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Barry makes sure to keep quiet when he comes home after a long day of work. It’s long past midnight, and he expects Leonard to have gone to bed a long time ago. But when he steps into their apartment, he finds Leonard waiting for him. He is standing by the window, a glass of wine in his hand and a peaceful smile on his face as he is swaying on his feet, listening to one of his old records.
“You didn’t have to stay up,” Barry says, but when he lets himself fall into the other man’s arms - Leonard’s grip tight but gentle, something about his touch always able to make Barry relax even after a hard day - he can’t help but smile. “Sorry I’m so late, it was…”
Leonard kisses him and it makes the story Barry was going to tell him about his bad day fade to the back of his mind. He relaxes into his arms, and he expects him to lead him to the bedroom so they can go to bed, but when the music stops, Leonard lets go of him and he starts the record again.
“Dance with me.” He smiles, and he extends his hand as an invitation.
“Len!” Barry laughs “Do you know what time it is? We have to get up in…”
“Who cares?” Leonard shrugs. “Come on. Dance with me.”
Barry shakes his head, knowing full well that they should try and get some sleep, seeing as they have to get up early for work. But this is how things had started; when all those years ago he had accepted Leonard’s invitation to dance. Back then they had all gone out to some new club as a group, and after a long day he didn’t care who he had to dance with. He just wanted to let his hair down for one night, and if he was going to dance with Leonard Snart, then so be it.
One dance had turned into another and then another, and before they knew it they had danced with each other all night. Still, when Leonard had asked Barry out later that week, he hadn’t accepted. That night had been fun, and there had been an undeniable chemistry between them, but Barry didn’t think Leonard would be a reliable partner. So he said no to a date - of course regretting his decision every single time he saw Leonard after that.
It took him months to admit to himself that he was falling in love with Leonard after that though, and even more months to build up the courage to ask him out. Leonard proving himself not to be the unreliable partner Barry thought him to be, but instead showing up early for every date, and remembering every anniversary - even the ones that Barry forgot.
“Just one dance,” Leonard tries again, and this time Barry takes his hand and he follows him out onto the balcony.
With the old record playing and the full moon shining down on them, they put their arms around each other and they softly start swaying to the music. Their day to day lives are so full of action - with danger - and they are always so busy, that sometimes Barry feels like he is losing grip of it all. But when he is at home - safe in Len’s arms like this - it’s like he can finally breathe.
“Let’s go to bed,” Leonard whispers when the song ends. After all, they said only one song, and it was Barry who wanted to go to sleep. But when he wants to let go of him, Barry clings onto him.
“Can we stay out here a little longer?”
Leonard sighs, recognising the way his voice sounds. Having come to recognise when it’s been a long, hard day. So he gently caresses the back of Barry’s neck, before pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “We can stay here all night.”
