So I am a sucker for AU's, especially Snowbarry ones. I figured I need something to break my writer's block (explains why Heart of Ice hasn't been updated just yet soz XP) so here is a nice story from me guys to you.
Since this AU lacks powers and doesn't follow the show at all I am free to do as a please here without any reference to the Flash having to be done so this will be a lot easier for me to update!
Barry Allen doesn't know what to do with his life, he's the Bartender of the most popular club in Central City, Caitlin Snow is now becoming a regular customer and soon she catches the eye of the handsome bartender who thinks he can help her with her problems.
A Geneticist Walks into A Bar
It's another boring Friday night, Half of the staff have called in sick so I am working more shifts than I can cope with. It doesn't help that my job happens to be the bartender of the most popular club in Central City.
The nights are rarely worth remembering, it's always the same. Sometimes I catch a girl glancing my way and hiding away when I turn my head in their direction, I'm not exactly the worst option to be fair but sometimes one starts talking to me and sometimes I let my number slip and it doesn't matter because every girl wakes up with a hangover and a feeling of regret I assume so forgets about me, the pretty tall boy with the brown hair.
Well tonight's going to be different tonight I hope, that's what I usually say to myself in the mirror in the bathroom. It's a way to keep me interested in the atmosphere, the fact that this place is popular means sooner or later someone is going to walk through that door and give me that look that will change how I think about love.
Truth be told I'm not always okay, trauma from years before have always lingered with me; my mother death when I was 15. I guess it seems kind of pathetic now to even bring her up as an excuse for the kind of career I followed.
Originally I wanted to be a scientist, I know a childish dream right. Not like the normal kind either, a forensic scientist because I wanted to catch who broke into my house and killed my mother in the struggle.
Of course I was never good with handling my baggage, any chance I got to let out my anger at losing my mother and all the bullying I took, even if it was throw out against a bully or a wall. Let's just say it didn't work well with Central City Police Department's Forensics Lab and the Captain.
Alcohol is a lot better, it doesn't moan at you or complain when you're not being fast enough. I guess it makes sense to me why I chose to make my living off serving people, it was easier than trying to help people in the proper sense when here all you had to pour a person a drink and they were satisfied but it still doesn't feel like the helping I want to do.
I make a living by satisfying cravings and drowning pain with booze.
After getting one of the bar's regulars another drink which was probably going to make them collapse the second they laid their lips on it, I found myself drawn to the smaller conflict happening under the over layer of loud partying and music.
"Leave me alone I told you we are over!" It was woman's voice, there were so many noises happening I could barely tell who the voice belonged to with my back to the counter of the bar as I got out the ingredients for my next little cocktail.
The loudness of the club drowns out part of her conversation as I could not here what the man said back in response.
"Don't call me that!" Her voice sounded hurt and broken, from what I was hearing it sounded like she was on verge of tears.
"Can't we talk about this?"
"No! You had sex with that girl whatever her face was!" The distraught girl was getting louder and for me it was easier for me to both hear and understand.
"I still love you." Ah the classic I still love you bullshit that often leaks from the mouths of both drunk and sober idiots in this place, it's so frequent it here I have almost considered making a tally chart for how many times I have heard that phrase muttered in here.
"J-Just leave me alone!" It sounded like something inside this girl had burst, the stutter said it all. She was clearly losing control over her emotions. There's a little ache in the pit of my stomach, it used to be bigger but the repetition of that stupid phrase has chippered away at the empathy I get for anyone who steps inside this place.
I turn around hand a man the drink he ordered, not even acknowledging my efforts as he twisted around to chat to some blonde, the people I was listening into had gone silent and I assume they have either done one of either two things.
Kissed and made up or the guy had stormed out of the club.
I guess they choice the latter option as I glanced around the length of the bar and saw no angry faced people engaged in conversation.
"Excuse me I would like to open a tab!" A rather loud and warm voice called in my direction.
I turn, expecting to find some wasted drunk girl but instead I find someone much different.
She's easy on the eyes, an attractive girl whose big brown eyes have locked onto mine as she had been trying to flag me down. I wonder if she knows that she looks out of place, or maybe she just isn't bothered with trying to fit in. I admire the girl's confidence since she looks so uncomfortable.
The girl looks dressed for a more formal occasion with a red blouse and black jacket that appears to conceal the rest of her paler skin, quite the opposite of the rest of the people in this club who seem determined to hook up with someone by exposing as much sun kissed skin to them as possible.
Her auburn hair is long and done in a way that makes a part of me is thinking she had intended to come here and drink something out of her memory, why else would someone come to a place like The Flash.
As popular as this place is there's rarely a good reason for someone to come here alone, maybe the higher class rich people who use this place as a hunting ground for one night stands or the groups of young friends who intend to just get smashed for the fun of it.
"Sure thing." I answered simply, feeling my attention linger on her for more than I should, hearing my response her glossy red lips moved upwards to form a grateful smile.
"Can I have gin and tonic?" She asked now, I can hear the surprising confidence in her tone, it is hesitant at first, her words were out a few seconds after her ruby lips had parted. I'm beginning to really think this is a first for her.
"This your first time around here?" I had to ask, her body language, the way she sat on her stool gave off the impression she was unused to an atmosphere as lively as this one.
"N-No, makes you suggest that." The girl's cheeks slightly tinting red as her voice's pitch briefly faltered at me questioning her. Suddenly her lips shut and now she has her bottom lip pinned under her teeth.
"Well it's the clothes, the way you're biting your lip and how you're sitting." Truth be told over the past year of me working behind this Bar I've got quite good at reading people, I can easily spot who's a hopeless romantic, who's a down on their luck loser, who is trying to drown their sorrows and who is here purely for a good time.
She didn't fall under any of my categories, that's impressive, I guess she is just here to experience what a Bar feels like.
"Shouldn't you be in some college studying psychology?" Her tone sounded much more honest at this point. Her crimson lips twisting into embarrassed grin as her slim fingers reached up and tucked some of her brown hair behind her ear.
I liked the idea slightly, it was funny how she picked up on this, clearly she is still sober as I don't recall serving her yet, since tonight I have to fill in for Patty so there's only three of the six bartenders working tonight, leaving my area of the bar understaffed but I was used to having to carry the team so this didn't really hinder me.
I let out a small chuckle in response, feeling myself bear my own pearly whites as I turned to address another customer nearby by taking their money and putting a shot of whiskey down in front of them to stop them from complaining.
"What makes you think I don't enjoy my career and all of its perks." I joke, not staying in one spot for more than a few seconds as I move along to satisfy other customers' thirst for numerous and different alcoholic beverages.
"Well firstly you don't fit in." I hear her start, already I feel like she is trying to make a joke out of what I said earlier. "The body language." She made an exaggerated gesture with her hand. "Just shows how you would rather do something else." Her tone however seemed to be make her sound like she was being serious.
"I assume you'd rather be at lecture, judging by how you're having a full-blown conversation with the bartender." This teasing comment made her cheeks go an even brighter colour, a big wide smile stretching those remarkable lips now. I am actually surprised she doesn't know who I am, but yet again I'm not exactly very high in the social ladder it would be more likely if she notices my resemblance with one Central City's most extravagant businessman.
"I enjoy the company of other intellectual individuals." She retorted, sounding kind of playful in the way she tilted her head slightly as she stared back at me.
"Hmm, you keep talking like that and the whole clubs going to turn on you." I told her, turning back with a shot glass of vodka in my grip, originally it was for a man at the far end of the bar but instead I set it down in front of her. She honestly looked like she needed why, judging from how tense she looked.
"I didn't order-" She stammered suddenly when faced with my little gift. It was kind of adorable how her eyes nimbly darted from the glass back to my face.
"-It's on the house." I explained, feeling a no doubt dumb looking smirk on my lips as I look down at the confused customer. Her expression softens and I see a warm smile on her face instead.
"T-Thanks." The now flustered woman gripped the small glass in her grip, bring it up to her lips slowly and nimbly tilting her head back to accommodate the burning liquid that was now travelling down her throat.
I can see why she was so hesitant as she coughs awkwardly and puts the glass down, giving me a watery eyed grin as she tried her best to remain casual about it, trying to show me that she totally could not handle alcohol.
"Another, please." She now says, smiling brightly up to me. It's odd how this girl seems to make want to smile despite being in a place like this where she could easily hook up with someone or get completely wasted, I guess she enjoys the small things.
13 Minutes Later
It didn't take long for the bar to slowly get less crowded, there was fewer people ordering drinks as they seemed perfectly sated with dancing drunkenly or poorly and in some causes both, on the dance floor.
This brunette is still seated, having gathered quite the collection of the bar's shot glasses in front of her. She now has taken up a more comfortable position on her stool, having ditched the jacket she now is lurched forwards, pale elbows propping her up as her drunken chocolate eyes follow me wherever I go down the length of the bar.
There aren't as many people so I'm not having to rush around anymore. That means I can definitely see her staring more and more, of course I'm used to drunk girls doing this so I brush it off with ease.
"So what exactly did you do to get so ripped?" I hear blurt out, her voice no longer sounds sophisticated and her mind clearly lacks any restraint and its clear the drink is talking as I see her eyes glued to my exposed arms.
Of course I do work out but it's not really a big deal I mean Oliver Queen's are bigger than mine. I just occasionally work out when I'm not running this place.
"I just work out…" I answer honestly.
"No way." She sounds like an excited child who has first discovered that there's a fat old guy who delivers presents to unsuspecting kids at Christmas. Her chocolate eyes seem to widen as she processes this fact.
"Are you a personal trainer?" She asked, her drunkenness was clearly going to put herself in it. "Because my BFFFF, Cisco could need your *hic* help."
She suddenly leaned closer and went into a hushed tone. "He's got arms like twigs."
I smirked harder now as I suddenly felt the pad of her index fingertip press against my lips. "But you can't tell him that." Her childish and playful tone was back and it was actually kind of cute.
"I won't." She hasn't retracted her finger yet and the odd chill I feel from it and it isn't half bad.
"Do you promise?" I hear her plea with me now and it's making me want to pull my lips apart to laugh.
"I promise." I sternly said as she pulls her finger away and now grins goofily up at me. Feeling the heat of her stare I sheepishly scratch the back of my neck.
"To answer your question, I'm not." Her face suddenly dropped into an odd little pout as she now traced the rim of her recently emptied shot glass with her finger and kept her head down, this kind of attitude was both annoying yet cute.
"Shame, you could have got me sweaty and exhausted any time you wanted to." I feel myself getting warm now because of how she phrased it, her tone as well was alluring and it was working. My eyes were probably wide now as I looked down at the girl who cheerfully looks up at and has to go and bit her bottom lip in a way that looks kind of hot.
Drunk girls aren't really my thing anymore; they haven't been for the last few months but something about how she played with her lip made me feel a twitch somewhere down south. Which doesn't explain why she had this effect on me, I don't even know her name.
My throat's a bit dry suddenly as I gulp and retain my cool surprisingly. "When do you think you're going to call it a night?" I ask her, it's getting late now and late nights always sucked in Central City due to the rate of night crimes nowadays.
"Well I'm the all-nighter kind of girl." I hear her drunkenly boast as she provides me with a sloppy grin that makes me feel like laughing.
I let out a little hum as I collect up her assortment of glasses and put them aside somewhere behind me. Turning around, I found her still watching my every move.
"I guess you're a drinking kind of girl too." I joke, seeing her eyes narrow briefly before she grinned and nods her head sloppily.
"Yes I am that!" She sounds like she is trying to convince herself as she thirstily steals a nearby unattended drink, before I can stop her she is already half way done with the drink so I let her have it.
"Need me to call you a taxi?" I offer, it's clear this girl didn't drive here nor does it look like she knows how to get home in this kind of state.
The club's loud atmosphere and high body count has died down significantly, allowing me to see the door as an unordinary man enters, it seems like he is someone here's bodyguard, judging by the smart yet simple black suit that this well-built ebony skinned man is clad in.
Instantly he's eyes become fixed on me as I briefly look over, I break the eye lock by moving along the bar and fulfilling more promises for the wasted young people leaning on the counter for support.
He easily pushes his way through the crowds of people dancing, clearly he had experience in making his way through waves of drunken 20 somethings. In little time he has shortened the distance between us significantly as he reaches the bar now.
"Barry Allen, you run this place right?" He spoke in a deep voice that gleamed with authority.
Despite what people thought I actually didn't run this place, my dad officially owns it but detests the idea of having a place of such 'debauchery' as he calls it, his words not mine but it brings in money so he grudgingly accepts that it exists so let me handle this 'disgusting' business.
"Yeah?"
"You see a girl come in here? About five foot, brown hair, brown eyes?" He listed a numerous amount of traits for me to try and put on a face.
"Well there have been quite a few of those pass through here mr..?"
"Diggle." He told me stoically as he kept scanning the bar, I see his eyes now study the row of people sitting on the bar stools.
I would have followed his glance but I heard the sound of my co-worker yelling my name.
"Barry! I got spillage!" I hear Linda call from my left. I turn and find the girl struggling to clean up the large amount of glass that had fell on the floor while trying to avoid getting any of the spilled alcohol on her.
I hastily look between her and Mr. Diggle, apologetically I excuse myself from our interaction with a hasty and polite. "Excuse me."
He nods and with his consent I am quickly over with a mop and already working on cleaning up the spill she had created.
It took a brief minute or so as I easily and carefully now pick shards of vodka bottles off of the polish floor behind the bar.
With that mess dealt with I move back to the spot where I was last, finding that man gone now and I noticed how that drunk brunette had also departed, it's a little sad I guess for once a girl was entertaining while drunk and sober.
I assume she has finally left or someone came to pick her up, moving past her spot I notice she has left something, her black jacket which had clung to the stool from where she had been sitting on it so much. Reaching over, I take the discarded garment and bring it to the safety of my arms, it feels heavy and looks quite expensive.
She has left some of her stuff behind in it, running my hand over the pocket of the jacket I feel a lump in the pocket, that must be her phone.
Well this is odd, we don't really get many left behind items or clothes here at the club so I don't really know where to stick this as we don't exactly have a place for lost property so for now I guess I'll have to sling it over my shoulder now.
Another downside of this, I can't put a name to her face since she just kept talking about other things other than her name. She mentioned a Cisco many times in the last 10 minutes but never gave me a last name.
She mentioned a lab? That was interesting since she referred to the place as being a place she couldn't stand, she didn't mean STAR Labs could she?
STAR Labs was a multi-billion dollar company that essentially made essential discoveries to help the people of tomorrow. I used to enjoy reading about it on my breaks but due to the busyness of recent weeks I have lost track of Harrison Wells' progress in developing a Particle Accelerator.
Soon the partying mood of the club was on its last legs as most people had left now, presumable off to their own beds or other peoples but most would not be alone.
My shift was also nearing my end, I could already feel the tiredness contaminate my stoic form as I yawned and rubbed my eyes occasionally.
After telling Linda I was heading off and saying my goodbyes for what was left of the morning I grabbed my own leather jacket and slipped it on my path to the door.
Once outside I realize I'm still holding onto that girl's lost jacket, with tiredness slowly hurting my form I couldn't push myself to go back inside and face the loud music and bright rainbow colours of the dance floor.
Enough's enough right? I mean I have spent the last six hours working in there. Serving people whilst being overwhelmed and understaffed. I think I personally deserve some time to actually rest my body.
My little apartment luckily isn't too far from here, even in these early hours the streets had the occasional drunken posse stumbling down the sidewalk and sometimes the rare car was drive by, how these people seemed so capable amazed me sometimes, of course I work hard into the morning I should be used to such a lack of sleep but sometimes I struggle due to my ever shifting sleeping pattern.
Once I manage to drag my numbing legs to my front door I quickly moved straight towards my bedroom and nimbly disposed of my clothing and flopped onto the nice cold sheets of my bed and simply allowed sleep to consume me.
I'll make sure to hand in the jacket tomorrow, right now I need to think about my own problems and sleep.
So this chapter 1, in future chapters I am planning to implement songs into the story so I am super open to suggestions via comments
As always follow, favourite and comment if you enjoyed so I know to do more
-Rob