Running
The tension between Barry and Sebastian faded rather quickly. By the next day, Sebastian finally managed to shove his feelings to the back of his mind, where they belonged. He decided not to confront Barry about the fact that he still sees their father so often. He knew it would only lead to a fight, and they didn't want a repeat of three years ago. Instead of bringing up all that drama, Sebastian did his best to just enjoy the quality time with his brother and ignore the rest of it. Everything would be pleasant between them.
As long as they didn't talk about it.
The two of them were starting to get along better and better, something that the others were quickly starting to notice.
Iris was in the kitchen, working on an article about the Flash's heroics during the apartment building fire yesterday when she suddenly heard laughing from the other room. She stood up from the dining room table and walked into the living room to find Barry and his twin sitting on the couch, both laughing at something on Sebastian's cellphone.
"What are you doing?" Iris asked in amusement.
"I think we broke face swap," Sebastian choked, laughing as he made faces at the phone.
Iris just stared at them.
"You're identical twins," she laughed, "Why would you even try to use face swap?"
"To see what would happen," Barry laughed.
Iris just shook her head at them.
"You two are so weird together," she told them, an amused smile on her face.
Barry just laughed and then turned to Sebastian.
"Remember in fourth grade when we convinced our friend, Matt, that we were actually triplets?" he asked.
Sebastian burst into laughter.
"That was the best prank ever!" he choked, "He wouldn't even believe us when we told him the third brother didn't exist!"
"Hey, we pulled it off pretty good," Barry laughed, "I think he was actually a little sad to find out that Chris didn't exist and that he had been just hanging out with one of us the whole time."
"Yeah, we were pretty convincing," Sebastian chuckled, "Good times. We need to play a prank like that again sometime."
"I think we're a little old for pranks," Barry said, shaking his head at his brother.
"You're never too old for pranks," Sebastian insisted, "especially when you're a twin."
"As long as the prank isn't on me," Iris laughed.
It felt good to see Barry and Sebastian finally getting along like brothers, even if it made Iris feel just a little bit left out. Barry was her best friend, after all, and they had mostly grown up together, so in a way, it felt like she was being replaced by Barry's real sibling.
Still, she was glad to see him spend some time with Bash. Being twins, they had a special connection no one else could ever understand or replace, even if the two brothers hardly ever saw each other. Although it hadn't been the case at first, Barry now seemed genuinely happy to have his brother here. He somehow seemed more complete with his twin by his side.
After Iris left the room to go back to working on her report, Barry cleared his throat.
"So," he said gently, "Where did you go last night when you went out? Did you meet up with that friend you said you were going to see?"
"Actually, it's a funny story," Sebastian said, laughing lightly, "I ended up not meeting my friend, but I stopped at this one bar, Saints & Sinners, to grab a drink, and I ran into a friend of yours there."
Barry's heartrate sped up instantly when Sebastian said he was in Saints & Sinners. He didn't like the sound of this.
"Who was it?" Barry asked immediately, praying Sebastian wasn't going to say whom he thought he was going to say.
"Never got his name," Sebastian said with a shrug, "Muscular guy, short hair. Talks so slow, it takes him ten years to finish a sentence."
Barry's hands clenched into fists.
"Snart," he gritted, "What did you two say to each other?!"
Sebastian shrugged.
"I didn't know that he knew you when he approached me," he said simply, "I thought he was just some creep who was hitting on me. I wasn't very nice to him at first, to be honest."
Barry raised his eyebrows.
"What did you say to him?" he asked curiously.
"I told him he looked like a fugly sloth and that he was a loser and should just leave me the hell alone," Sebastian told him.
Barry snorted. He couldn't help it. He would have paid to see Captain Cold's reaction to that.
"Wow, I thought you would be mad," Sebastian said, raising his eyebrows, "He's your friend, isn't he?"
Barry shook his head.
"No," he said firmly, "He is most definitely not my friend. I can't stand that guy."
"Oh," Sebastian said, "Well, that's too bad. He seemed like a pretty chill guy once I got to know him."
Barry's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?" he asked seriously.
"Well, we got to talking," Sebastian told him, "And it turns out we have a few things in common. He was actually pretty nice to me, even after I insulted him."
"Snart?!" Barry said in disbelief, "Leonard Snart was nice to you?!"
Sebastian nodded.
"I still think he's a bit of a creep," he said thoughtfully, "And he really needs to keep his nose out of other people's business, but he's not so bad."
Barry gaped at his twin for a moment.
"And he thought you were me?!" he asked, "The entire time he thought you were me, and he was nice to you?!"
Sebastian shrugged.
"Yeah," he said, "For the most part."
Barry just stared at his brother, still not quite believing it. Snart was never nice to him, so why on earth would he be nice to Sebastian of all people? Barry was the sociable twin, after all. What had Sebastian said to make Snart have a pleasant conversation with him?
"What did you two talk about?" Barry asked curiously.
Sebastian looked away, not meeting his eyes.
"Just some stuff," he said vaguely, "Nothing too important."
"Sebastian, it is important," Barry insisted, "I have the right to know, considering he thought it was me he was talking to the whole time. What did you two talk about?"
Sebastian sighed.
"Family stuff," he said quietly, "Turns out his dad is in jail, too, and his mom left them when he was young."
Barry raised his eyebrows. He hadn't known that about Snart. What he found more surprising, though, was the fact that his brother had actually sat down and had a conversation like that with Snart—had bonded with him.
"Sebastian, I need you to do me a favor," Barry said seriously, "I need you to never go back to that bar again."
Sebastian gave him a confused look.
"Why?" he asked curiously.
"Because Leonard Snart is not a good guy," Barry warned, "He's dangerous. He's a criminal."
Sebastian raised his eyebrows at him.
"Why do you know him then?" he asked seriously.
Barry open and closed his mouth a few times, not knowing how to respond.
"It's a long story," he said vaguely, "Let's just say I met him through my work, and the two of us don't exactly see eye to eye."
"Well, he seemed friendly enough," Sebastian said with a shrug, "He didn't seem all that dangerous or intimidating to me. Just annoying."
"I'm serious, Sebastian," Barry said, "Stay away from Snart. He will hurt you if he gets the chance."
Sebastian raised his eyebrows at him.
"Why would he want to hurt me?" he asked in confusion.
"Because you're my brother," Barry explained, "And I work for the police. Snart hates the police. Just trust me; Snart has a history of using peoples' family members against them to get what he wants."
"Well, he had a chance to hurt me last night, and he didn't," Sebastian pointed out.
"Because he thought you were me," Barry argued, "Sebastian, I'm serious when I say this guy means business. He kidnapped the brother of a friend of mine, and my friend's brother nearly lost his hands. He's not afraid to hurt people to get what he wants."
Sebastian's eyes widened, and Barry was relieved to see that his brother seemed to be taking him more seriously then.
"What kind of criminal is this guy?" he asked seriously.
Barry took a deep breath and shook his head.
"The worst kind," he answered simply, "He's killed people before. He doesn't anymore, but that's no reason not to stay clear of him if you can."
"If the guy is a murderer, then why is he still on the streets?" Sebastian asked incredulously, "He clearly knew you, Barry, which means you've spent time with him. Why haven't you turned him in?"
Barry opened and closed his mouth a few times, not knowing what to say. His brother sort of had him backed into a corner now.
"It's…complicated," he said lamely, "Snart and I…we have a deal of sorts."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of deal?" he asked seriously.
Barry just shook his head.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I can't really get into the details of it with you."
Sebastian looked more than just curious now. He looked concerned.
"Barry, what the hell is going on?" he demanded.
Barry sighed.
"If I could tell you about it, I would," he said desperately, "It's complicated, and I can't really discuss it with you, so please just drop it."
"No," Sebastian persisted, stubbornly crossing his arms, "My brother is striking deals with dangerous criminals. You can't expect me to just drop something like that."
"Well, I don't know what you want me to say, Sebastian," Barry replied, throwing his hands up.
Sebastian stared at him for a moment, not saying anything. Barry could see the wheels turning behind his brother's eyes, trying to make sense of the whole thing.
"What does he have on you, Barry?" Sebastian asked quietly.
"What?"
"You heard me," Sebastian relented, "What does he have on you? I know you, Bar. You wouldn't be making shady deals with criminals unless you were being forced into it for some reason, and the only logical reason that I could think of for why you would do this is if you were being blackmailed."
Barry stared at his brother. People who knew both of them usually thought of Barry as the smart twin, but they often underestimated Sebastian's intellect. His brother may not be into science or be as book smart as Barry, but hell if he was smart when it came to everything else.
"Well?" Sebastian demanded when Barry didn't say anything, "Am I right? Is this Snart guy blackmailing you?"
Barry let out a heavy sigh.
"I guess you could say that," he admitted, "But it's—"
"It's complicated," Sebastian finished for him irritably, "Yeah, you said that already. I don't care what the circumstances are; I'm not going to let some asshole blackmail my little brother."
Barry rolled his eyes.
"Will you please stop calling me that?" he chuckled.
Sebastian didn't laugh, though.
"Barry," he said in a worried voice, "What does this guy have on you that has you so scared?"
"I'm not scared of Snart," Barry scoffed indignantly.
"Well, if he's the murderer that you say he is, then you should be," Sebastian said seriously.
The smile left Barry's face then. Sebastian didn't know about his powers. He thought Barry was just this weak, defenseless CSI and that he couldn't protect himself. Sebastian didn't normally admit when he was worried about him, which was why Barry found his concern somewhat surprising.
"Barry," Sebastian said quietly, "What did you get yourself into?"
"I'm fine, Bash," Barry insisted, "I appreciate your concern, but I've got this whole thing under control. Trust me."
Sebastian's frown deepened and his eyebrows turned down, his face becoming more of a scowl.
"Trust you," he scoffed bitterly, "Yeah, okay, I'll just take your word for it. There's nothing too shady about my brother making deals with murderers. Then again, I should be used to this by now. You spend your Saturdays with one every week."
"Sebastian," Barry gritted, his eyes flashing dangerously, "Don't even go there."
"Why not?" his brother challenged, his voice rising, "I'm so tired of ignoring it! How can you expect me to just sit here? To turn a blind eye and pretend like everything's fine while my own brother goes off and comforts our mother's murderer?!"
"Bash," Barry said brokenly, "Dad didn't—"
"No matter how many times you say it, Barry, it's not going to make it true!" Sebastian yelled, standing up from the couch to look down and shout at him, "It wasn't true then, and it isn't true now! That sick bastard drove a knife through mom's heart, and he did it right in front of you! He scarred you for life, and in the process, he took both my mother and my brother away from me just like that. Dad tore our family apart, but you, Barry, you're the one who's stopping us from picking up the pieces! You're the one stopping us from putting back together what's left of our family!"
"Bash," Barry said brokenly, feeling tears prickling in his eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joe and Iris appear in the doorway, having heard Sebastian's shouts. They watched with concern, but they didn't try to intervene, and Barry knew why. This was a conversation that he and his brother were long overdue for.
"When are you going to grow up already?!" Sebastian cried, a few tears escaping his own eyes, "How long are you going to keep doing this to me?! To both of us?!"
"Sebastian," Barry choked, tears spilling over, "I'm not trying to hurt you. I just want you to see the truth."
"The truth is that dad went nuts and murdered mom," Sebastian said angrily, "That's the truth, Barry, and it was the hardest thing in the world for me to accept, but at least I accepted it. I didn't escape into some fantasy about some magical man in yellow. I processed everything that happened the best I could, and I tried damn hard to get past it. I moved on!"
"And you never looked back," Barry said bitterly, feeling anger start to well in his chest, "You just started over. Damn the rest, right?"
"Don't you do that," Sebastian said angrily, pointing a finger at him, "Don't you dare blame me for trying to move on with my life, Barry. You know I didn't have a choice when I left Central City."
"You were given the option to stay!" Barry yelled furiously, standing up from the couch now, "You didn't have to leave, but you did. Don't act like you weren't given a choice because you were. And you chose to leave me when I needed you most!"
"I NEEDED YOU TOO!" Sebastian practically screamed, causing Barry to take a step back in shock, "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I needed you too, Barry?!"
Barry stared at him in painful confusion.
"Then why…?" he asked quietly, "Why did you leave?"
"Because I had already lost you," Sebastian explained, his breath hitching, "Because you were already so far gone that you weren't my brother anymore. Because we were only eleven years old, and while I was trying to cope with mom's death, you weren't there for me. Instead of being there for me, you ran off to comfort dad. We both lost a lot that night, Bar, but the hardest part for me was losing my brother on top of everything else. You weren't Barry anymore. You weren't the brother I grew up with, and that's why I left."
"You didn't lose me, Sebastian," Barry said angrily, "And you didn't lose dad either. You just chose not to believe either of us, something that I still can't understand to this day. You believed what the police said over your own family. I've always accepted you, Bash, for everything that you are—every fault, every flaw—but you turning your back on your family, that's something that I can never forgive you for."
"Do you think I care about your damn forgiveness?!" Sebastian shouted with tears in his eyes, "I don't need you to forgive me, Barry. I don't even need for you to like me. Unlike you, I don't need anybody to like me! People may hate me for it, but at least I know who I am!"
"Sure," Barry said angrily, "Just keep telling yourself that, Bash. Just keep driving away every person who cares about you! That's what you do best! But, hey, it's better than facing rejection, right?!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Sebastian demanded.
"I'm saying that you do care," Barry challenged, angrily brushing away the tears on his face, "You care so much that you decided it's easier not to try. Better to drive people away before they have a chance to leave you first. That's why you're a bully, Sebastian. That's why you've always been a bully. Because you're terrified that one day somebody is going to realize that behind all that bravado and indifference there's really just a scared eleven-year-old boy who's afraid to face rejection."
Sebastian stared at him.
"That's your theory?" he asked darkly, "That's your theory, Barry? That I am the way I am because I'm afraid of rejection? Well, if that's true, then you have no one to blame but yourself for that. You were the first person to reject me, after all. You chose dad over me, your own twin."
"It was never a decision between the two of you," Barry said calmly, shaking his head.
"YES IT WAS!" Sebastian yelled furiously, "And you chose dad! You chose that bastard over me! And you still are! We both would be better off without dad in our lives, but you still choose to spend time with the son-of-a-bitch! My only wish is that they had done more than just send him to prison. My only wish is that Ohio had the death penalty so we could finally be free of him!"
WHAM!
Barry punched his brother so hard in the face it sent Sebastian sprawling backwards onto the floor.
"Barry!" Joe and Iris both shouted, rushing forward to step between the two brothers before a full fight broke out.
"YOU'RE A COWARD!" Barry screamed ragefully as Joe held him back from hitting his brother again, "You're just a coward who's afraid to finally face the truth!"
Sebastian looked up at Barry from the floor in shock. Barry had never hit him before.
"I'm not the coward here, Barry," Sebastian spat, scrambling to get up from the floor with all the dignity he could muster, "You're the one who won't face the truth!"
"Says the guy who has never even gone to see our dad!" Barry cried, "You never even tried to see my side of it! I, at least, spent half my life researching the case, processing the evidence. I tried to get to the bottom of it all. You just ran away."
Sebastian glared at Barry for a moment or two, his mouth clenched in a thin line, air moving heavily through his nose.
"I've had enough of this," he gritted after a moment and started moving towards the front door.
"Where are you going?" Barry demanded.
"I'm going to go stay at the Osthoff," Sebastian said angrily, "Hell if I'm staying here tonight."
"That's right, Bash. Just run away then!" Barry yelled, tears streaming down his face, "That's what you do best!"
Sebastian didn't stop. He didn't even look back as he made it to the front door, which he opened without hesitation. The door slammed harshly behind him as he left.
Barry collapsed down onto the sofa as soon as his brother was gone. He buried his face in his hands, so Joe and Iris couldn't see it, but he couldn't hide it when his body was then wracked with sobs. He felt one of them place a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't look up.
"Bar," Joe said brokenly.
But Barry just shook his head, not saying anything.
Everything that needed to be said had already been said.
Sebastian furiously wiped the tears from his eyes as he drove to the hotel, his heart still racing from unleashing everything he had been holing up inside for years. All his fears and resentments were laid out in the open now. He had been trying to avoid repeating his and Barry's fight from three years ago, but in doing so, he only allowed all those emotions to stew and fester inside until they needed to be released.
This fight was so much worse than their fight three years ago had been, mostly because last time Sebastian had left before it could escalate to this degree, to the degree of Barry hitting him. Sebastian was still in shock from it.
It had actually gotten physical this time.
Sebastian's blood boiled as he drove, having a half a mind to turn around and go back. He didn't know what he would do when he got there, though. A part of him wanted to go back to that damn house to beat the shit out of his brother, and another part of him wanted to hug Barry and apologize. He honestly didn't know what he would do if he turned back, and for that reason, Sebastian just kept driving.
He knew he needed to fix this. They couldn't allow three more years to go by before they spoke again. Sebastian wondered if they would ever even see each other again if he left now. The only reason he had even returned to Central City in the first place was because he had found out that Barry had just woken up from a coma that he hadn't even known about. Barry had nearly died. Sebastian couldn't leave now and wait for another near-death experience to bring them together again. Barry was right about one thing: running was what he did best.
But not anymore.
He was done running from this. Sebastian was going to fight for his relationship with his brother. He was going to fix their family, even if Barry wasn't willing to try. He was going to do it himself. He and Barry were going to be brothers again. There was only one way to that, though—one person he needed to go talk to.
It wasn't Barry.
Sebastian needed to finally pay a visit to their father.
