I've had this fic sitting around forever, and I figured I might as well get it out now and get it off my very long work list
The first time
Barry was grabbing a drink when he spotted Snart coming towards him.
"We need to talk Allen." He was not pleased.
"About… What? Your terrible puns?" Barry asked him.
Cold held up a phone, and Barry looked at it.
It appeared to be generic cute texting between a couple, until he saw a name.
Cisco.
"Whose phone is this?" Barry asked, already half knowing the answer.
"My sister's. Did you know about this?" Cold insisted, in full Cold mode.
"No, but I mean it's Cisco's life, he can do what he-"
"He's flirting with my sister."
"Do you… Want me to talk to him?" Barry offered.
"No, I want to talk to him." He sounded extraordinarily threatening.
"Um… No. No icing the dude who made you your cold gun." Barry appreciated his own pun.
Cold was just glaring at him.
"Look, I'll talk to Cisco, let him know you want to kill him, and we'll work it out. Okay?"
Barry waited for Snart to react.
He eventually sighed. "Okay. But if he hurts her, Team Flash will be down a player."
"Don't worry. She's more likely to hurt him than he is to hurt her." Barry promised.
Snart nodded a bit, a little pride in his sister flaring in his eyes.
"Want a drink?" Barry offered.
"Nah, I'm good. Should be getting back. I've got chaos to plan." He smirked, and walked away from Barry.
Barry just smiled back and drank his drink.
The second time
Barry went to the bar where he knew he could find Snart, and sure enough there he was. He was nursing a beer in the back corner, watching the room critically.
It made Barry almost nervous to approach him.
"Snart."
"Scarlet." Snart formed his mouth around the word very deliberately.
"How are the Rogues?"
"All shop and no talk?" Snart smirked at him.
"I'm just here for an update. I need to know if there's any problems."
"Smooth sailing. All's quiet Allen."
"Good."
There was a long tense silence. Snart was watching him very carefully, as if he was calculating every possible move Barry could make, and it was making him... Not quite uncomfortable, just restless.
"Want a drink?" Snart asked him calmly.
"No thanks, I- I don't really get drunk anymore because of my metabolism, and I should probably get back to the- the lab, my lab, the lab I work at." Barry cursed himself for his nervousness.
"You're looking a little scarlet there Scarlet. What's the matter?" Snart smirked, clearly enjoying how flustered Barry was.
"I'm gonna go now." Barry said hurriedly, and quickly left, speeding away the minute he could. Snart simply chuckled and returned to his beer.
The third time
Barry was walking around town when he saw the familiar parka crossing the street ahead of him, illuminated by the dim street lights.
He would have stayed back, but Felicity had called ahead to let them know she and Oliver were coming in, and he felt the need to let Snart know. He knew for a fact Oliver wouldn't go easy on him.
Barry zipped up to his side, but before he could even speak Snart beat him to it.
"Good evening Barry."
"How did you know I was here?"
"You're hard to miss." That was clearly all the explaining Snart was going to do.
"I, um, I just wanted to let you know, the Green Arrow's gonna be in town. So don't pull any heists or anything, just for a couple days."
"And after that I can steal whatever I want?" Snart smirked.
"No, I mean you still shouldn't be out committing crime. But if you're going to, hold off until he's gone." Barry explained.
"And if I decide to ignore you?"
"I'm his ally, and he shot me with an arrow in the back. He won't have many problems with you." Barry warned him.
To his surprise Snart actually seemed to take the warning in mind. "Thanks for the tip."
"You're welcome Snart."
"Call me Len." His smirk was back, and he looked well aware that it was making Barry a little flushed.
Barry was grateful for the cover of darkness.
"Okay S- Len." He tried it, and it wasn't too bad.
"Was that all?" The man seemed to be calculating another agenda, and Barry didn't want to know what was going on in that calculating mind.
"Yep. Gotta run." He sped off, leaving Len calmly prowling the streets.
The fourth time
Barry was perfectly fine with Lisa and Cisco seeing each other. They never interfered with team Flash, and Cisco seemed to think she genuinely trusted him under all of that flirting.
He was nevertheless significantly surprised to see the two of them in the cortex, with Cisco pinned to the desk, and Lisa's tongue down his throat.
Not that Cisco seemed to be arguing much.
Barry ran out quickly, and didn't even know where he was going until he stopped and found himself near the old bar Snart usually frequented.
He shook off the slight pang he felt (he must have hit a bug or something while he was running), and went in. A drink wouldn't hurt.
He saw Len in the corner and grabbed two beers before joining him, sliding one across the table.
Len stopped it with his hand. "Special occasion?"
Barry shrugged. "Maybe I just want someone to drink with." He was honestly half talking to himself there.
Snart accepted the offered beer and took a swig.
There was a comfortable silence before Barry figured he'd explain a bit more.
"I found your sister and Cisco making out in the cortex."
"Here to cleanse your mind, or looking for the same kind of company?" The suggestion in Len's voice turned Barry pink.
"Just figured I'd give them some space." Barry shrugged.
Len nodded. "I've done that before. Ramon shirtless is a sight I've seen once too often. My sister isn't much better."
Barry enjoyed the cadence of the man's voice. When he was 100% Cold, it had a flow to it, almost like a ship rocking back and forth. It was relaxing.
He had also heard Len, the man underneath the goggles. The hurt there was like a raw nerve, you could almost feel it. He'd heard it the day Len killed his father.
That was probably why he had developed the Cold tone, because it masked that nerve so well.
They had returned to comfortable silence when Barry's phone rang.
"Allen." He picked up.
"Lisa's gone if you had wanted to come in. I mean, she's not gone yet, but she's nearly gone. She's leaving the building. Just… If you were gonna try to work on something or whatever." Cisco sounded a bit out of breath.
Barry was definitely asking why later.
"Okay. On my way in." He hung up. "Back to work." He informed Len, standing.
"See you around Scarlet." Len tipped the bottle of beer his way in farewell. Barry waved a bit and left.
The fifth time
They were at the cortex enjoying the surprising lack of crime for once when alarms went off.
Cisco dashed to a computer screen.
"It's Cold, he's headed this way."
Barry wasn't quite sure what the man wanted, but figured it was best to be safe.
He zipped into the Flash suit and sped out to meet him.
"I was wondering if you'd wear the suit." Cold smirked, cold gun propped on his shoulder.
"What do you want Cold?"
"A farewell."
Barry paused. "What? You're leaving?"
"Yep." He popped the p, and damn if that happened again wouldn't he be royally screwed. "Found some better opportunities."
"Where?" Barry felt almost disappointed.
"Are you going to come back?"
"Are you gonna miss me?" Snart smirked.
Barry wasn't going to answer that.
"I could be back in an hour or I could be back in ten years. I'm sure Stein and the kid told you about this little mission to save the world?"
Barry grinned. "Well look who's turning into a hero?"
"I ain't exactly a hero Allen."
"What, so you're just going for kicks?"
"I can steal the hope diamond before it gets in a museum. Can't exactly turn that down."
"Say what you want Len. You're doing this because you want to be a good person." Barry was grinning widely.
Snart didn't look extraordinarily pleased that he had more proof of Len's goodness, but Barry didn't care, and he didn't argue.
"I leave tomorrow. Make sure Cisco keeps my sister safe."
Barry nodded. He understood how important Len's sister was. He wouldn't let the man down.
Snart turned and walked away, and Barry felt a small pang again.
He definitely wasn't getting it from running into bugs.
Plus one
He would never admit it to the team, but he missed Snart.
Lisa stuck around a little more, so he still got regular doses of their family's snarky wit, but it didn't help. If anything, he missed Len more.
He and Cisco were working on some calculations to improve the Flash suit when Lisa sauntered in and kissed Cisco's cheek.
He could tell Cisco felt like he had to keep working despite Lisa's insistence so he bowed out, smiling.
He was happy Cisco found someone.
He just didn't quite understand the jealousy that went along with it.
He went to the bar Snart had so often frequented and grabbed a booth for himself.
"Come here often stranger?"
He looked up to see Len leaning on the edge of the booth with his signature smirk.
Barry grinned. "When did you get back?"
"An hour ago. Couldn't find my sister, so I thought I'd grab a drink."
"She's at the lab with Cisco. I'll buy?" Barry offered.
Len accepted the offer and sat down.
Barry let him have a minute before the barrage of questions spilled out, and Len told him all about their adventures through time and space.
Len had a few questions for him too, and he answered them all.
He noticed a blonde woman and a dark haired man at the bar watching them, and paused.
"What is it scarlet?"
"Someone's watching us."
Len looked over at them, and rolled his eyes. "That's Lance and Palmer. They're on the team."
"Why are they watching us?"
"Probably because I don't shut up about you." Len stared straight into his eyes, and Barry felt himself getting visibly more red.
Len laughed. "I'm joking Scarlet."
Barry smiled, redness fading.
"She asked me for a good bar to go to. I guess he's sticking with her for now." He shrugged.
"They're both from Star city, it'd make sense." Barry reasoned. "Doesn't explain why they're staring."
"Probably wondering who this hot guy is I'm talking to." Len smirked, watching Barry, and Barry felt himself getting red once more.
At this rate he wouldn't even need the suit, because his whole body would be red.
"I'm not the only attractive man at this table." He managed to shoot back with a smile, and Len grinned.
"Well then what do you say the two extremely attractive men at this table get up and go find some more private entertainment?"
"I'd say I'm in." Barry had no idea what he'd just signed up for, but Len had intrigued him since the day they met, and after a while they had started getting along, and getting closer.
Wherever Len was taking him, and whatever he was going to do, Barry really didn't mind.
Not my best fic, but I had the ideas and had to get them out
I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had that problem
Leave a comment below telling me if there's anything you'd like me to write in the future, and go check out my other fics!