsourcing could help."
Cisco pointed his pen at Joe. "I'll call Felicity."
Pulling out his phone, Cisco called the hacker, and put her on speaker.
"Hey Cisco, what's up?" She answered.
"Something's up with Barry." He informed her.
"Is it his whole 'I look like someone just shot my dog' thing? Because that's been going on for a while now."
The groups exchanged an awkward look, feeling slightly guilty they didn't really say anything to Barry about it earlier.
"Just the opposite." Joe told her. "Barry's been extremely...peppy and overexcited for the last two days. We haven't seen him this happy since before we beat Savitar, and we have no clue as to why the sudden 180. You know anything about it?"
Felicity was quiet for a second. "He hasn't said anything to me. Have you tried asking him about it?"
"We did." Cisco replied. "But he just said something about how it was a nice day out and he was just feeling inspired, whatever that meant."
Felicity made a noise. "Uh, isn't it torrentially raining in Central right now?"
To emphasize her point, the sound of thunder could be heard throughout the cortex.
"Our point exactly. Something's up, and we've run out of ideas. We know he's not dating anyone, because we all know Barry would tell us if he was. And we know it's not Flash related, because again, he would've told us by now."
Joe slouched in his chair. "We can't think of anything it could be."
Felicity was quiet. "I'll ask Oliver and see if he knows anything. Doubtful, but I'll try. If you guys find anything, let me know."
"Thanks Felicity." Iris called out.
The was a chuckle on the other line. "No problem. I'm just glad Barry's gotten out of that funk. Best of luck, you guys!"
"Alright, Bye, talk to you later." Cisco hung up the phone.
"Well." he sighed. "That was a bust."
Eddie stood up and walked to the whiteboard. "Maybe it's not. I have an idea."
Eddie uncapped a red maker and wrote two dates in the board. "Let's think of things that changed between Wednesday and Friday. Maybe one of them is what happened."
Iris squealed and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making Joe want to look away. "Good idea!"
Caitlin thought back to the last few days. "Well, gas prices have gone down since Wednesday."
HR snorted. "You think that's what got Barry down? Gas prices? He doesn't even have a car."
Caitlin frowned at him. "I know, I was just throwing ideas out."
Iris ignored the glares Caitlin was sending at HR. "Work, maybe?"
"I don't think it's work related. If anything he's gotten a heavier work load since Wednesday." Joe eyed Eddie.
"Do you think Julian knows?" Eddie just shook his head while writing on the whiteboard.
"Already asked. He's just as confused as we are." Cisco huffed at that.
"Well, since we've run if of ideas, I'm just gonna make a guess. One night stand maybe?" Joe scrunched his nose up at Cisco's words, not wanting to picture his foster child doing that.
"Nope. I was with Barry late Wednesday night. Snart broke into his apartment and I caught him while I was trying to find Barry."
Iris froze in her spot at the mention of Snart. "Wait, as in Captain Cold?" She asked incredulously.
Joe nodded. "Yeah, I guess between work and this, I forgot to mention that Snart's back from the dead."
Cisco rubbed his eyes at the news. "Perfect. We go two weeks without a villain, and now we have a freshly resurrected serial bank robber on our hands. Wonderful."
Caitlin swated Cisco on the arm. "He's with the legends now, remember? Sara's not going to let him do anything too crazy."
Cisco waved her off. "Well we know it's not Snart that's causing the change of attitude. If my nemesis came back from the dead I certainly wouldn't be to happy."
Eddie threw his hands up in exasperation. "God, what is it then?"
Barry chose that time to flash in, dressed in his S.T.A.R Labs sweatshirt, and a giant grin on his face. "What is what? Do we have a mystery on our hands of something? A new meta?"
The group exchanged a look, silently asking if they should say something.
"Not quite, Barry." Eddie explained. "We, uh, have just been trying to figure out out what's going on with you the last few days."
Barry's smile plummeted. "I already told you, nothing happened...?"
Cisco eyed Barry, trying to see if he was lying. "I'm sorry Barry, but you can lie better than, 'it's the weather'. Come on man. Tell us what's got you so excited."
Barry opened his mouth to answer, but his phone rang, cutting him off. He looks down at the caller ID and his face lit up like a lightbulb.
Barry looked at his friends sheepishly. "Sorry, I gotta take this."
Barry flashed out of the room, leaving the group to ponder amongst themselves. Joe looked over to Iris. "Hey Iris. You've been quiet recently, you got any ideas?"
Iris froze where she was. "Uhhh." she started. Cisco threw his pen down on the table.
"You know what going on don't you?!" Cisco exclaimed loudly.
Iris avoided eye contact with everyone. "Mayyyybeee." She said, looking down at her shoes.
"Well you got to tell us!"
Iris gave Caitlin a pained look. "I promised Barry I wouldn't say. He'd lose all trust in me if I told."
Joe felt a flash of hurt go through him. What could Barry tell Iris instead of his dad?
Iris noticed her dads look and quickly assured him, "Hey, I only found out on accident. He hasn't told anyone yet. I'm not sure when he's going to tell you all."
HR stared at the whiteboard pensively. "The only change that we have that we could agree on was Snart coming back."
Cisco narrowed his eyes, putting pieces together in his head. "Iris, you only knew what was up after we mentioned Snart. Does this have to do with him coming back?"
Iris stared at the floor, not looking at anyone. "So this does have to do with Cold. Why is he happy that Snart's back?"
She didn't respond to his questions, making Cisco groan. Before Joe could interrogate her, Barry flashed in again, with that same jubilant smile.
Not wasting anytime, Caitlin pounced on the opportunity to grill Barry. "What does Snart have to do with you being abnormally happy?"
Barry staggered back at the question, clearly not expecting it.
"Huh, what, a, what do ya mean?" he stammered. That was all the confirmation Iris needed to know that Cold and Barry were back together.
"Ha!" Cisco exclaimed. "It is about him."
Barry didn't meet their eyes. "It's not what you think."
Caitlin frowned. "What do you have a girlfriend or something?"
Barry tried to stammer out a lie but was cut off by Joe. "You have a girlfriend and you didn't tell us?"
Barry felt all eyes on him as the tension in the room rose. "Nooo." he tried to tell them, not sounding the least bit convincing.
That led to five minutes of rapid fire questions about this imaginary girlfriend his friends think he now has. They where shooting questions at his so fast he couldn't respond.
Not being able to take the impromptu interrogation, Barry eventually had had enough and yelled, "I don't have a girlfriend!"
Cisco nearly broke his pen in half and responded, "Then just tell us!"
Barry was quiet. He internally debated the pros and cons of telling them. On one hand they where the people he loved the most, and they he wouldn't have to lie about Len anymore. But, he just knew they'd disapprove and would want him to break up with him.
All eyes stared down Barry as he made his decision. He gulped and started to explain. "Look. I don't expect you all to support or understand this."
Joe raised his eyebrows at Barry's words.
"But you were right, the reason I'm happy again, well, it does have to do with Leonard."
Cisco furrowed his brows. "Since when you call Snart, Leonard?"
Barry looked at the floor, avoiding eye contact. "Since I starting dating him."
The silence in the room was deafening. Barry mustered the courage to look up as Eddie dropped his marker in astonishment.
Their faces said it all. The judgment, the disapproval. It stung Barry to the core.
Joe's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Since when? Are we talking when he broke into your apartment on Wednesday, or was this before he left for Legends?"
Barry nervously played with his sleeve. "Uh, before."
Cisco cocked his head at Barry. "Since when, then?"
"Sometime after Lewis died. Before Savitar." Trying to look less uncomfortable Barry flashed them an awkward tight smile, that really didn't do much to make things less tense.
Iris frowned. "I thought you got together right before he left for Legends."
"Well, in my defense, we had bigger issues at hand then my taste in men."
Joe looked up at Barry, his expression stern. "He's a criminal, who's tried to kill you several times. And you dated him?"
Barry threw his arms up in frustration. "I fell for his personality, not his career choices."
Eddie blanched at Barry.
"So, let me get this straight, you actually like his personality? He's a dick though."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I was surprised too." Caitlin wasn't laughing at Barry's response like Cisco was.
"That's not important right now. Barry. That's a long time ago. Where you ever gonna tell us?"
He gave the group a shrug. "Well. In case you forgot, he died. It wasn't worth getting lectured about my dead boyfriend by the people I cared about most."
Iris felt a little guilty now that he said that. She really could've been more understanding when she first found out.
"And besides, it's not like you like him, you were glad he was dead. How was I was supposed to tell you then?"
The was more silence and Barry clasped his hands together. "Well, since now you guys know, my boyfriend has been brought back from the dead, and we have a lot of catching up to do. I have a date to go on. So, you can save the disapproval and lectures for tomorrow."
Barry waved halfheartedly, and flashed out of the lab, leaving his loved ones in shock behind him.
Cisco was the first to break the silence. "I can't believe this. Out of everyone he could chose to date, he picked the guy who's kidnapped my brother and Caitlin, tried to kill him, and has betrayed us on several accounts. And on top of that, he didn't tell us about it."
Iris rubbed her face with her hands. "Well, I tried to get him to tell you guys, but he knew that we would be against it, and try to make him break up with him."
Iris looked over at her dad, who hadn't said much since the bomb was dropped on them. "Barry said he really loves him. And that was before Snart went off with Sara to travel through time. Barry says they had an odd relationship, but according to him, it was worth it. He said even if things ended in disaster, that their time together would still be worth it. It's hard to fight that kind of devotion. And trust me, I tried, but Barry wouldn't budge."
The group nodded in agreement. While they didn't get what Barry saw in Snart, they now understood that this wasn't a joke to Barry. None of them knew how to proceed.
"What do we do then?" Cisco asked, tucking a stray hair behind his ear.
Joe sighed loudly. "What can we do? Barry's a grown man. Who he dates isn't up to me anymore."
Iris shook her head in agreement. "Barry said something similar to me when I tried to get him to separate with Snart."
HR tapped his fingers on the side of the desk. "Well, we all saw how Barry was when Cold died. I don't want to be responsible for doing that to BA again if we try to split them up. I think the best thing to do, is to just accept it."
The group took in HR's words. He had a point. Barry didn't tell them because he knew that they'd react this way. It made Joe feel horrible on the inside to know that Barry felt like he had to lie to him.
Eddie decided to speak up after not talking for a while. "It doesn't mean we have to like Snart. It just means we have to support Barry. We are the the people he cares about the most. We should be there for him, regardless the circumstances."
The group nodded, all coming to an agreement. "All Barry does is help people. If Snart makes him happy, we shouldn't stand in the way of that. He deserves to be happy."
Joe agreed with Iris, surprisingly.
"Okay. When Barry comes back tomorrow, we aren't going to yell at him. We're going to support him, no matter how bizarre the situation is."
The rest of Team Flash agreed with the cop, and headed home for the night. Tomorrow was certainly going to be a day to remember.
-
Across town in Len's new apartment, the pair where having the night of their lives. Len had cooked earlier, and now they where enjoying ice cream on the leather couch, simply taking pleasure in the others company.
"So. You've been back two whole days and you haven't robbed anything. That's very not like you. I thought you'd throw back on the parka as soon as possible."
Len simply smirked at his boyfriend. "Good heists take time and planning. I'm not just going to go rob a bank out of the blue, Scarlett."
Barry hummed. "But judging from that smirk, you are planning something."
Len pointed his spoon at Barry. "Reading into basic body language. Seems I have a genius on my hands."
Barry stick his tongue out at him. "You're mean, you know that?"
Len rolled his eyes fondly and stole some of Barry's ice cream from his bowl.
Barry looked up in mock offense. "Hey! That's mine!"
Len ate it with no remorse. "I'm a thief, Scarlett. It's kind of my thing."
Barry stared at his boyfriend with big eyes. "I'm so glad you're here so I can bicker with you."
Len raised an eyebrow. "Weird thing to be glad about, but I'll take it."
Barry laughed and sat his spoon down on the bowl. "No, what I meant by that, was that I thought I'd never get to do it again. It was one of the things I missed the most, surprisingly enough."
"Ahhh. Now that makes more sense." Len stared at Barry and moved closer to him, setting their bowls aside. "Now tell me something."
"Anything you want to know, ask away." Len smiled at that.
"What would you say, if you'd never have to miss bickering with me. You'd never have to miss my laugh, or miss the way you foil my heists."
Barry cocked his head to the side, clearly thinking over what Len said. Len grabbed his hand gently, and Barry squeezed it, making Len feel more at ease.
"When I said that I'd never leave you again, I meant it. There's no one after you, Scarlett. You're it for me."
Barry could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as Len reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.
Len's heart was about to beat out of his chest. Barry looked beautiful in the warm light of his living room, looking at him like he was his whole world.
"Barry Henry Allen, will you marry me? It's not going to be perfect but-"
Barry lunched himself to the criminal, throwing his arms around him. "Yes! Yes, a million times yes!"
Len laughed wholeheartedly and wrapped his arms around the superhero. Barry was now full on crying, as the two rejoiced.
They pulled back a bit, and Len took the ring out. It was a small sliver band with a lightning bolt engraved on the inside, with a snowflake surrounding it. Barry let out a little laugh as he slipped it on.
"Lisa picked out the engraving. She wanted it to be 'special', given our crazy lives. Once I saw it myself, I didn't want to change it."
Barry kissed him hard on the lips, leaving Len breathless. "I love it, Len. I really do." they kissed again, and Barry hugged him again just because he could.
Len looked down at the ring on Barry's finger. "How are you going to lie your way out of this one, Scarlett? An engagement ring is kinda hard to hide."
Barry's face lit up and he put his hand on Len's cheek. "No need to lie. I already told them."
It was Len's turn to be shocked. "Wait, your kidding? What'd they say?"
"I didn't stick around to hear. And besides, I don't care what they say. This is my life, and you, Leonard Snart, you are the person I love. I'm not letting you go again. Never again. I don't care about the cost. It was worth it, it's still worth it."
Len smiled softly at Barry's words. "Glad we're in agreement. Because I'm not letting you go either."
Barry kissed him softly. "Who could've thought Captain Cold was such a softy."
He snorted at the accusation. "Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold."
Smiling brightly, Barry started at his ring. "How did you get this made so quickly? You didn't steal it did you?"
Amused at Barry's alarmed expression, Len replied, "Don't worry, it's nots stolen. I had it made before Hunter dragged me along on his suicide quest. Lisa was keeping it safe. I was surprised she never gave it to you."
Feeling relived Barry responded, "When I talked to her Wednesday to let her know you were alive, she said she knew that you'd never stay down for a while. Maybe she always figured you'd find someway to come back. Looks like she was right all along."
Len licked his lips. "Lisa rarely ever is." He wiped away a stray tear from Barry's cheek.
"So I'm going to hear what everyone had to say about our relationship tomorrow, what do you want me to tell them?"
Len thought about it. "Do what heroes do, Scarlett. When you tell them, tell them the truth."
-
"So." Joe told him. "Your dating Leonard Snart."
Barry shook his head with a large smile. "Nope. We aren't dating."
Everyone in the room froze. "What do you mean you aren't dating him, did you break up with him last night because of us?" Caitlin looked at Barry alarmed. That's not what they wanted. Not in the slightest.
Joe stood up, and looked at Barry worryingly. "Because we all talked about it yesterday, and decided to support you. We are all okay with it right now, and now your telling me you broke up with him?"
Barry smirked at the shocked group. "Not quite." Barry held up his left hand and proudly showed off the band in his ring finger.
Cisco dropped his mug, and it shattered on the floor. "You have got to be kidding me!"
end :)