Chapter Text
”Have you ever thought about what it would be like kissing Snart?” Cisco breaks the silence settled over the Cortex. It’s just him and Barry in here and they’ve been working on improvements to the suit. Its been hours, they are both tired, Cisco is jittery like he’s had to much coffee and to little food in the last 12 hours. Barry is about ready to call it quits, his own sanity fraying like the strands of friction resistant fabric they use.
That’s probably why he hears the words, but his brain doesn’t really process them. Barry just looks up from the schematic to stare blankly at a distracted Cisco. Cisco who doesn’t seem to consider his own question as out of the ordinaire, no weirder than asking the weather or if they should grab a drink after work. Spoken like a casual and unassuming thing that presses into Barry, who feels himself shiver like something cold has been held against his skin.
He opens and closes his mouth a few times trying to get the gears turning again. For one brief moment Barry can picture the square jaw, the light stubble and those thin pink lips curved into an alluring smile. All cocky and challenging.
The vision is gone just as quick, replaced by a bombshell blonde with an attitude. Barry knows, Cisco likes her in a way that really isn’t professionally acceptable with the whole- Different sides of the justice system they stand on. So certain that, that’s who Cisco is referring too Barry shrugs indifferently. He feels that it’s a weird question but also, tensile strength measurements and friction test can only remain exciting for so long.
“I think I’ll leave kissing Lisa up to you.” Cisco turns with a confused look on his face, as if Barry was the weird one now.
“I meant Leonard not Lisa.” Cisco is swift in his correction. His question becomes more pointed in a way that makes heat rise to Barry’s cheeks, “Have you ever thought about kissing him?” Barry squawks out a ‘what?!’ voice pitching up an octave. It’s ridicules really, like a child caught doing something they shouldn’t.
Its ridicules because Barry isn’t a child- And Barry definitely isn’t doing anything he shouldn’t.
He isn’t.
Cisco just raises an eyebrow at him, “Is that a yes?”
Slightly alarmed and maybe a little more defensive than he should be Barry chokes out a high pitched ‘no’. Which only makes Cisco look even less impressed at him and Barry fumbles to explain himself.
Why does he have to explain himself anyway?
His stomach churns a little and his face feels even hotter trying to come up with a reason why he hasn’t thought about kissing Leonard Snart, of all people.
Snart is- is fun. In the way that he always challenges Barry. In a world where everything is so high stakes, where one mistake could cost people their lives. Snart is different. Its not about how many people he can hurt or how much money he can steal or causing the most amount of property damage in the least amount of time. Snart is about the game, the back and forth. It’s like a breath of fresh air, and Snart makes him better because of it.
But Snart doesn’t want to be one of the good guys, not really. Barry feels like he’s floundering, like he can’t find a reason for not wanting to kiss Snart. Instead, he settles on the easy answer, the surface level one.
“He’s a thief and a criminal, and a thief.”
His arms are waving wildly, desperate to try and… what? Figure out why Cisco seems to think that kissing Leonard Snart was a very normal and reasonable thing for Barry to think about? Why it made him all jittery and have goosebumps racing over his arms to find out if he was really as cold as his name sake-
Barry gains no more insight as Cisco just shrugs and answer with an, “And? So is Lisa and I’d definitely kiss her again.”
“Okay sure but that’s different. He is like 20 years older than me-“ “-17-“ “-and I- What?” Cisco’s interruption throws him completely off kilter “Snart’s only 17 years older than you, I saw his file.” Barry just stares mouth open at Cisco, “Also how is me wanting to kiss Lisa different from you wanting to kiss Leonard?”
“I don’t- I don’t want to kiss Leonard Snart?” a weak rebuttal that sounded more like a frantic question even to his own ears.
“Dude no shame if you do, Leonard is like, not bad looking. He’s got that snarky asshole vibe, but it works because he has the skills to back it up. While -“
Barry feels like he should stop this. This was an insane conversation from start, middle to possible end.
Even more so when Barry finds himself agreeing, if only to himself, that Cisco does have a point about the other man. He’s cold and rugged and dangerous in a way that’s decidedly attractive.
“-Me and Caitlyn can’t see it, we can hear that smug smile he sometimes sends you. You know when he pulls one over on us.” Cisco is at least right about that. Leonard’s always wearing that smug smile when he’s around Barry. The slight pull on his full lips, the raised eyebrow over very blue eyes. Barry just want to wipe the stupid look of Snart’s face every time he sees it.
Then Cisco snaps his fingers and points at Barry like he’s having a moment. All proud of himself and smug.
“Oh! The parka! It definitely makes him look a lot softer, less tough guy you know?” Soft, fluffy hood of the parka also does something to soften the man himself, and Barry’s stared long enough to know how nice the glint of ice is in Leonard’s eyes when the white fur is around his ears-
“and have you seen his arms? That man’s definitely packing some strength. Could probably pick you up and throw you around if your into that.”
Barry can picture it, he can. Snart getting the upper hand on the next heist and maybe surprising him, he could press him to a wall or the floor or just lift him up altogether to keep Barry from running. Not that Barry thinks he’d want to in that moment he thinks-
Fuck
Fuuuuuuck
That’s not a good or normal or even sane thought to have about the guy your supposed to put behind bars. Barry doesn’t want to kiss Leonard, he doesn’t. Sure the other man is attractive and sure he enjoys their fights maybe more than is strictly professional- but also what does that even mean in his line of work?
He can be professional and respectfully appreciate how attractive one of his rouges is. He can be professional and not think about wanting to kiss Leonard now that Cisco has put the idea in his head.
Cisco either doesn’t realize that he’s stopped answering in favor of having an internal crisis or simply ignores it. He keeps talking, at some point actually moving the conversation over to gushing about Lisa.
Its fine, Barry is sure it’s all fine.
⚡︎ ❄ ⚡︎ *** ⚡︎ ❄ ⚡︎
It was decidedly not fucking fine.
It was in fact, the opposite of fine.
Barry felt like he was losing his mind. Or maybe having an existential crisis. Whatever it was or whatever you want to call it. It had been weeks since that conversation with Cisco, yet Barry hadn’t been able to stopped thinking about anything else but their little talk.
Rather, he couldn’t stop thinking about Leonard Snart.
Snart, and his stupid parka, with his shitty cold gun and that goddam. Smug. Face. The smile that he felt less and less like punching as the thought of, ‘what’s it like to kiss Snart’ now floated in and out of his head like the tides of the ocean. At first, he had chucked it up to morbid curiosity, but then it moved passed that initial stage of morbidity. Instead, he found himself pondering the excitement that had always fluttered in his stomach after that first encounter with the man. The smile he never could wipe away from his own face, as the two of them bantered. Nor the gut feeling that Snart wasn’t as much bite as he claimed to be.
Leonard managed to meet him quip for quip. He was always testing Barry. pushing him to be better, to do better. Then he’d see Snart’s smile in his head, the way his lips would curl ever so slightly, eyebrows raised and just a hint of pearly whites coming through.
The low drawl of Snart’s voice, and yes, how the hood of his parka would bunch-up around his neck and face. Creating this soft contrast to otherwise very sharp features. Barry would bet good money on his hair being soft too. There wasn’t much to run your fingers through, but it almost tingled in his fingertips as he imagined scraping them against the other man’s nape, just barely brushing the buzz cut.
What would it feel like if Leonard pressed in close, did he run warm? Or cold like his name sake?
Would his hands be rough with callouses or would they be soft as he traced an invisible pattern against Barry’s skin?
What would he smell like? Oil, smoke, a crisp winter morning? Or maybe he’d surprised Barry and smell like one of those slightly sweet and floral body soaps. If it was at heist would he smell like sweat and adrenaline?
And if Lenord didn’t hold his face would those hands wander and explore? Maybe he’d settle them against his waist. Barry’s not small per say, he is tall, if a little on the lankier side. The speed force may have helped him build up some muscle but it hadn’t changed much more in physical and visual sense. And Leonard did have big hands and he wore those gloves.
Would he take them off first? Or maybe he’d let Barry do it, let him sink his teeth into the fabric and pull them off his hands-
“Barry you still there?” Caitlyn’s voice buzzes over the coms and pulls Barry out of his racing thoughts. It also has a warm blush spreading across his skin he hoped no one could see. Or if they could, would chalk it up to wind burn.
“Yeah sorry bout that, got lost in thought.” Theres a pause on the other end, Barry has enough time to hope Caitlyn or one of the others doesn’t ask. He’s given that small mercy even if he’s sure his voice had wobbled weirdly, even if he knows his heartrate would have jumped and that neither her nor Cisco would have missed the change.
“Its fine, we got another call, West side is seeing a break in, police chatter suggest Captain Cold is present.” Of course Snart is the one causing trouble. Though it really was a matter of time before he had to face the man and his rouges again. He’s not excited about it, he’s not getting jittery just thinking about having to stand in the same room as Leonard. Stand there and not try to stare at his lips as the question plays like broken record in his head.
The run there is quick, and in no time at all Barry finds himself facing the back of a blue parka and soft fur. For a moment he forgets why he was jittery in the first place, he feels the excitement bubble in his stomach. The rush of anticipation that always comes from catching the other man mid job.
“Snart.” His voice betrays him, hiding none of that excitement like he had wanted, even if it is only the single word.
Snart turns to him, lips pulled into a smile, his eyes are covered by those goggles he likes to wear. Barry though can imagine the slight lift to the corners, the extra glint of mirth in them. The cold gun is held loosely at his side. He stands like he’s relaxed at home and not caught in the middle of stealing expensive diamond jewelry. He matches Barrys tone of voice.
“Scarlet.” Maybe its they way Leonard says it, maybe it is just because Barry’s a fucking idiot. Whatever it is, when Barry opens his mouth to make his own snarky comment about ‘What’s it like to get caught?’, what comes out is the question that’s been looping in his brain since Cisco first asked it.
“What’s it like to kiss you?” The worst part is, Barry didn’t even realize his mistake at first, even if everyone else does. Snart opens his mouth then closes it again before those eyebrows almost disappear up into his hair line.
Its gone quiet in the store too, Mick and Lisa having stopped to stare, one more slacked mouthed than the other. Still its only when he hears Iris shrill yell of ‘WHAT!’ over the coms accompanied by what has to the sounds of Cisco absolutely losing it laughing, that Barry realizes his mistake.
“Sorry Scarlet I think I might have misheard you there, but it sounded like you asked what it’s like to kiss me?” Snart takes a step forward, and Barry just freezes. He feels like a deer caught in headlights as his brain grinds to a fucking halt.
Snart takes another step forward, slow, cautious, but there’s something in the air. It’s almost electric and charged not unlike how the speed force might dance across his skin, except this is different. Barry really wishes those goggles weren’t on Snart’s face so he could read it properly.
But then Snart’s in his space parka brushing against his suit. His very skin tight suit, and Barry can feel the heat radiating off the other man, so opposite his name sake. In any other situation he might have made a joke about that, but Barry is to distracted by his own racing heart. By the way his breath hitches as his back meets the wall-
When had he started backing up?
But then there’s a hand by his head, the tip of the cold gun touches his thigh. Not in a threatening way, but more in a testament to how close Snart is pressing in on him. All Barry can see is those thin lips and white teeth peeking out between them.
“Maybe you should repeat yourself scarlet.” His voice is lower, more of rumble and Barry feels the whole-body shiver in response to the sound of it. Doesn’t miss how that smile widens, clearly Snart’s enjoying this. The way Barry squirms, the way he has to swallow around the lump in his throat too loudly, and how it doesn’t help at all.
His brain feels like a cloud of static and his tongue heavy in a mouth full of cotton.
“Cat got your tongue?” That hand drags across the wall until it reaches his face and drags his fingers slow and deliberate across the exposed line of his jaw. Finally, it settles on his chin. Almost gripping, but not quite. “-Or maybe, you want me to catch it?”
If the insinuation wasn’t clear, then the way Snart’s looking at him is. Like Barry is the delicate diamond neckless meant to be stolen and squirrelled away as trophy for Leonard to admire whenever he pleases. Like Captain Cold has finally won a game Barry only half knew they were playing.
He should be speeding out from under Leonard’s thumb. Should be stopping this, step back put up the metaphorical wall that’s should have always been between him and Leonard. Really there’s a lot of things he should be doing, like listening to voice in the back of his head that sounds a lot like Joe West telling him to not be stupid.
“What if I do?” Barry does none of it, and is reward with Leonard pressing even closer. With a hand on his hip and a thigh pressed between his legs.
“Then all you have to do is ask Scarlet.” Its nothing more than a whisper, so close now that Barry can taste Leonard’s breath.
“Kiss me.”
Then there’s lips on his. Even through his gloves the fur of the parka is as soft as it looks, and Barry is glad to sink his hands into it, it holds him to reality and pulls Leonard closer, deeper.
Leonard fills his mouth, his nose, his everything. Something cold and metallic in his scent, but also something warm, heavy. Sweat mixing with the faint traces of crisp aftershave and wood, cotton and honey.
Leonard kisses the same way he commits heist, thorough, planed and not leaving a single thing over looked. Teeth sink into Barry’s lower lip and a whine escapes him. Then there’s a tongue in his mouth and it’s like Leonard is mapping out the expanse of his mouth. The grip on his chin remains steady, not bruising but commanding. The thigh grinds against the front of his suit with intention and his own hips buck forward into the touch.
The hand on his hip guides him along just as slow and deliberate as the kiss. Its too much and not enough. Its everything Barry wished it would be, but also frustratingly not. He wants to feel Leonard’s hand against his skin and not trough the fabric of the suit. He wants those dammed goggles off, so he can see just how dark a blue Leonard’s eyes can turn. Barry needs air but wants to stay in this moment forever, lips pressing into Leonard and hands fisted in parka fur.
Then Leonard’s pulling back, if only enough that Barry can gasp very needed air into his lungs, and watch how saliva connects them still. He tries to tug on the hood, to get those spit slick lips back on his own. But Leonard doesn’t budge and Barry feels a groan build in his throat out of frustration.
“You look good like this Scarlet-“ Leonard’s smile is wicked and sharp, there is appreciation in his voice and it just makes the heat coil tighter in Barry’s stomach.
“-Its really such a shame to leave you here.” Leonard sounds in remorseful in a way that’s still very much playful. But the meaning of his words doesn’t register with Barry, all coherent thought beyond lips and the press of their bodies as been melted out of his ears. Like snow after the thaw.
“Then don’t.” Barry is trying to be coy, to chase those pink lips with his own, but the hand on his chin holds firm. It leaves no room for arguing as Leonard leans further away, fingers
“Sorry Scarlet, maybe next time.” Then there’s the familiar whirl of the cold gun and the sharp icy pangs frost against his feet. It kills the mood immediately, much better than a cold shower ever could. Barry makes a wounded noise, feeling utterly betrayed and taken advantage of. He tries to yell at Leonard, but the words a swallowed by a second kiss that’s somehow just as dizzying as the first, yet much, much shorter.
Then Snart’s truly stepping back, and gives Barry a half wave over his shoulder as he walks away.
Then its just Barry, frozen to the floor, mouth agape and thoughts reeling in an empty jewelry store. No rouges, no diamond necklace and no Leonard Snart. Just humiliating arousal and the faint sound of police sirens.