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It was 11.34pm, and all was quiet in Central City.
Barry Allen sat balanced precariously on the edge of a rooftop, not concerned with the rain, which had begun to fall as soon as he had left Star Labs. He let his legs swing over the edge of the roof, and his feet connected with the wall with a gentle thud as he moved them back and forth. Barry looked out over the city, which was alive with bright lights and the hustle and bustle of people as they made their way back and forth between pubs and clubs. The only sound that could be heard from way up here though was the rumble of thunder in the distance.
It had been a successful night, all things considered. Team Flash had contained the latest meta-human with ease, and Barry had felt a weight lift from his shoulders when Cisco had joked with him as they gathered in the cortex afterwards. Things finally appeared to be back to normal after Flashpoint, and Barry couldn't help but smile. His smile dropped a little when he thought about the husks, and he amended that thought. Things were back to normal with the exception of Dr Alchemy, although things wouldn't be normal without a villain, Barry supposed. If it wasn't Alchemy, it would have been someone else. Anyway, Oliver had promised to do whatever he could to help with that particular situation. Barry shook his head. Nope. He had come up here tonight to forget about Oliver Queen.
Above him, a storm brewed in the dark clouds, which blanketed the sky and obscured the stars. Barry could feel the crackle of electricity in the air, and a small smile played at the corners of his lips. He placed his hands behind him and rested his weight backwards, so that he could tilt his head and look upwards. Thunder rumbled, ominous, and louder this time, and Barry shuddered as a pleasant shiver made it's way down his back when the first bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky.
This. This was the other reason why he was up here in the rain. This was why, when the others had insisted that they wanted to get home before the storm started, Barry had sped out of Star labs before they could blink, and found the best spot to watch the storm. Today, that spot happened to be the roof of the CCPD, and Barry perched, alone, as he waited for the storm to hit its peak. No, he wasn't just up here, hidden, because of Oliver and his loud, Green Arrow attitude. Or because of the angry gestures, which Oliver had directed towards him. Barry wanted to experience the storm.
Barry huffed, and he let out a sigh as he felt the fight drain from him as another bolt of lightning crashed towards the city. It wasn't Oliver's fault, it was just the way he was, the way they both were. The air crackled around him, and Barry felt his shoulders lose their tension as the storm drew closer and the air around him began to hum with energy.
Barry was content to sit and watch, to feel the power of the storm resonate strong within him, with the powers that coursed through him. This was what it meant to be alive, and Barry could not help the grin that spread across his face. The storm, the lightning, it never failed to make him feel at peace, and it was not a surprise just how much he needed that in this line of work. Whenever he had the chance, Barry would race to the rooftop nearest to the storms epicentre, and sit and gaze at the lightning as it crashed to the ground all around him.
The storm circled around him, and thunder crashed above his head. Barry didn't flinch, and he wasn't afraid either. Sure, lightning had put him in a coma, but it had given him friends, and the power to help people: to make a difference in a way that he had rarely been able to before. Barry felt a strong affinity to the power of a storm. It pulled at something deep within him, and it inspired awe, a strong feeling of kinship that could only be explained by his powers. Barry knew that he could run as fast as the lightning fell, and the lightning appeared drawn to him too. The bolts were always more frequent whenever a storm got closer to the Flash, although they never, ever struck him. Not again.
He heard footsteps behind him, and Barry startled. He dropped his head from where he had gazed into the sky and looked towards the one who had disturbed him. His shoulders slumped and he relaxed when he realised it was just Oliver.
'Are you sure you should be that close?' Oliver asked, as he approached Barry with hesitant steps and looked at the darkened sky. His brow furrowed, which betrayed his worry, and he flinched when the thunder rumbled overhead.
'How did you find me?' Barry asked as he regarded Oliver with a careful look.
Oliver huffed and looked at Barry as if Barry had insulted his intelligence.
'Right, right. Green Arrow,' Barry sighed and shuffled back slightly. He brought his knees up to his chest so that his feet rested on the edge of the roof, and lay his crossed arms on them.
'Just Oliver now,' Oliver replied, and he looked worried as another bolt of lightning crashed nearby. 'You should get back.'
Barry turned to Oliver to retort that he did not need Oliver to tell him what to do, but he paused at the look on Oliver's face.
'It's fine,' Barry insisted instead, when he realised that Oliver was just worried. 'I haven't been struck yet.'
Oliver took a deep, nervous, breath, and moved closer to the edge, to Barry. 'Is this a hobby of yours?'
Barry nodded and he turned his eyes back to the sky. 'There's just something about lightning. Ever since I woke up from my coma, I've felt drawn to it.'
Oliver's chest heaved as he took a deep breath, and then he dropped to sit beside Barry on the ledge. They watched the storm together in silence. Oliver felt unease creep through him and his eyes glazed over as he tried to ignore the rain that pounded, heavy on his back.
When Oliver gazed at the bolts of lightning that crackled around them, he did not see Central city. His mind was focused inwards, on memories of over four years ago. Memories of a boat that was tossed around by the huge swell of waves on the North China sea. The thunder rumbled, and Oliver shuddered beside Barry as his mind played back emotions, sounds: thunder, the crash of lightning, Sara's scream as she was pulled from the boat, and himself, helpless, unable to save her.
Oliver took a deep breath to try and centre himself. Being up here was necessary, even if it brought back terrible visions of his past. Oliver reached out a hand to grasp Barry's leg, and he hoped that the contact wasn't unwelcome.
'I'm sorry about earlier,' Barry broke the silence, and reached over to squeeze Oliver's hand when he felt it clench on his leg. Oliver felt Barry's shoulder's rise and fall, and they brushed against his in a casual shrug. 'I never meant to rush in like that, it just sort of happens sometimes.'
Oliver sighed. He knew it was the truth. Barry still acted without thinking sometimes, even after two years of this life. He lived in a different reality to the rest of them. For Barry, everything moved so fast, and sometimes the world around him seemed too slow. Barry couldn't help it. If he could act to save someone, he would in a heartbeat, even more so when it came to those that he cared about. Sometimes, even Oliver could admit that there was no time to think, only to react. When it came to those that he loved, Barry was very reactive. It was part of why Oliver had grown to like him so much.
'No, I'm the one who should be sorry.' Oliver took a deep breath and sighed. 'They had Joe, I shouldn't have expected any less of you.'
Barry squeezed Oliver's hand in reassurance.
'First time you've gone all Green Arrow on me, at least since we started this,' Barry murmured quietly, but followed it with a laugh. 'Curtis was right, you can be scary sometimes.'
'I shouldn't have yelled at you,' Oliver admitted, voice quiet, but sincere, as he did his best to ignore the storm that raged around them. He glanced up at Barry and focused on the irises of his green eyes, which scanned the city skyline, quick and focused. 'You just worried me when he grabbed you.'
'You taught me how to break that kind of grasp, remember? I'm fine,' Barry insisted, and he looked away from the storm towards Oliver. His eyes lit up with the lightning, which struck behind him and illuminated the sky. 'Are you fine? You're shaking.'
'I don't like storms,' Oliver replied with a shudder, and was grateful for the arm that Barry placed around his waist in a tight grip of reassurance. Oliver paused for a moment, but when he saw the worried look in Barry's eyes, he sighed and tried to explain. 'The night the Gambit went down haunts me even now. It was a stormy night, much like this one, and it changed my life. I lost so much in that one moment.'
Oliver felt Barry tense, but only for a moment, and then his hold on Oliver tightened. 'I'm sorry. We can head back home if you want?'
Oliver shook his head, and let his arm rest on the roof behind Barry. 'I just don't understand why you're up here, given what happened to you.'
Barry looked up towards the sky and pondered for a moment. For Oliver, the pause was less than a second.
'When the lightning struck me, it changed my life, just like your life changed when the Gambit went down,' Barry began to explain. His gaze turned to Oliver, steady and strong, and he gripped Oliver's hand. 'Yes, I experienced loss because of it, but when I look at all that I've gained along the way, I can't help but be thankful. I may not be able to save my mother, but I am no longer helpless, and I don't have to sit by and watch people suffer any more. I know that I have the power to save so many others, and there is no better feeling than that.'
Barry smiled and looked out over the city which he protected with a fond look, before he turned back to Oliver and nudged his shoulder. Oliver took the hint, and lifted his arm to curl it around Barry's shoulders. Barry sighed, content.
'Can you honestly say that you and I would be this close if I didn't have my powers? I would have woken up from that coma and never seen you again,' Barry replied, and shuddered at the thought.
'I never thought of it like that. I dread to think who I would be today if I hadn't been stranded on the island,' Oliver frowned. 'I don't think you would have liked that person.'
Barry nodded. 'Right. Maybe. You never know. Which is why I'm grateful that, despite everything bad that has happened, things have turned out as well as they have done. Things could be a lot, lot worse, and really, why fear something that happened in the past if you're at peace with the consequences?'
Oliver nodded, thoughtful, as he considered that. Barry made a lot of sense, at least when he wasn't panicked and overwhelmed, as his lover often tended to get. Oliver leaned his head to the side to rest it on Barry's shoulder. Barry felt the tension begin to ease out of Oliver's shoulders, as Oliver began to relax.
'I love the power of a storm, and I feel an affinity to it, right here.' Barry grasped Oliver's free hand and placed it over his heart. 'It made me who I am today, and I'm in awe of it. I wouldn't change it for the world.'
Oliver nodded, and he couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at his lips.
'I can relate to that.' Oliver squeezed the arm around Barry and tugged him closer to his side, but he wasn't looking at the storm. He only had eyes for the man by his side.
Barry's eyes were drawn to Oliver's, but when Oliver moved the hand at Barry's chest, cupped his cheek, and leaned in to kiss him, Barry's eyes slid shut. The rain dripped between them and mingled in their mouths. Oliver stretched out his tongue and slipped it inside Barry's mouth, between his already parted lips. Barry groaned and clutched at Oliver's shirt, to pull him even closer as he lost himself in the other for a few moments, both now oblivious to the storm that thundered around them.
Oliver pulled back to rest his forehead against Barry's. Barry grinned at him and snuggled closer. Oliver smiled, and tangled their hands together so that they could watch the rest of the storm in the rain together.