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So Bivolo was at it again, if the intense robberies and accompanying mobs were to be trusted. Or not trusted…
Anyway, Barry was so done with all of his emotion-enhancing nonsense that he just couldn’t be bothered to toy with the metahuman and he took him down as soon as possible. It helped that Snart and Mick Rory were in town, on a break from their time-travelling shenanigans and were all for taking him down. Apparently, Bivolo had tried to strike out on his own from the Rogues and Lisa, who had been placed in charge of the Rogues, had called in a favour to take him down.
Barry had sent a grin and a nod Snart’s way before jumping into the fight and they worked surprisingly well together. It didn’t take long for them, with their combined powers, to take the man down and Barry felt the adrenaline pumping through him even as the fight was over.
Then Snart tried to cuff the bastard and Barry wasn’t fast enough- Bivolo’s eyes flashed, pink and then he was down with a punch from Captain Cold. He stopped just short of the other man’s back, as he cuffed the meta and patted his head saying, ‘Sleep tight, Rainbow Raider.’
‘Uh, Snart?’ said Barry cautiously and the other man swivelled on his heels to look up at Barry. He seemed fine, but Barry knew better than anyone how Bivolo’s powers could be a total bitch.
‘Yes, Mr. Allen?’ replied Snart cheekily. ‘Snart…you do know that Bivolo whammied you with- something, right?’
‘Yeah, so?’ asked Snart, raising and eyebrow and although Barry was worried, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes- the guy just had to be nonchalant and chill about everything.
‘Look, let’s all go back to S.T.A.R. Labs and have Caitlin look you over alright? Bivolo’s powers cannot be relied upon to work predictably, y’know. I’ll drop him off at Iron Heights and meet you there,’ said Barry before grabbing the other man and hefting him up on his shoulder.
‘Sure thing Scarlet. Although, I feel fine. I don’t know what you’re so worried about,’ said Snart, mumbling the last part like a petulant child.
‘I dunno Lenny, maybe you should have the good doctor look you over? You can never be too sure,’ said Lisa, having overheard their conversation.
‘Fine, fine. See you soon Scarlet,’ said Snart with a smirk and Barry threw him a small, concerned smile before rushing off.
By the time he got back to S.T.A.R Labs, there was a frantic air around the room as Caitlin obsessively checked vitals and even scratched her head at one point, Mick Rory surprisingly enough, standing by her, tracking her every move.
‘But he should be- like, super-affectionate and lovey and shit right now. This doesn’t make any sense,’ said Cisco, chewing on a thumbnail as he eyed Snart suspiciously.
‘Look, it’s like I told the speedster- I feel fine,’ grumbled Snart, and he crossed his arms before his eyes landed on Barry and he swiftly uncrossed them. The other Rogues were mlling around in varying stages of worry for their pseudo-leader, Lisa being the most worried.
‘Dopamine and serotonin levels are high, but not like holy shit high. But he should be acting different-ish? Dude, you are-‘ started Cisco before he suddenly stopped ranting.
Barry, at this point, was in front of Snart, hand on his face to get a better look at his eyes and sure enough, the blue would occasionally be overshadowed by a dark pink and Barry could only stare at his reflection in them. Snart was eyeing him- not with apprehension, more like resignation, like he had, in that moment, let Barry see into his soul. Barry would have been unsettled by it, if he didn’t feel like he was doing the exact same thing.
‘H-holy shit!’ exclaimed Cisco as he watched them, silence broken as quickly as it started. ‘What? What is it?’ asked Lisa and Caitlin in almost perfect unison, causing them to eye each other with distaste.
‘Dude, I know why he seems fine. It’s because he’s already in love,’ said Cisco, whispering the last few words. A hush fell over the cortex, then a couple of the Rogues burst into laughter. At this, Snart threw them an indignant but withering look that caused the chuckles to die down but not entirely.
‘Lenny? My brother, in love? With-‘ started Lisa, her tone changing from disbelieving to exasperated. ‘Ooof course. Of fucking course.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Barry, having heard what Cisco said. Cisco threw him a disconcerted but amused glance, ‘Dude, he’s- Captain Cold- is in love with you.’ The cortex was silenced again as everyone looked over at the man in question as if to confirm and he only lifted his shoulders and dropped them in an uncaring shrug.
‘Well that’s kind of old news, Flash,’ grunted Mick and yeah, it made sense that he wouldn’t be surprised. ‘Whoa, that’s- that’s ridiculous,’ stuttered Barry, heart already skipping enough beats to be unhealthy. He was starting the think that his warring emotions would cause him to pass out if he didn’t sit down.
‘Trust me Flash, it’s not,’ muttered Lisa, looking over at her brother who was back to staring at the Barry with an adoring look on his face- pretty much his default expression over the past few months.
‘But-but I don’t understand. How-‘ Barry stumbled over his words, unable to fully grasp what was going on. Then Caitlin let out an indignant shriek when one of the Rogues touched something.
‘Okay, that’s it. We understand what is going on, so none of you need to be here. Out!’ she yelled. ‘He’s my brother- I’m not going anywhere,’ said Lisa, looking the other woman in the eye and daring her to kick her out.
‘Fine, the rest of you, get out,’ said the scientist venomously and they all shuffled out. All except Mick. ‘That means you too Mick,’ muttered Caitlin exasperatedly.
‘Me? What did I do?’ asked the man and the rest of them looked on in confusion as Caitlin walked over to him and placed a kiss on his cheek. ‘Go, Mick. I’ll come home tonight I promise, just need to take care of this first, alright?’ The pyro grinned at this and walked out of the lab whistling to himself.
Barry was even more confused, not able to decide between figuring out when that happened and when Leonard Snart fell in love with him. It hit him all over again and this time, he was giddy and elated at the prospect. He’d never even considered that the other man would reciprocate his feelings and here he was, reciprocating.
‘Um, Snart’s vitals just went back to normal- no more super-high levels of love chemicals in his brain,’ said Cisco, looking at his tab and up at the screen.
‘Huh. I guess Bivolo’s powers only hold out for so long,’ said Lisa. ‘Guess so,’ replied Cisco and they threw each other silly grins.
‘Alright, now that we’ve established that I’m fine, can I go now?’ asked Snart, hopping off the examination table. He started to leave and Lisa, unsure, made a move to follow, but Barry, cowl still up, flashed in front of the other man and said, ‘You’re not going anywhere until you explain to me what the hell all that was Snart.’
‘What could you possibly wanna hear from me? I’m in love with you, you don’t love me back. Simple. Now, can I leave? It’s been a long day,’ drawled Snart and this close, Barry could see how unsure and skittish the other man was. He actually did have feelings didn’t he?
Barry rolled his eyes at the other man’s words and leaned in to press his lips against Cold’s- which were delightfully and surprisingly warm. He'd always thought that he would be as cold to touch as he seemed.
‘Shut up Snart,’ he said when he pulled back.
‘Okay,’ was the reply.