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Oliver announced his visit beforehand and Barry was anticipating to see him since his message two days earlier. Despite that, having the archer right there in front of him feels unreal after the recent events and the moment Oliver walks into the cortex and says a collective “Hello!” to everyone, Barry runs to him and throws his arms around the man.
“I know you’re ‘not much of a hugger’ but I just got out of prison so I think I deserve something, ” he mumbles into Oliver’s shoulder. Oh damn, the archer smells good.
To Barry’s surprise, Oliver relaxes into the embrace. “I think I can allow it this one time, then,” Oliver murmurs back but Barry can hear the amusement in his voice. The speedster finally lets go and takes a step back even though being this close to Oliver is instantly addictive.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t visit you in there,” Oliver says with honest remorse.
“I’ve already told you it’s okay. I wouldn’t like it if you got into more trouble with your own investigation because of becoming associated with me,” Barry replies.
“Since Mr Busy Mayor is here,” Cisco chimes in. “I think you should finally take advantage of your quasi-unemployment, Barry, and take the afternoon off. Relax some.”
Iris is nodding enthusiastically. “Totally, you two should go get something to eat and forget about all this for a while.”
“Exchange the stories about your criminal lives,” Cisco adds with a grin.
“Well, I bet you barely left S.T.A.R. Labs since you got out, huh?” Oliver says to Barry, clearly entertained by the behaviour of Team Flash. The guilty expression on speedster’s face is enough of an answer to the question. “I think it won’t hurt us to go with that proposition.”
They should all work towards defeating DeVoe but… Barry missed Oliver so much. He had wished that maybe the distance and time and everything that happened recently will finally add up to his crush on the archer fading… No such luck. Barry’s heart has been pounding like crazy since Oliver arrived and he can barely take his eyes off the man. It won’t hurt to indulge a little and spend the afternoon with Oliver ( only Oliver), won’t it?
“Yeah,” Barry finally agrees out loud. “Let me change into something more presentable than sweatpants and--”
He’s interrupted by the alarm going off. So much for the afternoon off.
Jesse speeds into the room, looking at them all in question.
“It’s Dad,” Iris says. “He called in the emergency.”
“I’m locating him now,” Cisco is typing frantically. “One of the hangars out at Waid Airfield.”
“My dad said CCPD was escorting A.R.G.U.S. there this morning for something,” Iris recalls and Oliver frowns with worry. Ambushed A.R.G.U.S. transports usually don’t mean anything good and he’s not the only one to think that because Cisco and Caitlin are getting ready to go with the Flash.
“We'll meet you there,” they nod at him.
“Cool, I'll come too,” Jesse joins in. “Could use the distraction.”
Barry isn’t going to complain about additional manpower but--
“You’re staying here,” he turns to Oliver and points his finger at him threateningly. The archer puts his hands up in a defensive gesture. “It’s not going to help your situation if Green Arrow is spotted here the same day Oliver Queen comes to visit.”
“I’m staying here with Iris,” Oliver says with an innocent look on his face. “Go, Barry.”
ж
Barry is staring hopelessly at the board in front of him. The words he himself has written there make less and less sense the longer he looks at them. He’s alone and exhausted and out of options. Central City is going to be wiped off the face of the Earth and he doesn't know what to do.
None of the plans worked. He talked to all of his friends who could have any idea how to stop a bomb and it’s still exploding. Barry can feel the world around him speeding up – or rather himself slowing down – and he doesn’t know what to do…
Wait.
He asked everyone “who could have any idea how to stop a bomb”. Maybe it’s time to think in a more unconventional way. Maybe this time, as ridiculous as it may seem, thinking scientifically is not an answer.
Barry runs to the cortex. Iris and Oliver are still there. He just stares at the archer for a moment. He would love nothing more than just wrap his arms around the man again and just forget everything around him. But he can’t.
He approaches Iris. Their beautiful and clever leader. Barry stopped counting how many times she saved them because she could think outside the box. He must try now, too. Barry touches her shoulder and explains the situation, the deja vu feeling becoming more and more prominent with every encounter within the flashtime that he has.
“We tried everything,” he huffs out tiredly. “We tried cooling it down, breaching into a dead earth, but there's nothing that will work at this speed. We tried negating it with lightning. If it was powerful enough, it could've fused the split atoms, but I can't do it alone…”
Iris is frowning, taking in the information. Barry is barely standing on his feet. He must look awful if the exhaustion he feels is at least partly visible in his appearance. Judging from Iris’ worried look, he does.
“Speed Force…” Iris whispers suddenly with excitement.
“I thought about it but we can’t throw it there, we don’t kn--”
“No!” she interrupts him. “You said you couldn’t generate a lightning powerful enough. But the storm that came from the Speed Force when it claimed you… That would be more than enough, wouldn’t it?”
Barry feels hope coming back to him. However…
“How... how could I draw that out?”
“When we freed you from there, Cisco and Caitlin used the Quark Sphere--”
“--programmed with my genetic marker to trick the Speed Force, yeah,” Barry recalls when he asked Cisco how they managed to get him out. It was brilliant. “I just need to get that sphere and the storm will chase me.”
Iris grins. Barry leans to kiss her on the forehead.
“This may work. You’re amazing .”
His grip on her shoulder loosens, he must go when he still has enough strengths to enter the Speed Force and escape from the storm, but Iris grasps his wrist before he can get away.
“What is it?”
Iris’ eyes move to Oliver, just a few steps away from them.
“I think you should tell him. In case it doesn’t work. In case you don’t have a chance again...”
Barry stares at her, puzzled. “Tell Oliver what?”
“Come on, Bar,” Iris smiles at him tenderly. “You’re my best friend. I know when you’re head over heels with someone.”
He’s too exhausted to deny. Besides, Iris does know him best. It makes sense she noticed. Hell, she’s been insisting Oliver and him spend the afternoon together just before this mess started, that sneaky bastard.
“Just go already,” Iris teases when he still doesn’t say anything.
“Iris, you’re the best,” he says finally and lets go of her.
Then he approaches Oliver. Takes a deep breath. And touches his arm.
At first, the archer looks around, startled but assessing, knowing something isn’t right.
“You’re moving with me, Ollie. We’re in flashtime.”
“Flashtime?” Oliver repeats after him, sceptically. There’s a frown on his face and his reaction to Cisco’s terminology is so familiar and so Oliver , it makes Barry feel as if there was a suffocating pressure on his chest and this time it’s not the side effect of moving so fast for so long.
“A bomb has gone off, a nuke…” Barry explains. “I’ve been trying to stop it for a while now. A while for me ,” he chuckles.
“You look exhausted,” Oliver says, worriedly. His hand raises as if to touch Barry’s face, but it stops just above speedster’s cheek and falls to his shoulder instead. “Are you okay?”
“I can’t think about that. Everyone in Central City will die if I stop to think about that.”
“I know you can do it, Barry,” Oliver says with such faith and confidence in his voice that Barry can just stare at him disbelievingly. “But why are you talking to me if there’s a bomb about to destroy the city?”
“I just--” Barry stammers. “I’ve tried everything I could to stop that bomb, there’s only one option left and it that doesn’t work-- If we don’t make it--” he lets out a shaky breath. “I need to tell you something.”
Oliver looks at him, intensely and expectantly. Barry suddenly becomes aware again how he must look like, a literal mess of a person. Well, just his luck, isn’t it?
Barry takes a deep breath and falters on his feet only a little.
“I love you.”
Oliver’s eyes widen in shock but after a short moment, they become more open and warm and vulnerable. Barry stops breathing.
Then the archer smiles softly and uses his hand on Barry’s shoulder to pull him closer and join their lips. The kiss is brief and tender but it feels as if Barry was struck by lightning again. He didn’t dare to imagine Oliver would respond like this.
When they part, Oliver’s hand finally moves to Barry’s cheek and cups it delicately.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for some time,” Oliver confesses and it all feels unreal. “Now go save your city. I’ll be still here when you get back. I’m yours.”
Barry leaves another short kiss on Oliver’s mouth and runs off into the Speed Force.
ж
“You need to rest as well, Mister. No running, no Flash. Your system is taxed,” Caitlin is using her doctor voice and Barry knows there’s no arguing with her.
“That's right. Anything comes up, we got it,” Cisco adds.
“Okay, I’ll be good,” Barry reassures them. He really doesn’t feel like he could run anywhere now, even at a normal speed. “And thanks.”
“Thank you ,” Joe smiles at him. “Get rest.”
Barry looks around the room. So relieved and happy that they did it, that they’re all alive… And his eyes stop on Oliver. He’s standing near his bed but keeping the distance. They didn’t really have an opportunity to discuss what happened in flashtime yet.
Iris notices his gaze and clears her throat. “Well, Oliver, I’m sure this is not what you had in mind for your visit but since you’re here for Barry, you can actually make sure he behaves while he recovers. We still need to answer some questions for A.R.G.U.S. so they don’t bother Barry while he gets better.” She casts a knowing glance around the room and seconds later, Oliver and Barry are left alone.
“I told you, you’ll do it,” Oliver says as he gets closer to Barry’s bed.
“Yeah, you also said some other things during that conversation,” Barry replies, hopeful that Oliver didn’t change his mind once the situation got under control.
“And I meant them. I’m yours, if you want me.”
“If I--?” Barry snorts and reaches with his hand for Oliver’s and pulls the archer closer. Then he grabs the man’s t-shirt to make him lean over. Their faces are close now and Oliver’s bright eyes are open and caring again. “Come here,” he moves slightly up and Oliver meets him halfway. Barry can feel the other man’s smile on his lips before the kiss gets more passionate and it makes his heart beat so frantically, he can hear the blood thumping in his head. It still feels like a dream.
Oliver withdraws once the kiss gets too intense. “You need to recover. We have time.”
“I can't believe that after we finally sorted things out, I can barely move without fainting,” Barry grumbles. “You owe me so much sex for the years of pining, Ollie,” he announces in a grave tone. Oliver snorts and the goofy smile on his lips is just beautiful.
“I’ll be more than happy to deliver.” Oliver’s smile turns mischievous but the hand on Barry’s cheek remains tender as he slowly strokes over his cheekbone. He leans in again but not to kiss him, only to touch their foreheads together. The intimacy of the gesture steals the air from Barry’s lungs. He has seen Oliver being gentle with the people close to him but to be at the receiving end of that care, it’s intoxicating. Barry is so taken in with the gesture that he’s not ready when Oliver lets out a deep breath and whispers: “I love you, too, Barry.”
Barry starts shaking, his arms moving from clenching Oliver’s shirt to wrapping around the man, pulling him close, closer until Oliver is laying next to him on the hospital bed, both man embracing each other as if they were touch starved.
“Took us long enough, huh?” Barry finally says when he hopes his voice won’t shake. “When did you, you know?”
Oliver hums, thinking, before answering. “You caught my eye that first time you waltzed into a crime scene and started talking about impossible killers,” he admits. “But I decided to not act on it back then, I was a mess but sane enough to know I shouldn’t get involved with anyone.”
“Yeah, you did almost kill me for saving your life,” he stabs Oliver in the chest with his finger in mock accusation.
“With rat poison,” Oliver retorts but Barry can see the mix of gratitude and admiration in his eyes so it’s not that powerful of a jab.
“And later? What stopped you?” Barry doesn’t let go of the topic and gives Oliver a look that says that he won’t be swayed to give up this line of questioning.
“By the time I noticed the looks you sometimes gave me, looks that stopped me from wondering whether you were even interested in men,” Oliver sighs. “By that time, I knew I wanted you more as a friend than a one night stand.”
Barry frowns as he takes it in and then he raises his eyebrow at Oliver when he asks: “And you didn’t take into consideration the option where we’re both friends and lovers like most sexually-active people in normal relationships are?”
“I didn’t think you’d want anything more,” Oliver admits. “I’m… tainted. But you, you’re good and so full of life--”
Barry puts his fingers on Oliver’s mouth to stop him from talking.
“You’re my inspiration, Ollie. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without your support. I didn’t fall for you just for your abs.”
Oliver lets out a breathy laugh. “I’m touched.”
“Oh, I wish,” Barry grumbles, burying his face in the other man’s chest.
“I’m still here tomorrow. Maybe we could have that dinner your team was trying to send us to earlier?”
“Are you asking me out on a date, Mr Queen?” the speedster looks up into Oliver’s eyes.
“I’ll even wear a tie.” There’s a playful spark in Oliver’s eyes and Barry falls for him all over again.
“You know how to woo a man, don’t you?” he teases.
“I’d say I have a reputation to live up to but it doesn’t sound that good in my case.”
Barry laughs. He doesn’t remember the last time he felt this happy just being around someone.
“It’s a date, then.”
“It’s a date.”