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~*~
Leonard tilted his head lightly to the side, listening to the scuff of wood over tile and took a deep breath.
Nope. No. Enough pretending.
Leonard stood and stalked to his coat hook, shrugging on his jacket. Maybe whatever it was would be gone when he came back.
The air outside was just on the right side of cool, and leaving the safe house was almost enough by itself to relax him. It was quiet in the warehouse district, but Central was buzzing with energy, and he could hear the sounds of excited children on the wind.
Halloween had been a favorite holiday of his until he died.
He shook his thoughts away and slid his hands in his pockets, walking toward the noise. Being around people seemed like a good idea.
Leonard bypassed a street lap with a broken light, and cut into the alley between two buildings as a shortcut. It wasn't until he saw the festive lights that his shoulders relaxed. He'd never been a people person, and it annoyed him that a crowd of costumed kids and annoyed parents read as comforting.
He spotted an empty bench in the small park ahead of him, and he worked his way through the stream of traffic to claim it, sitting down and resting his forearms against his knees. He'd sit for a few minutes until the heebie jeebies left him, and then he'd drink a beer and call it a night. Solid plan.
"Trick or treat!"
A rush of adrenaline that faded almost as soon as it had come. Leonard cut a glare to his right, where the Scarlet Speedster was smiling and sitting next to him like he'd had an invitation.
"What do you want?" Leonard asked, leaning back against the metal slats of the bench. "I'm beginning to think you've got a tracker on me, the way you show up all the time."
Barry's bright grin wasn't hidden by his cowl at all. "A good magician never reveals his secrets." Leonard arched his eyebrow, and Barry ducked his head with a laugh. "Okay, the city invited me to the Halloween celebration for the kids, and I just got lucky." He held up a Tootsie Roll and offered it to Leonard. "Here you go. Happy Halloween."
Leonard accepted the candy, unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, working for casual and not entirely sure he succeeded. The sweetness did soothe him, though, and he let it rest on his tongue. It reminded him of being fourteen, fresh out of juvie, stealing candy at a gas station because Mick was the one the attendant had his eye on. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Barry's attention was stolen by several children dressed as superheroes crowded around their bench. Leonard stayed sitting where he was, occupying himself with the candy wrapper as he waited--his dislike for crowds was currently outweighed by Barry's presence. That was something he couldn't say out loud. It was ludicrous.
When Barry was done with the kids and turned his attention back to him, Leonard stopped twisting the candy wrapper between his fingers. "Do you… never mind." He crushed the candy wrapper into a tight little ball and tossed it in the trash. A cold prickle moved down his spine--the celebration was starting to wind down, and he could sense the shadows moving in.
Before he could leave, Barry reached out and pressed gentle fingers to Leonard's wrist. "Len, are you okay?"
Leonard frowned at the sound of that casual nickname, and dropped his eyes to stare at Barry's gloved hand. "Do you know what Shaydim are?" Barry shook his head, and Leonard looked down at their joined hands before continuing. "They're spirits that ah… are basically responsible for misfortune. Could be evil spirits, depending on the translation." Leonard cleared his throat. "They're supposed to be invisible, but ever since I came back to life, I can see them." He forced a tight smile. "They can be a little overwhelming."
Barry's mouth twitched. "Are you telling me you see dead people?"
Leonard didn't bother saying anything else-- he shot Barry an angry, derisive look and pushed away from the bench.
"Wait, I'm sorry, please don't go," Barry said, and Leonard caught a hint of ozone as Barry fastened his hand around Leonard's wrist again. Leonard turned his attention back to Barry, shooting another angry look his way. "Team Flash copes with humor, I'm really sorry."
"Let go," Leonard said pointedly, and Barry did, although his eyes were soft and pleading. He rubbed his wrist where Barry had touched him as if he could get the remaining tingle of super speed off his skin. Despite himself, he added, "They aren't ghosts." He needed to rein himself in. Barry'd get the wrong idea if he stayed so defensive.
"I get it," Barry said, so sincerely that Leonard's frustration mellowed. "I'm sorry. Really." He sucked his bottom lip in between his teeth and swallowed. "Hey. Why don't you come over to my place?"
"Excuse me?" Leonard narrowed his eyes at Barry, assessing his body language, the way he'd been shy in asking, but more certain in his words with every second that passed.
"Come home with me. We can make hot chocolate and watch Hocus Pocus."
"No way," Leonard said firmly.
~*~
Barry's sofa was surprisingly comfortable.
Leonard hadn't had the opportunity to break in and poke his nose around since he'd come back to Central, and it looked like Barry had moved in the meantime. He cased the place from habit--he had a decent TV, and the furniture looked like it had been chosen more for comfort than looks. It was a little cluttered, warm and inviting. Even the presence of the Shaydim seemed to dull, although he was sure he could still sense them around the corners of the apartment.
"Do you want cinnamon in your cocoa?" Barry called from the kitchen.
"Sure," Leonard agreed. He hated to admit it, but he was a little out of his element. Softness, warmth, the company of the bleeding heart hero he'd screwed over time and time again. It was downright weird.
Barry brought over the mugs and offered one to Leonard before he settled next to him on the couch. Leonard stiffened at the casual familiarity, but Barry didn't appear to notice. "Okay, so I did a bit of reading while I was waiting for the milk to heat up," he said. "These things are basically a force of nature, right? So there's two different ways to handle this."
"Go on." Leonard took a sip of his cocoa, closing his eyes for a moment to truly appreciate how delicious it was.
"One, talk to a spellcaster and see if they can, like, 'blind' that extra sense for you," Barry said, "but I don't know how strict you are in your practices, so I know that magic could be an issue. Or you could go for door number two and--"
Leonard raised a hand to stop Barry's next words in their tracks. "I'm not a hero. I don't wanna hear your pitch tonight."
Barry's eyes softened, and Leonard's heart lurched treacherously in his chest. Barry looked warm and comfortable and relaxed, and Leonard wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him. He tightened his grip on his mug instead, looking away from Barry to watch the whipped cream slowly melt into the chocolate.
"I don't have to give you a pitch," Barry said simply. "You're already working against them."
"What do you mean?" Leonard's voice was rough to his own ears, but the kid had him right where he wanted him. This wasn't the first time his curiosity had taken him somewhere he didn't want to go.
"Whoever saves a single life, it is as if that person had saved the entire world, right?" Barry reached out and brushed his fingers over Leonard's cheek, a brief flush of heat against his skin. "I never got to say thank you, before. For protecting our free will."
Leonard averted his gaze, unable to stomach the depth of emotion in Barry's eyes. "Thought you promised me a movie?"
"Yeah," Barry agreed, and turned toward the TV, reaching for the remote.
Leonard could see the distortion of the Shaydim still, but he did what he did best--compartmentalized his attention, and left that problem to be dealt with the next day. For tonight, he'd take the comfort Barry was offering him.
Hopefully, that would be enough.
~*~