Archive of Our Own

Cisco’s voice was the first thing Barry heard. He was sitting in the dark, one side of his face cold and wet. Blinking his eyes open, he saw that he was in an alley. The sky was dark, the lights of Central City bleaching it of stars.

“Barry, come on!”

Barry groaned as he pushed himself on his hands. His head was spinning and he couldn’t remember why. Pressing his finger to his ear, he responded to the frantic calls coming through the coms.

“Cisco?”

“Oh, thank God!” His voice was full of relief. “What the hell happened out there?”

“I,” Barry paused, “don’t remember.”

“There was a Meta attack,” Caitlin said, her voice crossing the coms as calmly as always. “You were running after whoever it was when your vitals spiked and we lost communication.”

Barry frowned. It had been a long time since a Meta had managed to catch him off guard. Every day he became less susceptible to surprise. For this Meta to have gotten the jump on him, it must have had something very big up its sleeve.

“I don’t remember any of that,” Barry said.

“Well, you took a nasty hit to the head, dude.”

“Yeah,” Barry responded, wincing at the aching pain at the back of his head. “I feel that.”

“Just get back to S.T.A.R. Labs,” Caitlin said. “Cisco and I will look at the video footage from your suit and figure out what happened.”

“Right,” Barry said, already feeling the pain in his head beginning to fade. “I’ll be there in a sec.”

“A speedster,” Barry said. He squinted at the blur on the screen as if it would help him to discern the Meta’s features. “Why is it always a speedster?”

“Not a clue,” Cisco said, “but I do know that I’m running out of names.” He leaned over the console to hand Barry a drink – something that Caitlin had cooked up to help him recover after getting his ass handed to him as the Flash. “I mean, Velocity isn’t the worst codename I’ve ever given a Meta, but come on- I’m better than that.”

“What we call them is the least of out worries,” Caitlin said, spinning her chair around to face the two men. “What we need to worry about is the fact that whoever this Meta is, they’re fast, and as long as they’re out there holding up banks, the Flash isn’t going to catch a break.”

“This is Trajectory all over again,” Cisco said.

“But this time, we don’t know what’s causing their speed. At least with Eliza-” Caitlin paused, a pained expression crossing her face.

“At least with Trajectory we knew what was causing her speed.”

“Caitlin’s right,” Cisco said. “We don’t know anything about Velocity, and until we do, we won’t know how to stop her.”

“Actually, that’s not entirely true.” Barry said, “We know one thing that can slow down any speedster. Cold.”

Iron Heights Prison was a place that Barry was intimately familiar with. His father had done time there, as had most of the rogues that the Flash had helped to put away, and for the time being, Captain Cold was imprisoned there too. 

And that was exactly who Barry had gone there to see.

There was no surprise on Snart’s face when he was led into a room containing only a prison guard and Barry, but Barry could tell that he was the last person Cold had expected to see. He took his time sitting down, his eyes narrowed as he looked silently across the table, and Barry was almost glad to be dealing with someone that he understood as well as Cold.

It had been a long time since Barry had felt so in control.

Snart lifted his eyebrows, glancing from the corner of his eye at the guard, and Barry cleared his throat. “Excuse me,” he said, turning slightly towards their warden. “Could we have some privacy, please?”

“Sorry, kid.” The warden said. “No un-monitored meetings.”

“But I’m with the CCPD,” Barry said. He fished his counterfeit badge out of his pocket and showed it to the guard. “Please? You can watch us through to window if you like, I just- I need a minute alone with him.”

The guard looked between Barry and Snart and must have seen something because, slowly, he nodded his head. “Fine,” he said. “But if you do one thing against protocol then I will come back in here.”

“Understood,” Barry said. He grinned at the guard as he took back his badge. “Thanks.”

The guard nodded as he left the room, and Barry sighed with relief as he turned back to Snart. Captain Cold was still looking at Barry with narrowed eyes, his lips quirked like he was somehow amused. He was clearly waiting for Barry to make the first move, and that was something that Barry was prepared to do.

He said, “I need your help.”

“Interesting. But considering that you are the one that put me in here, why would you think that I would help you with anything now?"

“There’s another speedster in Central City," Barry said. "They're robbing banks and I can't do a thing to stop them."

"And you want me to-?"

"I want you to help me take them down.”

Cold snorted. “Playing the hero doesn’t suit me, Barry.”

“It does when there’s something in it for you.”

Snart leaned forwards, his elbows on the table. “Something like what?” 

Barry said, “I know that you’re the only person who can operate the cold gun – or who even knows where it is. I need you out of Iron Heights.”

Snart’s lips twitched. “You mean to tell me,” he said, his eyebrows drawing low, “that you’re gonna help me escape. That seems out of character for the Flash.”

“You’re right,” Barry said. “The Flash would never do something like that. Which is why it’s a good thing that Barry Allen is not the Flash.”

Snart made a considering sound. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. He said, “What’s to stop you from throwing me back in here as soon as I’ve done what you ask.”

“Nothing, really,” Barry said. “You won’t take me at my word and my record isn’t doing my any favours. But you do know my values, and you know that I don’t want anyone getting hurt."

"And with this speedster on the loose-?"

"People are getting hurt," Barry finished. "Yeah. At least when you’re out there, you’re not hurting anyone. You’ve got a code.”

“Hm.” Snart was looking at Barry strangely – it was a look that Barry had never seen on the other man before. “Sounds to me like I’m your only hope.”

“Seems that way.”

“Then yes,” Snart said, “I’m in. Now tell me the plan.”

Two days later they were ready to go. Barry returned to the prison (making sure to use a different fake ID and to not cross paths with any of the same guards as before) and requested a private meeting with Snart. After flashing his badge and a couple of smiles, Barry’s request was granted, and ten minutes later, he was sitting in a meeting room waiting for Snart.

When Captain Cold was walked into the room flanked by two frowning guards, Barry swallowed hard. He'd never seen either of the guards before, and he didn't think that they had ever seen him visiting his father, but he was still wary about being seen by anyone that could and would pick him out of a lineup.

"You actually showed," Snart said, when the door was closed firmly behind him. "I'm surprised."

"I didn't know you were so easily surprised," Barry said.

"People rarely stray from my expectations of them. When they do, it's-" Snart almost smiled, "-nice."

"Well, in that case, you're welcome."

"So, how are we doing this?" Snart asked. "Are you sliding a chisel under the table? Have you drawn me a map?"

"Actually," Barry said, "I have a key."

Snart lifted an eyebrow. "A key?"

"I know you," Barry said, leaning forward in his seat. "You memorised the guard's schedules on your first day here. If you time it right, and you will, you can walk right out the door. That is-"

"If I have a key."

"Which, luckily for you, you do."

Snart huffed a laugh. "Where'd you get it?"

"I stole it. From Joe."

"And he won't notice?"

"I wouldn't have taken it if I thought he'd catch me."

"Sounds like you've got it all worked out," Snart said. "Except, of course, that those guards aren't going to let you hand me anything - especially not a key."

"Which is why I'm not going to hand it to you," Barry said.

He took a deep breath, knowing that this was the most volatile part of his plan. He and Caitlin had gone over every possible way of getting the key to Snart, and this was the only way that wouldn't draw suspicion. The only flaw in the plan was that this was the one that Snart was least likely to agree to.

"I need you to kiss me."

Snart almost choked. "What."

"The key's in my mouth," Barry said.

"Are you having a stroke?"

"It's the only way."

"The guards-"

"Think I'm here visiting my boyfriend. They're not going to think anything of it."

"Except that you're a badge, Barry. And badges don't normally canoodle with convicts."

Barry grinned. "Canoodle?"

"I'm not doing it."

"Then you're staying right here."

"You know that's not true."

"Do I?" Barry asked. "Because I also happen to know that after everything you've done, the only way you're getting out of here is if someone breaks you out. And I can make sure that everyone that would ever risk breaking you out of here ends up locked-"

Snart ate the rest of Barry's sentence.

Leonard kissed like Barry expected a criminal to kiss. He was rough, fierce, his mouth open and surprisingly hot for a man called Captain Cold. Barry kissed him back almost immediately, dislodging the key from the roof of his mouth and pushing it into Snart's.

Barry returned his tongue to his own mouth, expecting Snart to pull away, but instead, the Rogue pushed himself closer. His hand came up to touch Barry's cheek, tilting Barry's chin to a better angle.

Barry knew that he should end the kiss, but there was a part of him that didn't want to. He hadn't kissed anyone in months, and hadn't enjoyed kissing anyone in years. He'd missed the feeling of it - the toe-curling, mind-numbing excitement of it all - and he wasn't ready for it to end.

Too soon, though, the rational part of his mind took control, and Barry stepped back. He met Snart's eyes from an inch away and found dark blue searching his features, confusion showing plainly in their depths.

Barry felt just as lost as Snart looked.

He didn't know what had come over him. He'd only known that he felt warm, and safe, and that he didn't want that feeling to stop.

Quietly, Barry said, "Well then. I guess I'll see you later?"

"Later." Leonard smirked. "Don't be late."

"I don't like this," Cisco said. He was sitting with his hands on the wheel, his knees bouncing nervously up and down. He hadn't wanted to be the one to pick Cold up, but when Barry had insisted, he hadn't been able to say no. "I don't like this at all."

"Ron Weasley."

"That wasn't a quote," Cisco said. "That was genuine fear. But yes, Ron Weasley is correct."

"Just five more minutes," Barry said. "That's all it's gonna take."

"And what about after?" Cisco asked. "The police investigation? The life on the run?"

"Cisco, you're not going to spend your life on the run. This is the fifth time Snart has escaped Iron Heights. At this point, the CCPD are probably expecting it. They know by now that tracking down Snart is impossible."

"That doesn't mean they won't come looking for his accomplices," Cisco said. "What happens when they find me?"

"They won't find you," Barry said. "I'm a CSI, remember? If anyone knows how to cover up a crime, it's a CSI. By the time I'm finished, there won't be any evidence left to lead them back to you."

Cisco considered that for a moment, then smiled. He said, "Has anyone ever told you that you would make a singularly terrifying supervillain."

"I tell him that all the time," Snart said. Cisco jumped, squealing slightly, but Barry remained calm. Snart opened the door of the car and slipped into the back seat next to Barry, flashing Cisco a grin. "You, on the other hand, would make a terrible criminal."

"I'm taking that as a compliment."

"It was intended as one."

"Can we go?" Barry asked. He looked towards the prison with concern. It didn't look like Snart had been missed just yet, but he would be soon. "I don't really want to still be here when the police arrive."

"I agree," Leonard said. "Let's go."

"On it," Cisco said, and pressed his foot against the gas.

"So," Snart said, walking through S.T.A.R. Labs like he owned it. "What's next in this plan of yours?"

"Well, first we have to locate Velocity," Cisco said. He moved towards Caitlin and peered over her shoulder, looking at the blinking lights on her computer. "Then you and Barry can go and confront her."

"What then?" Leonard asked. "More wrongful imprisonment?"

"Not quite," Caitlin said. She turned to face Snart. "First, we want to figure out what's giving her her speed. After that, we can decide what to do with her. If she's willing to co-operate, she can be sent to rehabilitation. If not, she'll be tried for her crimes and put in the Meta-Human wing of Iron Heights."

Snart opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, an alarm blared above their heads.

"That's her," Cisco said, rushing to a secondary monitor. "She's at Midland Bank on Fifth."

"Got it," Barry said, and in a flash of yellow and red, wrapped an arm around Snart's waist and ran to Midland Bank.

"Shit," Snart said, when Barry stopped running and released his hold on his waist. "A little warning, next time?"

"That's what the alarm was for," Barry said. He looked at Snart with a grin, and found that Leonard was watching him strangely. Before he could let it get to him, Barry turned his attention to the bank. "Shall we?"

"After you."

"If you insist," Barry said, and flashed into the bank.

There, he found multiple people gagged and bound, including the security guards and the civilians. Barry looked around, but he couldn't see Velocity. All he could see was a blur of white and blue, the speedster running circles around the foyer and the Flash.

"Velocity!" He yelled. "You have to stop! This isn't you!"

In front of him, the speedster ground to a halt. She was a tall woman, as Cisco's research on her had suggested, with dark skin and glowing blue eyes. She had been an athlete before the Particle Accelerator exploded, headed for the Olympics of 2016. She had been running at the time of the explosion, and as the building around her had fallen to pieces, her legs had been crushed.

The bionic replacements were what had given her her speed.

"You don't know what I am," Velocity replied. She was taller than Barry, which explained why she was faster. "You don't know what I've been through."

"Yes, I do," Barry said. "Because I've been through it, too. Everything you believed about yourself was proven wrong - every dream you had for yourself was shattered. I understand that, really, but this-" Barry looked at the duffel bag hanging from her hand. "This isn't the solution."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"You want to run," Barry said. "You want to do what you love. We can help you do that."

"I can already do that."

"We can help you do it properly," Barry said. "We can make sure that no one has to get hurt."

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" Velocity asked. "Hurting people? The only people I'm hurting are the people who hurt me. The insurers who refused to pay my claim, the coaches that refused to keep me on. They are the people I am hurting."

"But you're hurting yourself, too," Barry said. "If I catch you - and I will catch you - you will spend the rest of your life in prison. They'll take your legs, your freedom - you'll never run again."

"You will not catch me."

"I will," Barry said. "If you make me. If you don't accept that there is another way."

"There is no other way," Velocity said. "And if you won't let me go, then I'll-"

She didn't get to finish what she was going to say. At that moment that the machinery in her legs began to work, Snart encased them in ice, stopping her from running away. Velocity struggled against her icy bonds, fury crossing her eyes.

"What now?" Snart asked, sheathing his gun.

"Now," Barry said, "we take her back to S.T.A.R. Labs."

"What are you going to do with her?" Leonard asked, as Cisco and Caitlin led Velocity away. Her legs were still encased in ice, but she was a lot calmer now, and Barry thought that there was a good chance that Cisco and Caitlin would get through to her.

Barry said, "Well, it's up to her, really. If she's willing, we'll help her get back on her feet. We'll set up counselling to help her deal with the loss, and try our best to give her her life back."

"And if she isn't willing?"

"Then we won't have a choice," Barry said. "We'll send her to Iron Heights."

"Hm," Leonard hummed. Then, "Speaking of Iron Heights - about that kiss." 

"Oh," Barry said, feeling his face heating up. "What about it?"

"I wanted to apologise. I took advantage of the situation and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." 

"You're sorry?" Barry asked. He looked at Snart with surprise.

"I'm not in the habit of pushing myself on the unwilling. I don't want you to think of me that way." 

"The unwilling?" Barry blinked fast. "I wasn't unwilling."

"Not necessarily, but-"

"But nothing," Barry said, and before Leonard could respond, his back was up against a wall.

The second kiss was, if anything, even better than the first. With his hands free of their cuffs, Len could place his hands on Barry's waist, and with the heft of the parka that he wore as Captain Cold, Barry had something to grab on to. He kissed Len until he could barely even breathe, and it was only when his jaw was aching from the action that Barry allowed himself to step away.

Once again, Barry found himself at the receiving end of Snart's searching gaze. He looked at Barry like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and for the first time, Barry wasn't quite sure that he had done the right thing.

Leonard said, "What was that for?"

Barry shrugged. He said, "I didn't want to be stuck owing you is all. Now we're even."

"We're not even until I say we're even," Leonard said, and with one hard pull, he kissed Barry again.