Chapter Three
Despite his misgivings, Barry still headed over to the club on Friday night. He resolved to simply be more cautious around Piper, and maybe not share so many personal details from now on. It would probably be a difficult resolution to keep though. Piper was so open himself; reciprocating not only felt natural, but polite.
He spent a little more time dressing before he left his apartment. Usually he showed up in the same clothes he wore to work, but this time Barry dressed casually. He'd bought a pair of black jeans and a button down shirt, and he made sure to brush his hair and even put on some cologne before he left.
Piper found him almost immediately. This time he was wearing a tight pair of jeans with artful rips and a baggy green sweater. He seemed to favor shirts that were loose around the collar, displaying a bit of his chest and drawing attention to his long, graceful neck.
"Wow, club clothes and everything. Is this a first for you?"
Barry felt his face color at the gentle teasing, but it was a little embarrassing. "Not exactly. It just felt silly, wearing my work clothes here week after week. You look nice."
"Thanks. Remember, it's my turn to buy us drinks this time."
"Right."
Piper grabbed Barry's arm and dragged him over to one of the tables. It was vacant, which was good because Barry certainly wasn't feeling brave enough to mingle with any of Piper's acquaintances, supervillain or otherwise. He was decidedly outside his comfort zone as is.
"Stay right here. I'll be right back with our drinks," Piper ordered. Barry sat down, and Piper excitedly took off in the direction of the bar. Barry lost sight of him for a moment as a group passed by, but then he saw Piper, chatting with the bartender and swaying his hips a little to the music as he waited for the drinks.
Barry found his eyes drifting lower, and finally settling on Piper's ass. Those jeans really were tight…and Piper looked fantastic in them.
He gave himself a little shake. What had up to that point been a distant observation that Piper was a reasonably attractive man had shifted. Barry frowned thoughtfully. He looked at Piper again, watching him tuck a long strand of his red gold hair behind his ear, laughing at something the bartender had said. Barry imagined being the one to stroke back that errant strand of hair, smoothing his fingers down Piper's cheek in the process, feeling how soft and warm his skin was…
Yep, the distant acknowledgment of attractiveness had turned into desire. And as per Barry's own observations about himself, he only desired people he felt some kind of mental intimacy with. He'd only been spending any kind of quality time with Piper for the past few weeks, but already they were there.
It had taken him almost a year to get to that point with Iris, which included three months of dates. That was when she'd started calling him the slowest man alive. "Honestly Barry," he remembered her saying. "I've never dated a man as respectful as you. It took you two months to try to get my bra off. Are you sure you're a real college boy?"
God he missed her.
Piper returned with their drinks, a frown marring his pretty face. "You look melancholy."
"Sorry. Thoughts drifted to a dark place for a moment. I'm better now." He accepted his beer and forced a smile onto his face. "So how's your week been?"
"Dull. Thanks to you I've been avoiding Rogue festivities. I sat at home reading while the rest of the guys got shitfaced and TP'd the Flash Museum."
He'd assumed a rowdy group of teenagers had been behind the vandalism. It wasn't exactly surprising to hear that it was the grown men in the Rogues though.
"What do you mean thanks to me?" Barry asked. "I didn't tell you to avoid anybody."
"No, but you did tell me you'd go on a date with me if I dropped the supervillainy. Right now the only reason I still do it is because I don't have any other friends. And let's face it, the Rogues are pretty sucky friends. They rip on me for my sexuality, for my wealthy background, for my moral convictions…some of them rip on me for 'using big words' and the ones who don't go after me for being pretentious. I'm checking to see what my quality of life is like without them."
"Learning anything?" Barry asked, sure that the change could only be positive.
Piper tilted his head to the side and pretended to consider. "Well…I'm thinking about getting a cat. So apparently if I quit robbing banks I'm going to turn into a caricature of a desperate single woman. How's your week been?"
Barry shrugged. "Okay."
Piper quirked an eyebrow. "Just okay?" Barry only nodded, determined not to divulge anything more personal than that, and Piper made another attempt at conversation. "How's work?"
"Fine."
"Alright…um…I got a few new CDs the other day. One of my favorite bands is actually on tour right now, and they're going to be in the area in a couple of weeks. Would you want to see them with me?"
"Maybe. I'm, um, I'm not that into music, really."
Piper frowned. "All of it? How can you not be into any music?"
"I'm just too busy to keep up with anything."
"That's the saddest thing I've ever heard. Don't you have a favorite song? Anything?" Piper asked, looking genuinely concerned. Apparently music was much more than a method of attack to him.
"I've never really thought about it. I have a favorite singer. I like Elvis." A memory came back to him: sitting in the kitchen on a sunny day when he was little, his mother singing along with the radio while she baked cookies. "I guess Love Me Tender would be my favorite song."
"That's a pretty one," Piper said with a nod. "Good choice."
From there Piper ranted about music for a little while. Barry didn't really listen to him, but he smiled and nodded as he watched Piper speak, surprised at the passion he displayed. There were so many more productive ways he could have channeled his interest in music than into supervillainy. Maybe all he needed was one good influence in his life to turn it around. Barry was really starting to believe he could be that positive influence, and then who knows where things could go from there…
Piper was interrupted in his ranting and Barry in his thoughts by a third person joining their table. Barry assumed it would have to be an acquaintance of Piper's, and was surprised to recognize one of his friends sitting down across from him. "Hal? What are you doing here?"
"…hey there," Piper said, initially looking uneasy but warming up a bit at Barry's obvious recognition of the stranger.
"Looking for you, obviously," Hal said to Barry, then he turned towards Piper and flashed his charmer's smile. "And hey there yourself."
Barry frowned, wishing he'd gotten an actual answer to his question. Though the answer probably boiled down to something along the lines of 'I felt bad about ditching you the other week, I had a free night, and I found you with my ring.'
"Friend of yours Barry?" Piper asked.
"Yes. Um, Hal this is…this is Piper, and Piper, this is my friend Hal. He's…uh…exploring too."
Hal held out his hand and Piper shook it. Barry was kind of hoping the name Piper would ring a bell for Hal, and he'd realize that this was one of Barry's Rogues. Nope. Or, if he had made the connection he certainly wasn't showing it.
"I'm not as repressed as Mr. Clean-Cut here though, so I'm a little further along. I almost died of shock when I walked in here and saw the guy chatting you up."
Piper laughed. "Believe me, that wasn't the case the first time he came in here. He mentioned having a friend who'd ditched out on him and I was starting to think he'd made you up."
"Nope. As you can see, I'm very real."
Piper's eyes raked him over, and then settled back on Hal's face. "Mm hm. So how do you guys know each other?"
"We work together," Hal started to say, but broke off at the look Barry gave him.
"Kind of. We used to work together sometimes. He's not a police scientist though."
Hal threw Barry a significant look, and Barry narrowed his eyes at him. He needed to get Hal alone so he could tell him that Piper was a supervillain (but hopefully Barry could get him to reform) and that they needed to be careful what kind of information they gave him.
The glare didn't get his message across though, and Hal struck up a conversation with Piper that shared all manner of amusing anecdotes about Barry's personal life. Barry kept shooting him glares whenever Piper wasn't looking at him (which was pretty frequent, as he was smiling dazedly at Hal and laughing an awful lot), and he even went so far as to kick him under the table.
He figured Hal must have gotten the message then, because he switched gears. Instead of talking about Barry, he ignored his friend's presence entirely as he shamelessly flirted with Piper, who was definitely reciprocating.
That hadn't been what Barry was going for either. He watched in helpless bitterness as his suave friend openly hit on a young man who was for all intents and purposes a perfect stranger to him. They both seemed to forget Barry was even present, culminating in Hal asking Piper to dance.
Surprisingly, Piper, his friggin' Rogue, was the one to turn to Barry and ask if he minded. Not Hal Jordan, his longtime best friend, but the Maestro of Malevolence. "Would you mind if we danced for a bit Barry? You'll be okay by yourself for a little while, right?"
Barry started to tell them it was fine (even though it wasn't), when Hal cut him off. "C'mon Piper, Barry's a grown man. He'll be okay." And then he grabbed Piper's arm and dragged him away.
Barry slumped over in his seat and sourly watched them go. After a few minutes a man approached his table and started to talk to him, but he left when Barry scowled at him.
Over an hour later, Barry was still very much by himself. He'd migrated over to the bar where he kept checking his watch, wondering if he should just leave. He'd lost sight of his friends (who were clearly immersed in each other), and it was a logical enough guess that they'd forgotten about him.
He'd finally settled on leaving, and was heading for the exit when he saw Hal across the room at one of the tables, chatting up a kid who looked to be about Piper's age. Barry was still staring at him in some confusion when Hal chanced to look up and noticed him. He made some sort of excuse to the kid, then strolled over to Barry. "Hey. I didn't expect you to still be here."
"Where would I go?" Barry asked.
Hal frowned. "I figured you and Piper would have headed out by now. Er…he didn't go and find you after he ditched me, did he?"
Barry shook his head. "Why would he though? I figured the two of you were having a grand old time together."
Hal scowled at him. "Look, when I tried to help you out with him you were giving me a death glare, so I figured that meant it was okay for me to go for it. You need to work on your signals."
"I don't know if there's a good signal for 'he's a supervillain so don't say too much'," Barry snapped.
Hal blinked at him. "Seriously? That skinny gay kid's a supervillain?" Barry nodded. "One of yours?" He nodded again. "Don't your guys like hang out though?"
"Yes Hal, they do."
"…you're telling me that skinny little gay kid hangs out with other supervillains on a regular basis. Do they know he's gay?"
Barry nodded.
"Wow. And he's not dead yet?"
"Clearly not."
"Kid's got a pair."
"That he does."
Hal shook his head, sporting an amused smile. "So what is going on with you two then? You like him, don't you?"
"I do," Barry admitted. "But…obviously I can't date a supervillain. Least of all a male one."
"I don't know about that. I think almost everyone in the League's at least thought about one of their adversaries like that, so no one could blame you. And so what if he's male? Isn't that why you started coming to this place?"
Barry frowned. "Just because I think I might…enjoy a romantic encounter with a man doesn't mean…I mean…I don't think I can really be like one of these guys Hal. I'm not…"
Hal squeezed his shoulder. "Sure you are. You just need to find the right guy. And apparently it might be Piper. He seems nice enough, other than this alleged supervillainy. Maybe you can woo him into reforming."
He really hoped so.
"So what happened when you two wandered off?" Barry asked. "I haven't seen him since."
"Oh. Yeah, um…" Hal rubbed at the back of his neck, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Well we did dance for a bit, and I bought him a couple of drinks and we talked some more…and, um…well I figured he'd go looking for you."
Barry wrinkled his brow. "What did you do Hal?"
"I…found out that Piper's morality regarding sex is a bit more like yours than mine."
This was why most of the other members of the Justice League mercilessly teased him for being repressed and conservative, but he just didn't understand casual sex. And maybe Hal and Ollie liked to give him shit, but at least he didn't have to have regular STD tests the way they did. "You tried to have sex with him? Tonight? You guys just met!" Barry exploded.
Hal smirked at him. "I know."
"You know nothing about him!"
"I know he's cute."
"You didn't know he was a supervillain!"
"Hey, you want to sleep with him and you know about that, so don't pretend his supervillainy is relevant."
Barry gaped at him. He knew Hal was a tad promiscuous, but he didn't realize his habits extended to complete strangers as long as they were above average looking.
"Anyway, we made out for a little and then I pushed things too far for his comfort. I asked him if he'd be interested in going on a couple dates and getting to know each other, and he really looked like he was going to go for it, but then…"
"What?" Barry asked.
"He said he was too hung up on you to try dating one of your friends," Hal said. "Which was a little weird, come to think of it. I mean, we were making out for kind of awhile before he broke it off. Poor guy must be feeling conflicted. I take it you're not going out with him because of the him being one of your villains thing?"
Barry nodded. "I did tell him I'd consider going on a date if he switched sides though."
Hal looked more confused than ever. "So does he know you're the Flash?"
Barry shook his head. "He knows I'm a cop though, and cops are most definitely not allowed to date supervillains."
"Ah. Barry…you should tread carefully here."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Barry asked. After being abandoned for most of the night he was feeling irritable, and in no mood for such an uncomfortable conversation. He just wanted to go home and forget all about his issues, his damned confusion, and a skinny little supervillain with pretty blue eyes.
"Look, the kid obviously likes you. He's considering making some pretty substantial changes to his life just to suit you. Don't play with his head too much. You've got a lot of power over him already. Just be careful."
Barry frowned, thoroughly unsettled by everything Hal had said. He nodded distantly, then left the club.
The next few days passed in a blur. A dozen cases dropped on Barry's desk first thing Monday morning, and if that hadn't been enough to keep him busy, Gorilla Grodd made another bid for rule that devastated five blocks in downtown Central, Mirror Master pulled a series of heists, and Rainbow Raider tried to rob a traveling exhibit of Impressionist pieces.
By the time Friday rolled around Barry was too exhausted and crabby to even think of heading out to the club. He stayed in and watched TV for as much of the night as he could get away with (he was called out twice, first on Captain Boomerang, then on the Trickster), and he fell asleep on the couch with the remote in his hand.
Saturday morning he was awoken by a ringing phone. Barry rubbed at his eyes, turned the TV off, then raced through his apartment and grabbed the cordless from his nightstand. "Hello?"
"Hey Barry. It's Piper. I, um…I hadn't heard from you in kind of awhile, so I thought I'd, um…check in? Is that okay?"
Barry fell back against his mattress and rubbed at his neck, regretting falling asleep on the couch. "Of course it's okay. Sorry I haven't seen you. I've just been really busy."
"Mm. Looks like my old…we'll call them friends for lack of a better term, I suppose. Well anyway, it looks like the Rogues have been keeping you police officers pretty busy this week."
"That's an understatement."
"At least Flash did all the heavy lifting for you."
Barry smiled. "There is that, at least. So what's going on? Did you want to meet for coffee again?"
"Well, that'll definitely be a start. I need to talk to you."
"That sounds ominous," Barry said, sitting up straight. His mind jumped to dozens of ridiculous conclusions as he did so, and the first one was that Piper really had slept with Hal.
"It's nothing ominous." So why did he sound so terrified? "I just...alright, here goes nothing. I want to take you up on your offer."
"You...huh?"
"I'll do it Barry. I'll quit supervillainy. I don't really like it anyway, and I'm sick of the way the Rogues treat me. I want to try to help people from within the system, so consider me a law abiding citizen from now on."
Barry's jaw dropped, and for half a second he gazed into his darkened bedroom in shock. Then he recovered himself, and a wide smile broke out on his face. "Well then let's not get coffee. Let's get dinner instead."
He just barely heard Piper let out a relieved breath. "I'm free all weekend."
"I'll pick you up at your place on Saturday at eight."
"Okay...see you then, I guess."
Still smiling like an idiot, Barry said goodbye and hung up the phone. He'd probably panic later, but at the moment he was incredibly excited about his first date since he was in college.
A/N: Remember to review! :)