You were nearly drunk. You were in a bar, when you were supposed to be on a mission with the rest of the team and you were nearly drunk, something you never were unless the circumstances were dire. While Sara, Amaya, Mick and Zari worked to find the latest anachronism, a level 10, you'd accompanied Ray and Nate to the nearest bar. Or rather, they'd decided to investigate the bar for any signs or effects of the anachronism; you hadn't had a choice in the matter. You'd been ordered to tag along with them; "Keep them on their toes," had been Sara's words exactly.

"Whiskey on ice, please," Ray said to the bartender. You smiled to yourself; he knew your favorite drink. Your guilty pleasure whenever you had the chance for it. But of course he would know that, having spent so much time and effort trying to closely bond with all of his fellow shipmates.

You remembered clearly how when you'd first joined the team, you'd had no trouble talking to everyone but Ray, for reasons you still didn't want to admit. Even after Nate, Amaya, and Zari had joined, you could confide in them, but still clammed up at times around Ray. It was in the interest of fixing time that you'd decided not to pursue a romantic relationship with anybody, but your heart and your brain had been in constant argument ever since.

The bartender walked over and set down two drinks in front of each of you, and you downed yours, welcoming the distraction from your thoughts. You were hoping that your drink would get you all the way to being drunk. You finished it rather quickly, downing it in two gulps. You didn't drink often, but when you did, you went hard.

As you stared at your now empty glass, Nate wandered back over from where he had been scoping out other areas of the bar as per the reason for your being there. He had an almost triumphant gleam in his eyes.

"What is it, buddy?" Ray asked Nate, sensing that he had big news for the two of you.

"I think I found something big," Nate confirmed. "About the anachronism."

Ray brightened up. "Great! Then the sooner we can leave, the better."

This got your attention. "What? You're the one who wanted to be here," you complained. Then you had the genius idea to mock him. "You were all like, 'I'm Ray Palmer, I always come up with the greatest ideas,'" you quipped, waving your hands in the air exaggeratedly and making a face for emphasis.

He laughed in spite of your jab at him. "I do not sound like that," he objected merrily.

"Y/N, you're drunk," Nate pointed out, cutting in before either Ray or you could say another word.

"No I'm not. Not yet, anyway," you replied, causing alarmed looks from both Nate and Ray. They both knew that drinking wasn't a regular activity for you.

Something in another area of the bar caught Nate's attention. "You know what? You can take care of Y/N, Ray. I'd better go investigate this anachronism further, before it becomes a level 11," he declared.

"Don't take too long," you cautioned him.

The thumbs-up he gave you as he walked away was a double signal, or so you thought. A sign of acknowledgement and a sign of good luck.

Ray held up two fingers in the bartender's direction, and soon enough two more drinks were set down in front of you. You still weren't quite drunk yet, though now you really wanted to be. Now that you were alone with him. Why did he have to be so damn gorgeous, so damn optimistic all the time?

"Thank you for this, Ray," you said, sipping from your glass. So maybe you were starting to feel a little drunk now. It was enough for you to say, "You know, you're so cool it makes me hate you so much."

Ray let out a fake gasp. "You don't really mean that, do you, Y/N? Come on, I'm your ticket out of here!"

"Guess I'll just stumble on home to my cats, then," you slurred, barely registering what you were saying. Then you took a sip from your glass, wanting to get every last drop. "Alone," you added with a sigh and a roll of your eyes for dramatic effect.

"Y/N, we don't have any cats on the Waverider," he admonished. "Besides, you know I'm allergic."

Your face immediately turned red. Not only had you just accidentally hit on Ray, the man you'd secretly harbored a crush on since the team had first been formed, but you'd made a fatal mistake by not remembering that crucial detail about him. "You know what, Raymond? You've ruined my life," you complained.

"What? No, Y/N..."

But you were determined to save face. You got up from your barstool just a little bit too fast in your drunken state, hoping to get to a bathroom where you could die of shame alone in peace. When your feet touched the floor, everything came crashing down at once. You hit the floor with a thud, and slid right into the side of the bar. The last thing you saw were Ray's concerned brown eyes hovering over you before you passed out.

You woke up in the med bay on the Waverider, Sara's ocean blue eyes the first thing you saw hovering above you. You blinked slowly, taking in the scenery.

"Y/N!" Sara exclaimed. "Good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

How were you feeling? You had a grinding, intense headache and regret at what you'd said and did while you were drunk. "I feel like I might sink and drown and die," you admitted with a groan. "How long was I out?"

"A couple of days. The good news is, you're not gonna die," Sara reassured you. "Right, Gideon?"
"Precisely, Captain Lance," the A.I. chimed in. "Miss Y/N is recovering well."

Okay, so maybe you weren't going to actually die, then. But you were still going to die of embarrassment over what a fool you'd made of yourself.

"I was sloppy, wasn't I?" you contended with Sara. You needed to be scolded, one way or another. "I nearly jeopardized the mission."

To your surprise, she gave you a sympathetic look. "No, Y/N. You helped provide a distraction while the anachronism was taken care of. Don't worry, we're all screwups here."

"Oh, good," you said, though you didn't sound entirely convinced. "Is that all I missed?"

"There is one other thing. There's someone who really wants to see you," Sara said, abruptly changing the subject. Then she turned to look at a figure standing in the doorway, out of your line of vision, and winked.

"Really? Who-"

But Sara smiled knowingly at you and walked out of the med bay, leaving you alone with the mystery person. You sat up, curious as to who it could be.

Then Ray walked in, a big grin on his face when he saw you. "So, I've ruined your life, have I?" He teased.

You let out a groan. This was just what you needed right now. "That was drunk me. That's all in the past now. It's what got us into this mess in the first place."

He studied you, making sure you were okay, and then looked at you earnestly. "Okay, so tell me then, Y/N, now that you're sober. How do you really feel?"

"Ray…" Then finally you let your guard down and admitted the thing you'd been keeping a secret, harboring inside yourself. "You've spent time trying to bond with each member of the team. So you should know that there's nothing I hate more than what I can't have."

He looked flattered one second, confused the next. "What are you trying to say?" he asked.

You took a breath, reforming your words as quickly as possible in your mind. "What can I say? I've liked you for the longest time, Ray. You're gorgeous, and I couldn't say anything to your face before because I didn't know how you felt" you clarified.

You looked at him anxiously, feeling the onset of butterflies in your stomach. This was the moment of truth, the one you'd feared yet anticipated at the same time.

Then his face brightened, and he became your own personal Ray of sunshine. "I feel the same about you, Y/N," he said. "All you had to do was tell me. And I'm glad you're feeling better now."

He moved closer to you and cupped your face in his hands. Even at that angle he was taller than you, and you had to look up at him. Seeing your opportunity, you leaned forward until your lips touched his.

You hadn't expected Ray to be this good of a kisser. But of course he was, and it was even better than you'd imagined it would be.

You were interrupted by the loud, insistent sound of a throat clearing from the doorway. At that you broke apart from Ray, startled out of the moment. "Hey, Haircut-" Mick said, then, "Never mind." He walked away, but not before you heard him mutter, "Lovebirds," under his breath.

You paid him no mind, and went back to kissing the man of your dreams.