Title: Improvise
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: none
Pairings: Barry/Len
Spoilers: none
Improvise
Earth-2 looks different than the last time Barry visited. The streets look emptier, though there are plenty of people rushing to get back to their jobs after the lunch hour. The buildings Black Siren destroyed are being rebuilt slowly. The sounds, smells, and view of construction zones covers the city. It's the missing buildings that make this Central City seem smaller, Barry realizes.
He can't stop looking at the campaign poster plastered on the brick wall of a post office. THE MAN WHO SAVED CENTRAL CITY is emblazoned above a picture of Earth-2 Leonard Snart, who looks more refined in a bold blue pinstripe suit. RE-ELECT MAYOR SNART captions the photograph.
"I knew I'd like this Earth."
"We need to keep moving," Barry tells Snart. "The last thing we need is to get you surrounded by press when the city needs him to get re-elected."
"You saying I'm not fit for public office?"
"You're a criminal."
"You think he's not?" Snart gestures at the campaign poster. "The girl didn't seem too surprised when you told her I'm Captain Cold."
The girl he's referring to is Jesse. She came back to Earth-1 to ask for his help. Harry is missing. Not in a kidnapped-by-Zoom way. He's just ... gone. The last anyone saw him was after a meeting with Mayor Snart, hence Snart being invited on this cross-dimensional mission. (Also, Jax's suggestion and repeated assurance that Snart can be trusted now.)
Jesse signals the all clear. Barry puts his arm around Snart, and the next minute, they're past the security checkpoint, including the metahuman alerts that would have locked down City Hall if Barry had approached before Jesse worked her magic to shut them down for a millisecond. Snart shakes off the vertigo of superspeed and instantly cases the hallway.
"The Mayor's office is at the end of the hallway after you turn left," Jesse says. "Access is biometric. Remember to use your left hand."
Jesse stays behind to act as a lookout. Barry and Snart assume their roles - Mayor and consultant CSI - as they pass from the public areas of City Hall into the rooms with more restricted access. Their doppelgangers have been taken care of already, and thanks to Caitlin's presence at STAR Labs, will stay asleep the whole time and only remember a power nap after Barry puts them back where he found them.
"We've found a way to isolate metahuman DNA in evidence," Barry says. He does a pretty good impression of uptight Barry-2. Snart, who has never met Barry-2, gives him a sharp look. "So we'll know who can go into regular cells in Iron Heights and who needs a customized cell. The mistake won't happen again, Mayor Snart."
The biometric lock releases. They enter the Mayor's office and Snart quickly closes the door behind them. Breaking and entering is his element. While Barry searches through the filing cabinets at superspeed, Snart examines the desk for more personal elements that might lead to clues.
"As much as it pains me to say it ... you're right." Barry shuts the last drawer of the filing cabinet closest to the wall. "He's definitely a crook. He's deep into a lot of ethical gray areas, but racketeering is probably a felony here too."
Snart's smirk is self-satisfied. He holds up a file labelled with a project name - Phoenix - in neatly printed letters. "I found Wells."
Barry doesn't run over to the desk because he doesn't want to upset all of the papers neatly stacked on the Mayor's desk. He comes around the desk at normal speed and stands next to Snart as he flips through the file. Everything is handwritten in precise block letters, despite almost everything else in the office being typed.
"These are Snart - Mayor Snart's personal notes."
"The Mayor has a pet project he doesn't want on the record. Maybe it's part of his racketeering scheme."
The prospect makes him sound excited. It's not a racketeering scheme, though. It's a completely lawful plan to build a prison specifically for metahumans well outside of the city and to hire metahuman prison guards who are law-abiding citizens who either didn't join Zoom's legion or worked with CCPD as spies in this ranks.
"This is ... really good," Barry says.
He's chagrined no one on Earth-1 has considered metahuman inclusion and integration into law enforcement. If what Mayor Snart is planning can come to fruition, it could be the end of masks and aliases here. It's exactly what this city probably needs after Zoom's reign of terror. There's one note to explain why all of this is so hush-hush. FOR FIRST DEBATE. Apparently, Mayor Snart is a politician first and foremost.
"Still doesn't tell us where Wells is."
"No, but I think I have an idea. If they're still scouting for locations -"
Snart holds up a hand. When Barry falls silent, he hears the click-clack of high heels on the marble floor in the hallway. Jesse isn't wearing high-heels. They have a visitor.
With quick, fluid motions, Snart closes the folder and lays it aside in the wooden inbox tray where he found it. Then, he grabs Barry, backs him up against the desk, and crowds in close.
"What are you doing?" Barry hisses. His hands are poised to push Snart away, but the footsteps are coming closer.
"I've seen you undercover. Remember? You'll blow our cover in three seconds if you speak."
Barry thinks to protest, but he gets no further. Snart's lips are against his. His lips are cool and dry. His tongue is warm and insistent. Barry's hands, previously poised to push Snart away, curl around his upper arms and dig into the gray fabric of his suit coat. Where his hand braces Barry's back and holds his jaw, his skin feels like it's on fire. He doesn't remember making the decision to kiss Snart back, but he does anyway.
"Mayor -"
Barry reels back. Iris's voice is like a clarion call. He's not supposed to kiss Leonard Snart. He's definitely not supposed to like it. He scrambles away from the desk, only to realize he's half-hard and Earth-2 clothes aren't forgiving in that regard.
"I'm not your husband," Barry says in a rush.
Detective West crosses her arms over her chest. "You damn well better not be. What are you doing back here? And where is my husband?"
"Jesse Wells asked me for help finding her dad. Your Barry is ... asleep."
Iris looks like she might throttle him. She doesn't though, she jerks her head at Snart. "Didn't you learn your lesson about making out with young men in your office, Mayor Snart?"
Snart's grin is slow and sly. "I'm not your Snart. The name's Cold. Captain Cold."
Iris cocks an eyebrow. "I'm not calling you that." The answer seems to amuse Snart, but Iris ignores him entirely now that she knows he's not her boss by however many steps up the governmental ladder. "I'm looking for Harrison Wells too. I came to question the Mayor about it, but I assume he's 'asleep' too, so we're probably going to STAR Labs where I can find him."
This just got a lot messier than Barry wants, but there's not much they can do about it now. Something went wrong while Harry was scouting locations for the new prison, and it's been three days so they need to find him soon. There isn't time to quibble over who is in charge.
Jesse is still waiting for them in the lobby. She looks bewildered by their reappearance with Detective West.
"I signalled you like four times," she says quietly. "Why didn't you superspeed out of there?"
Barry gives Snart a sharp look. Unfortunately, his eyes travel to Snart's mouth, which isn't helpful to his attempt at making up an excuse. "I ... It didn't occur to me."
"Are you serious?" Jesse asks. "It didn't occur to you to use your superspeed? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm ... We improvised."
Barry can't carry three people to STAR Labs at once, so he makes three separate trips. Snart is the last because he doesn't want to leave Snart alone with Caitlin for even a few seconds. He's leaning against the side of the post office next to City Hall and gazing up at the campaign poster.
"Imagining a different life?" Barry asks.
"I decided to fight for this life a long time ago. It's the reason I was so pissed off the Timemasters thought they could control it."
Barry hasn't heard the full story about what happened at the Vanishing Point, but Jax and Dr. Stein filled him in enough that he understands the rage. It's not all that different than what Reverse-Flash did to him.
"We should get back to STAR Labs. Caitlin is waking them up, and something tells me Mayor Snart won't cooperate with anyone but you."
"Maybe not even me."
"I don't know what we're going to do then. These situations can get messy."
Snart pushes off the wall with his shoulder and saunters over to Barry.
"What I hope you and I will do a lot more of when we're back on Earth-1." His grin is mischievous and delighted and sly. "Improvise."