When Barry heard the news, it was like his body forgot how to breathe. Oliver Queen was dead; lost somewhere in the China Sea by a storm that capsized the Queen's Gambit. His soulmate, his Ollie, was gone and would never return. He would never get to see Oliver's smile again or hear his laugh. Barry collapsed on his dorm bed, he was only missing a physics lecture after all.

Years passed and soon the fifth anniversary of Oliver's passing crawled by. He had requested work off, which he was thankfully given. Barry couldn't stand it if he had had to go to work and pretend everything was fine. He curled up into a ball on the couch, in one of Oliver's sweaters that he liked to pretend still smelled like his soulmate. The marking on his wrist was still as vibrant as it was five years ago. Barry loved how he had it as a piece of physical proof that he and Oliver had been soulmates. He also hated how it was still there on his skin and mocked him every day of his loss. Barry sniffed and tried not to think how he had forgotten what Oliver smelled like and even what he sounded like.

Barry reluctantly got up when he heard the doorbell ring. "Hey Iris." He tiredly greeted his best friend. "Come on in."

Iris breezed in, "You look terrible." Iris commented as she set to work making lunch. "What's wrong?"

Barry shrugged, "I'm fine."

"Obviously not." Iris huffed, "Now what's wrong?"

"I-" Barry cut himself off, unsure as how to continue. "It's my soulmate." He finally said.

"What about them? Did you meet them and find out that they're a total jerk?"

Barry fought back tears, "Today's the fifth anniversary of their death."

Iris gasped and quickly set down the pan she was holding. She rushed over to Barry and enveloped him in a hug, "Oh, Barry." She soothed as she guided Barry over to his couch.

Tears streamed down his face as he burrowed into his sister's side. "It hurts so much."

Iris cooed softly, "I'm sure it does."

"His mark is still on my arm." Barry sniffed and rubbed at his eyes, "I miss him so much, Iris. I just want to see him again."

Iris did her best to comfort her best friend, "What was his name?"

Barry smiled, a wobbly and pathetic look for her friend, "Oliver. I always called him Ollie. We met at a mutual friend's party." Barry rubbed at his eyes again, "We literally ran into each other and I spilled pop all over his shirt and on mine. When we were changing into dry t-shirts he saw my mark. It was the most perfectly cliche beginning."

Iris pulled Barry closer to her side as she gently teased him, "Is this his sweater?"

"It is." Barry laughed, "I stole it from him a week before he went on the boat trip with his father. I said I wanted to cuddle with it at night and he called me a dork."

Iris smiled, "How long were you together?"

"About a year." Barry smiled sadly.

"Oh, Barry…"

Barry looked near tears again, "I'm sorry for not telling you or Joe sooner, but….It hurts so much, Iris."

Iris nodded, "I'm sure it does. Now, c'mon, we're going back home and watching all of the Harry Potter movies, Dad has the day off too."

Barry nodded and allowed himself to be dragged along to the West house and pulled into an all-day movie marathon.

Several weeks passed since then and Barry was steadily working on an important case when the news hit that Oliver Queen was alive. He did not see the news as it played the rest of the week, the serial killer case deemed more important than checking the news. After that, Iris meeting her soulmate, Eddie Thawne who was a new detective at the CCPD, completely by accident on the street and all the crazy family nights after that took up all of Barry's free time. A couple months went by and Barry somehow completely missed the resurrection of Oliver Queen, so it came as a huge surprise to him when Oliver Queen appeared alive and well at the CCPD.

Barry was in his lab, predictably working on cases for multiple different crimes. Eddie knocked gently on the door, "Hey, Barry, you have a visitor waiting downstairs for you."

"Can they wait?" Barry snappishly asked, "I'm right in the middle of a test."

Eddie sighed, "They told me to tell you that 'Roses are red, violets are blue, and if heaven had a face, it would be you.' Whatever that means."

The glass test tube shattered from where Barry's grip had faltered. Eddie stepped forward in concern, "Are you alright?" Eddie asked.

Barry turned shocked eyes on Eddie, "By any chance, is my visitor Oliver Queen?"

"Yeah," Eddie looked surprised, "it is actually. How'd you know that?"

"Just a wild and completely crazy guess." Barry muttered as he threw off his protective goggles and all but ran out of his lab, through the hallways, and down the stairs. Barry's eyes teared up when he saw Oliver standing by Eddie's desk. "Ollie?"

Oliver immediately turned around, eyes latching onto Barry's shaking form. He smiled and opened up his arms. Barry launched himself into Oliver's arms, body continuing to shake as cried into his soulmate's chest. "Shhhh," Oliver soothed, "It's okay, I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Oliver ignored all the stares that Barry and he were attracting in favor of calming his soulmate. While Barry was attached to Oliver, Iris had come in to talk to Eddie and now stood next to her soulmate and her father, silently watching. A few minutes later, Barry pulled away from Oliver just enough to see his face. "How?" Barry whispered.

Oliver smiled, "You didn't see the news did you?"

Barry sniffed, looking embarrassed. "I must have been working a case."

"I'm sorry I didn't come find you sooner." Oliver pulled Barry back against his chest. "God, I missed you so much."

Barry tightened his grip on Oliver's sweater, "I thought you had died."

"I know." Oliver murmured, "And I can never say how sorry I am for that." Oliver placed a delicate kiss to the side of Barry's head.

During Oliver and Barry's reunion, Captain Singh had come out of his office and like his officers, was watching the scene. "Allen, take the rest of the week off. Thawne, West, I don't want to see either of you here until tomorrow- nine am, sharp. Is that understood?"

Eddie and Joe nodded their understanding as they moved to gather up their personal effects. Joe murmured his address to Oliver, "I'd like to properly meet you."

Oliver nodded and led Barry out to his motorcycle. Barry laughed when he saw it, "Motorcycle, huh?"

Oliver grinned, "Cars are too restricting."

Barry rolled his eyes as he climbed on behind his soulmate and clung to him. The ride to the West house was blissfully trouble free, arriving shortly before the others. Barry let them in the front door and led Oliver into the kitchen.

"Coffee?" Joe asks Oliver as he walks in the kitchen, Iris and Eddie following shortly. Joe dumps the morning coffee and starts up a fresh pot.

Oliver smiled politely, "That would be great, sir."

"No need for formalities." Joe corrects, "Call me Joe."

Oliver shakes Joe's hand, then Eddie and Iris' as they introduce themselves and retire into the living room. "I am very glad to be able to meet all of you."

Barry snuggles into Oliver's side on the loveseat, ignoring the fact that it was too small for two grown men of their height.

"I'm just glad that you're here." Barry mutters.

Oliver noses at Barry's neck before placing a gentle kiss there, "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Barry catches Oliver's lips in a short, tender kiss. "Got anywhere better to be?"

"I don't know." Oliver teases, "Tommy did offer to throw me another party."

Barry snorts in disgust, "Tommy needs to man up and tell Laurel how he feels."

Oliver laughs, "You'd think after five years he'd admit that their bond means something."

"Tommy's a wimp." Barry disses Oliver's best friend.

Oliver didn't disagree, "Only when it comes to Laurel. Besides, I'm a wimp when it comes to you."

Barry meets Oliver's dopey gaze, "Is that so?"

Iris bluntly interrupts their moment, "Bartholomew Henry Allen." She threatens.

Barry gulps, "Yes?"

"You neglected to mention that your soulmate was Oliver Queen." She hisses.

Joe saves Barry by saying, "In retrospect, he did give us plenty of clues."

Iris huffs in annoyance. "Whatever. You didn't figure it out either." She mutters as she stands up to get coffee for them all.

Barry moulds himself even more to Oliver's side, who wrapped his arms more securely around his soulmate. Joe looked fondly on at his son and his soulmate. "I would have told you more…"

"We understand that talking about it hurt. We don't blame you for that, Bear." Joe kindly tells Barry. "But I am going to blame you, Oliver Queen, if you leave Barry's side like that again."

Eddie grunts his agreement, "I'd gladly come hunt you down with Joe."

Iris rolls her eyes as she hands out the coffee, "Please. I'd be the first one to hunt him down and make him hurt like he hurt Barry."

Barry nods, "She's not kidding you know."

Oliver laughs, "And I would gladly let her hunt me down. I would probably deserve it."

"But," Barry threatens his family, "no hunting him down for anything less than breaking my heart! Okay?"

The three reluctantly nod their agreement, Oliver heaving a dramatic sigh of relief. Barry laughed, "Drama queen."

"You're one to talk." Oliver throws back.

"Please." Barry scoffs, "I am nowhere near as bad as you."

"Uh huh." Oliver scoffs, "Don't you remember the Vodka Incident at Tommy's place?"

Barry groans, "I'd wish everyone would forget about that!"

Oliver laughs, "I don't think Laurel will ever forgive you for that!"

Barry blushes, "It was an accident! She even accepted my apology fruit basket!"

"You sent her a fruit basket?"

"And blueberry muffins!" Barry defended himself.

"You're ridiculous." Oliver fondly says, dropping a kiss on Barry's cheek.

Barry curls closer to his soulmate and Oliver gladly wraps his arm even more around Barry. Before anything else could be said, Oliver's phone rang and he regretfully answered it. "Hey, Mom."

Barry was close enough he could hear her response. "Where are you Oliver? You've only been back a month and you're already disappearing! You might be running your own club, but we still need you here at home."

"Mother, I am a grown man I don't need your permission to take a weekend. Tommy has the club covered."

"Oliver, just come home and we can talk about a proper vacation as a family. Not this, this, this trip into a den of sin. What will your soulmate think when you finally meet-"

"Considering I'm visiting my soulmate right now, I don't think you have room to judge me, Mother."

"Oliver, I didn't-"

Oliver bit out, "I don't know when I'll be back, don't wait up."

"Your mom?" Barry asks.

Oliver sighs, "She still thinks I'm a five year old that has to be monitored every moment of the day."

Barry laughs, "She just wants to protect you." Barry then turns serious, "I hardly want you out of my sight for fear of you getting on another boat."

"I promise you that I will never go on a boat trip." Oliver smiled, "I was going to open a club in Starling, but I'm thinking there's plenty of space for a club here in Central."

Barry smiles, "I'd like that." Then Barry's look morphs into one of distaste, "Would Tommy be coming too?"

Oliver laughs, "It's honestly adorable how much you hate my best friend. And yes, he'd probably come because he just can't confess to Laurel."

"I think I'd almost rather you stay in Starling then."

Oliver continues to laugh, "I'm a grown man, you really can't keep me away from you by pouting at me."

"But Tommy…" Barry whines, "You know how I feel about him."

"We're a package deal, I'm sorry, dear." Oliver states, grin firmly in place.

Barry mutters something that sounds oddly like 'severance package' and 'throw Tommy in a lake,' but Oliver chooses to ignore what Barry was muttering to himself in favor of talking to Iris. "So, did you ever chose a major? Barry used to love to complain about all the dresses you made him try on when you thought you wanted to go into fashion."

Iris lets out a peal of laughter, "Oh yes, I have decided what I wanted to do. I have a job at the CC Picture News." Oliver nods politely, causing Iris to let out a giggle, "I promise I won't be a reporter shark and ask you for all the latest."

Barry snorts ("Attractive." Oliver mutters in his ear) and rolls his eyes, "I give you a week before you start asking for the latest gossip from Starling. And I'll have you know, Mr. Queen, that you couldn't find a more attractive boyfriend if you tried." With that statement, Barry gets up and flounces away to the kitchen.

Oliver looks a little lost sitting there by himself so Eddie takes pity on him and asks how the Starling sports teams are doing. Oliver allows himself to get dragged into a rather heated conversation about CC teams versus Starling teams. Iris stands up and goes to talk to Barry. "How're you holding up?"

Barry harshly wipes away the tears pooling at the edges of his eyes, "I'm just so happy that my Ollie's here, Iris."

Iris pulls Barry into a hug, "You two make such a cute couple. I can already tell that you're going to be the envy of all soulmates."

"Thanks." Barry smiles, "I have dreamed of this moment for five years and now that it's here...I don't hardly know what to do."

"Just be with him. I think that's all that he wants is to be near you." Iris smiles kindly at her foster brother, "Now get back in there and cuddle some more with your man. We can put on a cheesy movie and order in some pizza."

"Okay." Barry nods, "I think I can do that."

Barry and Iris go back into the living room. Iris pulls out a movie at random and pops it into the DVD player while Joe calls a local pizza joint for delivery. Barry, for his part, immediately breaks up whatever Eddie and Oliver were talking about. Oliver smiles gently at his soulmate as Barry burrows into his side. Oliver rests his cheek on Barry's head and pulls Barry as close to him as possible. After Iris had the movie going, she too curls up into her soulmate. Joe turns off the phone, sets it down on the coffee table, and looks at his kids. He was content with the way life had turned out, despite all the ups and downs it has brought.