olliebarrylove: Because I'm apparently very cruel XD which is horrible. But of course they're going to be fine, I'm not a monster, you know. We just need to test their bond so it would become even stronger :)… Maybe she should've been pushy and clingy, but somehow I couldn't do it, sorry. I hope I didn't disappoint you by making her act rationally. If so, then I apologize, but it seems to me, that she's too a very sad person with a sad story. She lost her mother and because of that she was forced to abandon the man she loved. If that didn't do some damage on her, I'm not sure what else would. And also she was the last piece of Oliver's past from which he hasn't moved on yet. I needed him to let go of that, to let them talk about it and say their goodbye. They deserved it because their love for one another was real. They needed to get past their mistakes and forgive each other and themselves as well. I'm sorry if that doesn't make any sense, but look at this story. Everyone here is good, no one is evil, because I'm too weak to make them evil XD… Spiciness is great :D, let's hope I won't screw up with that. And don't forget to tell me whether you liked this chapter :)… I can easily promise you that more interactions of Barry and Harry are coming in this chapter :). And Gideon with her tactless remarks is something which is rapidly becoming a regular thing these days XD. Enjoy the new chapter ;).
Silvers003: Thank you! XD I love being wickedly evil. I think I should try it more often ;). But yeah Barry's misfortune and bad timing troubles me too. But you have nothing to worry about. Your Olibear still has a very big chance. After all they are each other's true love :)… Thank you for clearing that for me. Sorry for asking stupid questions, but I just panicked and wanted to make sure. I apparently wasn't thinking very clearly that day… You can tell me your ideas, maybe I'll use something… and maybe not ~wickedly smirking~ XD. Just know that Barry's misfortune ends with this chapter (for now ;)) so enjoy it while it lasts.
bruno14: Barry is just not lucky, I guess :D. Or maybe he is, because you and I both know that Oliver is not going to let him leave just like that ;)… I'm always trying to write the characters by the shows they play in. Except Harry, with him I do whatever the hell I want XD. I know I fail most of the time, but it also seemed to me that she would try to think rationally about it. So I'm glad you liked her… Gideon was supposed to be like this right from the beginning and I'm glad that I didn't change my mind about this, because otherwise, this story wouldn't be so much fun… You need both good and bad moments, right? For me, honestly, it's just not possible to do a chapter without at least one nice moment of them. They are just so perfect together . Enjoy the new chapter :).
New chapter is finally here! And I really hope it can put your minds at ease, because help is coming. Fortunately, one particular character just can't walk peacefully on this earth while the two boys are arguing :). Have fun ;).
Barry's world was rapidly collapsing. Tears were now streaming down his face, unable to stop no matter how hard he tried. However, he no longer cared whether people would notice. And he didn't dare to wonder whether Oliver would notice his absence. Why would he? When he'd finally gotten his precious Sara back? Now there was nothing standing in the way of his happiness. Not even Barry was an obstacle anymore.
Sounds of Barry's quick steps were echoing through various parts of STAR Labs as he was trying to reach the exit door as quickly as possible. He didn't want to talk to anyone. Nothing could fix this now. No words, no gestures, no confessions so why bother? Running away proved to be a better a solution after all.
"Dad, what happened?" Gideon asked suddenly, breaking him from his trance. His legs instantly stopped moving, but the shivering never stopped. His body was closer to a complete breakdown than he was brave to admit. His head hurt of the constant stream of tears escaping his eyes, his heart was deafening any other sound around him and breathing was rapidly getting harder and harder as it was replaced by a constant sniffling. But the rage was fueling him. He hated Oliver now more than anything. Because Oliver was selfish. He'd lied to Barry, fooled him, caused him this utter pain all over again even though he knew how much Barry had already suffered. And something like that Barry wasn't ready to forgive.
"Oliver happened," Barry snapped bitterly allowing more and more tears to come out of his eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I fail to understand that statement," Gideon innocently replied.
"You can ask him about it once he's done with making out with Sara," Barry spat out, running a hand through his hair.
"I want to help," Gideon pleaded, but Barry only scoffed at her efforts.
"Then stop!" Barry shouted aloud, throwing his hands around, frustrated. "Some things can't be fixed, Gideon, and it doesn't matter whether you're an AI or a human being! Sometimes the only thing you can do is just stop digging into something which is not your business. Oliver lied to me." Barry paused for a second, because his voice got broken of the tears and sobbing which was still unable to stop. It still just fucking hurt.
"I told him the whole truth, but he still decided to lie. He assured me that he is already over Sara, but that was just another crap coming from his stupid mouth. And this is something which even he can't fix. So leave it alone, Gideon. There is nothing you can do," Barry stated, sniffling at his sorrow and once again got his feet moving towards the main exit. Gideon let him go, because she was confused. She had no idea what had happened and the bitterness in Barry's voice scared her beyond measures. She wanted to help, but she had no idea how.
And when it came to Barry, he really hoped and believed that no one would question his state after Gideon. However, luck was not on his side as he found himself once again not paying any attention to his surroundings. This wouldn't prove to be a problem at all, if someone hadn't stepped in his way, literally. And sooner than he would like to admit, he found himself once again bumping into Harry, spilling a coffee, which the older man was holding, all over his pullover. And saying that neither of them were exactly thrilled by this would be an understatement.
"Okay, I know I probably deserved this after today, but I still think that we should work on how we start our conversations, Barry," Harry sighed, putting now completely empty cup aside, without looking at the brunet before him.
"No need, because I doubt that we will see each other after today. So you can stop being worried that this might happen again," Barry snorted bitterly, which caused Harry to immediately raise his head and take a closer look at the man before him. His look instantly softened at the sight of swollen eyes submerged with blood and tears streaming down the brunet's face like a waterfall. He immediately forgot about his spilled coffee and let only various scenarios appear in his head of what could've happened. But no matter how hard he tried, he always came into the same conclusion – Oliver had once again screwed up.
"What happened?" he gently asked, not daring to break the eye contact with the brunet even though the sight of his reddened eyes hurt him enormously.
"I just realized that you and Oliver are exactly alike. You both enjoy hurting me and neither of you care about what it could do to me. But now I'm done with you, so do me a favor and stay the hell out of my life," Barry commanded with a threatening voice, narrowing his eyes and clenching his fists of the anger which had spread through his whole body like a cancer. After that the brunet walked away from the older man and headed towards the main exit, leaving STAR Labs behind.
Harry stayed stunned, unable to find any words. He wanted to run after Barry, to stop him, to find out more about what had happened, but somehow, he couldn't convince his legs to move no matter how hard he tried. He had no idea what had caused such pain to the brunet. The only thing he knew was that this was not the first time Harry had seen him so furious. Back then when Barry and Oliver had had their first big fight, it was exactly the same. Only now it was countless times stronger. Which was one of the main reasons why Harry thought this was serious and needed to be fixed as soon as possible. So he immediately went after his foster son, hoping that if the brunet hadn't given him any real answer, the blond would. And if not, then this was going to be a lot more difficult than he wanted it to be.
Fortunately, it didn't take him long until he found the guilty man.
"What the hell did you do?" Harry asked him bitingly, crossing arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes. Oliver raised his head to face him, letting a confused frown settle on his face.
"What do you mean?" Oliver wondered, tilting his head to one side in an utter confusion.
"Don't play dumb. You must have done something," Harry spat out, running out of patience, clenching his jaw.
"Nothing I know of. I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," Oliver persisted, shrugging hopelessly.
"I believe what Doctor Wells is trying to say is that Barry is mad at you," Gideon offered.
"That's definitely an understatement," Harry scoffed and ran a hand down his face.
"Why would he be mad at me? The last time I saw him was just a few hours ago and we were okay," Oliver pointed out and scratched his head.
"Really? Last time I saw him was just mere seconds ago and he was crying with his face completely flushed. I've never seen him so angry before so tell me – does that seem okay to you?" Harry questioned bitterly, pointing his finger at Oliver and thrusting it into the blond's chest. However, Oliver was still completely clueless and he needed a little shove in the right direction.
"Barry thinks you lied to him. You assured him that being with Sara is no longer your desire, but that proved to be only another lie," Gideon cleared up.
"Wait, so this is the problem? I don't understand. Why would Barry think that you lied to him about this?" Harry wondered, stroking his invisible beard.
"There is no reason for him to think that. I made sure he would…. unless he eavesdropped without me noticing," Oliver suddenly claimed, running a hand down his face as the realization struck him.
"What did you do, Oliver?" Harry asked sharply, coming closer to the blond before him.
"I told Sara I hadn't stopped loving her. He must've heard it," Oliver explained, cursing on himself silently and clenching his fists.
"Can you be even more stupid, you moron?"
"What was I supposed to do? She told me she still loved me. And I couldn't tell her I no longer loved her. It's called sensitivity. If you didn't hear about it, you should try it, Harry," Oliver pointed out, glaring at his foster dad with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Tell that to Barry. I'm sure he will be thrilled to listen," Harry shot back angrily, narrowing his eyes.
"Stop saying it like it's entirely my fault. If Barry at least stayed and heard the rest, none of this would've happened," Oliver protested and massaged his temples with only frustration accompanying him.
"The rest? You mean, like this wasn't your final word?" Harry questioned, lifting his eyebrows.
"No, of course not. After that the conversation headed towards him," Oliver assured, scratching the back of his neck. But fortunately, his worries were reaching their end, because an idea appeared in Harry's mind, which could solve this little problem.
"In that case, I think we have something which can fix this situation. And Barry is going to believe it either way," Harry claimed confidently and headed towards the main computer in the room. Oliver immediately followed him, but still refused to let the realization struck him as well.
"What makes you so sure?" he asked, lowering his head of the embarrassment that he'd let things once again get complicated.
"We'll just show him the truth, which he's going to believe. And you, Gideon, are going to help us with that," Harry commanded, typing on the computer in a quick motion.
"At your service," Gideon simply agreed and together the three of them joined forces in finding a way how to fix this pointless mess. And fortunately, it didn't take them long until everything was ready. After that the only thing they needed was to find the brunet. Fortunately, Gideon once again proved to be a huge help, considering she could track the brunet's phone without any difficulties. And with that behind them, Oliver and Harry together headed towards Joe's house. Oliver's determination to fix his mistakes was stronger than ever.
When Barry entered Joe's house, he wished with all his heart that his foster dad wouldn't be home. However, this day was already playing greatly against him and this fact was not going to be any difference.
He immediately headed towards his old room, but his brain was so astray, that he didn't even think about making less noise. And before he even reached the first stair Joe's voice came to the surface.
"You're early," Joe analyzed and frown of the confusion and Barry was trapped. If he turned around and showed his flushed and swollen face to the detective, Joe would immediately question him about it. Yet if he refused to look him in the eye Joe would suspect it and the conclusion would be exactly the same. It was a tough decision but in the end Barry chose to listen to his fears and instincts and refused to show his messed-up face to the older man.
"You okay, Bar?" Joe asked almost instantly when the silence started to be more suspicious.
"I'm fine," Barry replied, putting all his efforts into hiding his emotions. However, Joe was trained for this and the sudden bitterness in Barry's voice didn't escape his attention.
"I find it more than hard to believe," Joe claimed and quickly placed his hand on Barry's shoulder. This act immediately brought memories of Oliver into the brunet's mind, which caused him to flinch from the touch and pull away. If nothing else, this was finally a perfect proof that Barry was nowhere close being fine. And thankfully, Joe now managed to see Barry's face and even though Barry gave him barely two seconds, it was enough for him.
"What happened?" Joe asked with wide eyes flooded by concern.
"I don't want to talk about it," Barry denied and tried to reach his room, but Joe once again stopped him by catching him by his elbow gently.
"Bar-" Joe tried, but got rebuffed before even finishing his sentence. Barry immediately pulled out his arm from the comforting grasp and let his brain once again lose all patience.
"Stop, Joe! I mean it. I don't want to talk about it, so let me go. You couldn't have helped me when Patty died, you don't know how to help me now. Nothing's changed. So leave me alone please," Barry angrily growled and quickly made his way into his room with another wave of tears coming to get him. However, he was so emotionally down, that he forgot to lock the door of his room and thanks to that nothing was an obstacle for the detective when he knocked and opened the door. Barry didn't say anything as he was lying on the bed, his face snuggled to his pillow, getting wet by the unstoppable waterfall of tears streaming down his face. He didn't even care to notice Joe's presence until he felt a comforting hand pressed gently against his shoulder. Joe sat down on the bed beside him but stayed silent. He wanted to do whatever it took to help Barry but if the brunet really wished to be alone, there was nothing he could do about it. However, it took only a couple of seconds until Barry decided to speak up.
"I'm sorry," he whispered quietly with a broken voice, making it barely audible for the older man to hear him. Yet Joe didn't dare to let such precious words escape his attention.
"It's okay. You have every right to be mad, so why don't you tell me about it more? I might help," Joe carefully offered.
"You can't help me, Joe. No one can. Not even my dad or Iris. It just... it just hurts too much," Barry sobbed, letting even more tears out.
"Try me, Barry. I might surprise you," Joe sympathetically smiled and Barry lost all his determination to stay silent. He wanted this pain gone and as much as he knew that nothing could provide him that, his desperation was getting stronger and stronger as the seconds were flowing by. And with that being naive and believing that talking about it would help him didn't seem so surreal in his mind anymore. So he turned his head towards Joe and started talking with even more tears coming his way. But even though his head hurt enormously, the pain he was feeling in his heart couldn't be bested by anything. He wanted to close his eyes and just sleep without anything disturbing him. He wanted to finally have his peace. Without thinking about Sara, without thinking about Oliver. Because he knew that no matter how hard he tried, life was always going to be just about simply existing and surviving all its torture. It was never going to be about happiness. He was just simply out of luck. And thinking about it now, he didn't care about what could happen after his departure from this world, because nothing could be worse than this. This was a living hell for him.
When Oliver and Harry managed to finally reach their destination, Harry immediately made his way to the entrance door and rang the bell, but he was already preparing his plan B as he suspected he might have to open the door on his own. However, a sound of steps stopped him and when the door opened on its own, he couldn't help but suspect that this was going to end up even more horrible.
"Please don't tell me you wanted to break into my house," Joe pleaded, frowning at how quickly Harry shoved something into his pocket.
"You know me, Joe. I always have a plan B," Harry smiled innocently at his friend.
"And you're getting better and better in making them up," Joe pointed out, rolling his eyes, annoyed.
"I need to talk to Barry," Oliver broke their chatter suddenly, running out of patience.
"Not gonna happen," Joe hissed, crossing arms over his chest. But before Oliver could carry on fighting for his rights, Harry jumped in.
"It's okay, Oliver, I got this," Harry assured, giving his son a small nod and then once again turning to face the detective. "Joe, I probably know what you're thinking. That Barry is hurt and it's Oliver's fault."
"I know it's his fault. Barry told me what happened. So no, Harry, I don't plan to change my mind if that's what you're asking," Joe replied , glaring at Oliver who just sighed and lowered his head hopelessly. When he remembered how he'd been worried about how he and Barry were going to explain their not-so-friendly status to the older man, various scenarios had appeared in his head. Some of them good but most of them were a clear catastrophe. However, nothing could best this moment for him. Joe now saw him as the biggest enemy and thanks to that, glares that could kill were going to be the least of his problems.
"You see, that is the problem here, Joe, because it's all just a misunderstanding really," Harry claimed, placing a friendly arm over the detective's shoulders. But when the only respond from him happened to be just another death glare, Harry decided to back away.
"I didn't lie to him, Detective. I've already moved on from Sara," Oliver tried, taking the needed courage.
"So what? You're trying to tell me that Barry is the liar?" Joe growled, narrowing his eyes.
"No one thinks that, Joe. I just really need to talk to Barry. Oliver will stay here, but please let me talk to him. I guarantee you I can help," Harry pleaded, tangling his fingers together. But Joe's look still hadn't softened.
"I don't think someone can help him and fix this mess right now. And honestly I'm not even sure I want you to help," Joe denied.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Harry spat out bitterly, frowning and throwing his hands around.
"It means that I want Queen to stay the hell out of my son's life."
"I'm sorry but I doubt that you have any say in this," Harry argued, standing right in front of his foster son protectively.
"If not me then who when I'm apparently the only one capable of thinking clearly right now. And don't try to defend him now, because you of all people should know what he's like. He doesn't care about other people's feelings. He doesn't give a damn when he hurts someone else. And don't even get me started on his reputation when it comes to dating. You might've tried to erase everything about him from this world, Harry, but that doesn't mean this city doesn't know what this son of a bitch is like. He brought only pain into Barry's life. And that makes him the last person I want around my son right now," Joe claimed bitterly. Oliver just let his head go down even lower, because he knew deep inside that denying these statements would only prove to be pointless. They were all right after all. No matter how hard he tried, he brought only pain with him. When he and Barry had met, Oliver had been nothing less than a dick to him. He'd made him hate and then quit his dream job. He'd rejected him when they'd kissed for the first time and now he'd decided to break the brunet's heart even more. Oliver Queen was really just a monster who didn't deserve such light and purity which Barry brought everywhere with him. And yet Oliver couldn't help but be selfish when it came to the brunet. Because deep inside he knew how much he really cared for him and how it would destroy him if he'd lost him one day.
He wanted to fight, wanted to get inside and find him as soon as possible and properly show him how he can't stop caring, how he can't stop his mind from flitting around aimlessly when Barry is close to him. But how could he when believing Joe's words about him seemed only easier and easier by the running seconds?
Harry on the other hand didn't back down. He stayed exactly where he was - right in front of Oliver, defending him like his life depended on it. And although Oliver seemed more than capable of taking care of himself, hearing those words hurt Harry more than he cared to admit. Because yes, Oliver wasn't exactly the most pleasant person on earth. He barely learned from his mistakes, he barely cared about the consequences of his actions, but those things could never make him a bad person. Harry refused to believe that.
"Oh, shut up, Joe. You have no right to talk about him this way," Harry spat out bitterly, shocking both detective and Oliver as well. The blond however didn't want to cause any more problems so he carefully placed his hand on Harry's elbow, hitting on the fact he didn't need his protection. Mostly when Harry's friendship with Joe was at stake because of that.
"Harry, you don't have to do this," Oliver whispered brokenly, but Harry just took a few steps closer to Joe, determined to carry on his actions. I do, actually, the genius thought back to himself.
"You're right, Joe," Harry began. "I of all people should have him already figured out. Which also means that you don't know him like I do. You don't know that behind every little flaw within him, there is always hidden a gift which has far greater worth. You don't have even the slightest idea about who he is. You see him as a selfish, arrogant, careless asshole. Now I'm not saying you're completely wrong, but this world is much more complex and seeing him just in black and white is nothing less than ridiculous. You know what I see when I look at him?" An answer never came, because neither Oliver nor Joe dared to cut off Wells. And when Harry realized this, he took a deep breath and began talking once more.
"I see a man who's been through much more than he should have. I see someone who is trying to find his place on this unfair world, but has more difficulties than is healthy. He may be arrogant and ignorant towards other people's feelings, but can you really blame him when you know what he's been through? Maybe he's not the only one who has suffered so much. There could be countless other people like him. But you know what? Unlike them he is trying to change and be a better man not just for me or Felicity, but mostly for Barry. Because it doesn't matter how much you try to deny it, he cares deeply for him. That I'm sure of, because I see it every day when I look at him. And do you know what else I see?" Harry asked rhetorically, not even daring to turn his face towards Oliver and break his eye contact with the detective.
"I see the boy, which I took from that orphanage and gave him a chance to start a new life, a new chapter. That boy had the biggest heart I've ever seen and this hasn't changed. And let me tell you one thing - I've never, not even for a second, regretted taking him under my wing. Because he is a good person. I knew it right then, I know it right now. And Barry knows this too. Quite frankly, he's the best thing that had happened to Oliver. But you can't convince me that Oliver is just bad for your son, because he's not and you know it. You couldn't have helped Barry when he met once again with the man who had killed Patty. But you know who could and did help him? Oliver Queen. You can call him however you want. Playboy, conceited jerk, stubborn asshole, selfish moron, arrogant and ignorant idiot-"
"I think he gets it," Oliver cut him off with his face totally flushed.
"My point is that it doesn't matter what the world or you think about him. What matters is what Barry thinks about him. And I guarantee you that no matter how unbearable and annoying Oliver sometimes is, he makes Barry happy. So if you really care about him like you claim, you'll let me pass and give Oliver a chance to really prove himself. Simple as that," Harry finished firmly and awaited Joe's response.
Meanwhile Oliver couldn't stop smiling of how touched he felt by Harry's words. No one had ever defended him like that and although the blond was usually distant from discovering new feelings, this one in particular was so incredibly soothing that he didn't care anymore. He didn't dare to let the idea of Harry lying enter his mind, because he was 100% sure that was not an option. They both knew each other so well that detecting when one of them was lying was like a piece of cake for them. And this one moment was no difference. Which was why Oliver cherished every word Harry had used. He stored them all in his mind, playing them all over and over again, because they gave him courage. That after everything, after all the world and people thought about him, he was still a good person. Those, who were close to his heart, knew this and that was all he wanted. And thanks to that, he was now completely sure that Barry and he were not over. Even if Harry failed to convince Barry, Oliver would find a way. Because deep in his heart, he knew that this was not how he wanted this chapter of his life to end. He'd been abandoned so many times, that he'd started building those walls around himself which would keep him from any more pain. And with that it was only a matter of time before he'd started abandoning everyone who happened to be too close. But now those walls were gone, thanks to Barry who had caused them to crumble and fall for good. Which was why Oliver decided to make one final decision - that this avoiding, this abandoning other people was going to end today. And he would never return to it. Not when the brunet was so much worth all the trouble.
After a short time of silence Harry still didn't back down from the eye contact he was keeping still with Joe. Not even an inch of his determination had slipped from his features. He still firmly stood by his words and wasn't ready to take another no as an answer. Fortunately for him, Joe became speechless and when he tried to think about what Harry had said, all the reasons for not letting him pass simply vanished. So he gave up and let Harry do his magic. As always.
"You can go, but he will stay here," Joe strictly commanded, slowly blinking of frustration. Harry finally broke the eye contact they held and tilted his head backwards triumphantly.
"Don't worry, he will. Thank you, Joe. You won't regret this," Harry smiled and followed Joe inside, leaving Oliver alone.
"I already do," Joe murmured bitterly, but opened the door regardless and let his friend enter. After that Oliver stayed alone with only hopes that Harry would succeed accompanying him. But no pressure was pressed against his shoulders, because he trusted the man. With all his heart.
Harry immediately headed towards Barry's room with his heart beat quickened of how nervous he felt. The happiness of two men who were so in love with each other that it couldn't be any more obvious was at stake and he needed to do whatever it took to fix it. Failing either of them now just didn't seem like an option.
When he reached the right room, he gently knocked, but didn't await any answer. He simply walked in and when he spotted broken Barry sitting on the ground, leaning his back on his bed with his head pressed against his elbows, he couldn't help but sigh at the sight before him. The brunet immediately raised his head as he heard sudden movement and when he spotted Harry, the expression on his face reached just a completely new level of bitterness.
"I know that I'm probably the last person you want to see right now," Harry started before the brunet could say something and made a few slow steps towards him. "Or now when I think about it, I might be the third last person you want to see right now. Last would be Oliver and before that would probably be Sara."
"Leave me alone, Doctor Wells. I'm not in the mood," Barry spat out harshly, tangling his fingers with his messed-up hair. Harry, however, didn't consider backing down as an option, so he made another set of small, slow steps towards the brunet and when he was already close enough he sat down on the ground next to him, keeping the safe distance between them.
"Pity, because I think we need to talk," Harry stated carefully and lifted his eyebrows at the brunet. And the fact Barry's face was still flushed and watery by the tears which were still not completely capable of stopping flowing didn't escape his attention.
"We don't. This is not your business so stay out of it," Barry shot back, annoyed, refusing to make an eye contact with the older man.
"You're wrong. Considering this is Oliver's problem, it is also my problem and I'm going to fix it," Harry claimed confidently.
"Oliver Queen has no problem. He can be finally happy with the woman he loves and I won't stay in his way," Barry murmured sourly, running a hand down his face, because saying those words still hurt like hell.
"You truly believe that? Or are you just trying to make yourself believe that?"
"I know it's true and even if it weren't, what makes you think that you can change my mind about it? You of all people?" Barry asked bitterly, turning his head towards Harry and keeping an eye contact with him still. In that time Harry could see just another wave of tears preparing to cut loose in the brunet's eyes. Thanks to that he was only more determined to make them all vanish.
"Because I have something which no one has," Harry claimed and reach for something in the pocket of his pants. After that he placed his cell phone on the ground right in front of Barry and pressed a few buttons right before speaking once again: "Isn't that right, Gideon?"
"Correct, Doctor Wells," Gideon agreed, which forced Barry to lift his head once again and look at the phone before him.
"How did you..." Barry tried, but let remaining words get astray.
"You mean putting her into my phone? Please, Barry, that's a child's play," Harry pointed out and smiled. However, Barry didn't return the kind gesture. He kept the expression on his face cold and broken.
"You still didn't tell me how this is going to help me," Barry remarked, rolling his eyes.
"When you eavesdropped today on Oliver's conversation with Sara, you managed to hear only a slight piece of it. Without my knowledge, I accomplished to record it whole. Doctor Wells believes you might want to hear it complete," Gideon explained. But Barry wasn't thrilled by this idea at all.
"You want me to listen to how they express their undying love for one another? What kind of a monster even wants that from a person?" Barry claimed, throwing his hands around, frustrated.
"Of course not. The only thing I want, Barry, is to give you a choice. That's why I came here. I'm not gonna push you into anything. I just want you to choose wisely, because this decision is going to have consequences and I want you to be okay with that."
"I doubt I can be okay ever again after today," Barry sobbed, letting one tear come out of his eye.
"That's just the thing. You see, from all I know you believe that Oliver lied to you about his feelings towards Sara and fooled you by saying that he wanted you. But I still wonder - is this really what you believe in?" Harry asked, cocking his head to one side.
"You didn't hear him say it. He meant every damn word and I let him fool me," Barry cursed on himself sorrowfully, allowing even more tears to come out of darkness.
"You're right. I wasn't there. Gideon heard it, but she's too young to understand this yet. But you were there. You heard him say it and I know that it hurts now. The truth is that if you really believe that Oliver meant what he said to her, you don't need to listen to their conversation. But if even an inch of you is struggling with accepting this sort of truth then I advise you to take this risk of feeling pain once again. Oliver didn't lie to her, that's for sure, but if I were you, I would rather hear the whole truth before making any conclusions."
After saying that Harry stayed silent, deciding to let Barry accept this information and think it through. However, his insides were secretly begging and pleading, hoping that the brunet would choose to listen to it. Otherwise, Harry was not sure whether he would be able to look in Oliver's eye once again after this. He knew it wasn't his fault, but neither was Oliver's. This was just a simple misunderstanding and if Harry weren't capable of fixing it, this would be called his biggest failure of all time for sure.
Barry didn't dare to speak, didn't dare to move. He just endlessly stared at the phone before him on the ground. Part of him wanted to crush that thing and shutter it into million pieces, because it believed that nothing on it would make him feel any better. But the other part of him wanted to reach for that phone more than anything on this world honestly, just to hear the whole truth, even if it hurt. This resulted in him being completely torn and clueless. He had no idea what to do. And then suddenly a thought of Oliver appeared in his mind and before he could stop it, it emerged into one particular memory. He remembered how he'd been so full of rage when he'd met Mardon again. He'd been so furious, that he'd thought nothing could make him feel better, that nothing could ease his pain. But then Oliver had walked in once again and saved him like it was the easiest thing on earth. And it wasn't because Barry had shouted at him, pushed him away multiple times, doubted him even more, but Oliver still hadn't left him. He'd stayed and kept trying until the rage within Barry had vanished completely. And this memory was so strong and so vivid in his mind, that everything else stopped holding any meaning. Even Oliver's confession of love disappeared from the brunet's mind for a short moment. The only thing that mattered was that Barry felt this sort of rage within himself right in this particular moment and he wanted it gone. And with that the final decision came and stayed in his heart.
When Barry reached for the phone, Harry stood up and headed towards the door. "I'll give you a minute," he murmured and headed downstairs after Joe. And so Barry once again stayed silent. Yet he didn't dare to change his mind. He lowered the volume of the phone and slowly placed it to his ear.
"Gideon, are you there?" Barry asked carefully with a broken voice.
"Yes, Dad, I'm here," Gideon replied kindly and awaited a command. Barry stayed silent for a short moment once again, scared to say anything. But at the same time, he knew he needed this. For probably the last time in his life, he was ready to let himself be naive once more.
"Could you... could you please play me that conversation?" he asked sheepishly, trying so hard to hold the tears back from streaming down his face, but failing miserably. However, there was no coming back from it now. He needed to do this.
"At once," Gideon beamed and pressed play of the recorded conversation and Barry listened to it. He didn't dare to say anything, didn't dare to move, not even when he wanted to just wipe his tears away. The only thing he cared about was swallowing every word which Oliver or Sara said. Because of that it happened multiple times that without his knowledge he forgot to breathe properly, but in the end he managed to do both listen and breathe even though the tears streaming down his face were like a tsunami destroying everything in its way. And when the moment of truth came and Oliver and Sara confessed their love for one another, Barry felt like he was going to suffocate. Feeling this pain once again was an utter torture, which made him believe that he wasn't going to survive hearing the rest. However, before he let the last inches of himself give up, he heard Sara's voice once again come to the surface.
But you love him more. When those words managed to fully enter his mind, everything stopped for him. He stopped breathing, stopped paying any attention to the rest of the conversation. Because the sound of that one particular but was all that was needed to turn his world upside down. To make that pain disappear. And not just that.
He immediately pressed pause and kept replaying that one particular sentence, because no matter how many times he heard it, it always felt like he just heard it for the first time. However, after countless repeats of that one simple sentence he accepted this information and decided to not get his hopes up. He still didn't hear Oliver's answer after all. And so he took the last inches of the remaining courage within him and pressed play for the last time and after that he didn't dare to start another loop by repeating sentences. Why not? Because he no longer needed it. Hearing Oliver saying the whole truth for the first time was enough to make him believe that. And he did. With all his heart.
A deep gasp of happiness escaped his mouth as the soothing feeling settled and spread through his whole body, once again fueling him with its warmth. And with that he let last tears come out of darkness and stream down his face, but this time they symbolized something completely different. Before, he'd been full of rage and sorrow. He'd wanted to be left alone for an eternity, because he'd hated his life more than anything, hated Oliver more than anything. But now, when he knew the whole truth, it turned him inside out. And the indescribable happiness which was now flowing through his veins was enough to make all his doubts disappear. Because Oliver had chosen him over Sara. That blond had never even thought about returning to her. Barry was his final choice. And because of this realization, the brunet couldn't feel more touched and at the same time more stupid for doubting his boyfriend so much before. He'd let his paranoia take over him, his doubts to overwhelm him and this was the result. He'd just complicated even things, which were supposed to be one of the most easiest ones in his life. More curses escaped his mouth on his account as he couldn't stop hating himself for what horrible mistake he had done.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Gideon asked suddenly, breaking him from his trance.
"I have no idea," he murmured silently as a reply and shook his head.
"In that case, may I give you an advice?"
"Please."
"Get up and go after him," Gideon firmly stated and after that Barry didn't need to be commanded twice. He finally found the strength to make his legs move again and to stand up. After that he immediately headed out of his room, running down the stairs and meeting Joe and Harry in the process.
"Where is he?" Barry hopelessly asked, determined to do whatever it took to find Oliver.
"He's waiting for you outside. Good luck, Barry," Harry wished and offered the brunet a warm encouraging smile. For the first time during this day, Barry actually returned it in a quick motion, while placing the phone on the nearest table and then made his way to the entrance door, opening them instantly. Oliver was meanwhile helplessly sitting on porch stairs and thinking, but as soon as he heard the door behind him open, he instinctively stood up and turned around to see the brunet. And when his blue eyes spotted the face and hazel green eyes he loved so much now reddened of anger, his heart stopped beating. And noticing the trails of tears down Barry's face caused him even more pain. However, he had no time to dwell on it. The brunet instantly made his way to him and prepared himself for what was coming. Because if Barry needed to say something, he needed to say it right now without anything cutting him off. Because this, them, was far more important and he wasn't ready to lose it. He'd made a mistake but thanks to Harry he'd realized it and now he was more than willing to do anything to fix it. So he took one last deep breath and let the truth all out.
"I know what you're thinking," Barry started sheepishly, fiddling with his fingers nervously. Oliver kept an eye contact with him and stayed silent until Barry would need him to break it. "I suspected you unrightfully for still being in love with Sara. Even though you explained to me that wasn't the case anymore, I refused to believe it fully. Which was why I decided to eavesdrop on you. I wanted to make sure you meant what you said. And as a result, I ended up punished and heartbroken." Saying this couldn't feel any more difficult, because Barry still wasn't capable of shaking off the feeling of guilt which was sitting on his chest, making his breathing cycle even countless times harder. But at the same time, he knew that if he'd given up now, he would never forgive himself for that. Another wave of tears was fighting its way to the surface, but the brunet refused to let it out this time. No more crying. No more running, he silently whispered to himself and with another deep breath continued his confession.
"I was mad at you, furious even. I fully loathed you for what you had done to me. And then I decided to listen to the whole conversation, because some part of me kept believing that there was still some hope for us. And the feeling which appeared afterwards was one of the greatest I've ever felt, actually. It made me realize that I don't want to be mad at you, I no longer want anger to symbolize who I am. Before, I didn't care, but now I do and I'm tired of these paranoid thoughts. I want them gone more than anything, but at the same time I realize that that is never gonna happen. I mean, you're Oliver Queen," Barry claimed and scratched the back of his neck. "Every girl's dream. And with Sara you have history. Comparing to her I'm just a piece of trash. She is beautiful, caring and funny. And me? A wretched person who has been hurt so much that he's already started suspecting other people for abandoning him without thinking it through. I'm jealous of every girl who lays her eyes on you, because deep down I know that I'm out of your league and I have no idea why of all people you could've picked, you chose me. I don't deserve it. I doubted you, I didn't trust you and that's not okay. Honestly it couldn't be farther from it. And I know I screwed up badly. Maybe I can't promise it won't happen again, but I want to make this right. I want this rage gone and quite frankly, you're the only one who can help me with that. But I'll understand if you say no. If that's really what you want, I won't stand in your way." After that was said, Barry looked right into the blue eyes of his boyfriend before him desperately searching for an answer. But the stoic expression the blond carried on using was making it nearly impossible for him. And when Barry thought that the silence accompanying them couldn't get any more unbearable, Oliver finally decided to speak up.
"I don't really blame you, Barry," Oliver softly admitted and put his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah, I find that hard to believe," Barry scoffed which caused Oliver to sheepishly smile.
"So you really believe that I'm too good for you? That I'm with you just out of pity?" Oliver asked and raised his eyebrows at the brunet. Yet Barry stayed silent, because the embarrassment in all his features was grouping and silencing any hope he held.
"Barry Allen, will you ever learn?" Oliver questioned with a small smirk fighting its way to the surface. "You might be a wretched person with exaggerating paranoid thoughts and jealous tendency, but I knew this before and it still didn't stop me from choosing you. And honestly, if the same thing happened to me, I would be exactly the same and even worse. Suspicious, jealous, paranoid, that's nothing new for me mostly when it comes to you. Do you really think that I don't know how this feels?"
"But you have no right to be worried. You can have whoever you want whenever you want, because you're rich, handsome as hell and your arms are like twice the size of mine. Well, not technically, but you know what I mean," Barry nervously pointed out with his cheeks flushed of embarrassment, running a hand through his hair before taking another breath to stabilize himself. "You might not know this, but because of that it's really hard to not stare at you for at least a minute."
"I've already told you, that those girls don't matter to me, Barry. You do. And besides, believe it or not, it's hard to take eyes off you as well. There is just something about you, which makes it enormously difficult. Those glittering green eyes, that warm smile, your carefree laugh. And I'm not the only one who thinks this. And those, who do, stare at you as well."
"No, that's not true. I'm sure I would've noticed that by now," Barry protested and frowned shooting the man before him an unimpressed look.
"I'm sure you would've if I weren't so jealous all the time. I'm sure I'm already Charlie's biggest fear right now after all the death glares I've dedicated her," Oliver sheepishly admitted and smiled at the ground.
"Really? Oliver Queen is jealous because of me?" Barry asked, letting a small smirk appear on his face. It was a small step but it definitely brought some light to the brunet which Oliver so desperately missed.
"Not that I'm proud of that, but I apparently can't help myself when it comes to you. I mean, you of all people should know what an asshole I was."
"It wasn't that bad," Barry protested, chuckling slightly.
"Cut the crap, Barry. You know I'm right," Oliver scoffed, waving his hand dismissively.
"Okay, you're right. You were an ass back then, but the important thing is that you're not like that anymore," Barry pointed out and carefully placed his hand on the blond's elbow. The fact Oliver didn't stiffen at the gesture put his mind in a little ease.
"Thanks to you. Because many people have tried to fix me, to teach me some manners. Every one of them failed in the end. You didn't. I've changed because of you," Oliver claimed, smiling warmly at his boyfriend, meaning every word seriously. "You showed me that life doesn't hurt so badly unless I let it. And most of all, you gave me the reason to start living again and to leave all my past behind. I'm the one who doesn't deserve you, Barry." The sincerity in Oliver's voice was so pure that Barry no longer had any courage to doubt it. He didn't let his paranoia take over him. In fact, such thought hadn't even entered his mind. Only a soothing feeling stayed, illuminating his whole body and keeping him warmer than ever before. Thanks to that the worries, doubts, suspicions, it all got silenced and disappeared, leaving no trace it had ever been there.
Yet his heart didn't let any words to come to his mind. And although he worried, whether Oliver would take this as a bad sign, his speechlessness was mercilessly holding him back. Not willing to let go of him. And before he could overcome it completely, the blond moved past by him and sat down once again on the porch stairs. Without getting any hint, Barry immediately followed the suit and sat down right next to him. However, he still couldn't find any courage to get too close to the blond. Something was still holding him back.
"Do you remember that night we spent on the roof of our apartment?" Oliver asked suddenly, breaking the unbearable silence. "You remember what we talked about?"
"I think I told you about this one man who had told me I was nothing more than just a burden," Barry pointed out, tilting his head slightly backwards.
"After that," Oliver demanded, grinning and letting a small blush appear on his face.
"You said 'what a dick'," Barry teased, smirking freely.
"How is it possible that you remember this so well?" Oliver wondered, chuckling and blushing sheepishly.
"When it comes to you, Ollie, I have an eidetic memory of my own," Barry carried on teasing, giggling afterwards. And Oliver followed, because he was very glad that they were once again capable of being so carefree as they should be. They once again found the mutual presence of one another more precious than anything. Or maybe they never stopped thinking that.
"Then use it, genius. There was something you said that changed everything," Oliver demanded gently and gripped Barry's hand tightly. And with that Barry really didn't need much time until it struck him.
"Partners, right?" he asked with small smile.
"And what do partners do?"
"Get on each other's nerves?" Barry teased innocently.
"Other than that," Oliver chuckled, but soon after that regained his serious look. That caused Barry to enter his mind properly and start thinking for real. Yet he secretly knew the answer all along, because after all he'd been through, this sort of riddle was no problem. It didn't matter what kind of partners they were or how they felt about another. They could love, hate, loathe or be oblivious towards each other, but when they fully trusted the other one, nothing else mattered. Because that was what was needed right from the beginning - this little thing called trust. The exact same thing which Barry had needed from Oliver during the night when he wanted to help to make the nightmares disappear. And the one very thing that had convinced Barry to stop being silent about his problems towards Oliver. It was only thanks to their mutual trust that he'd decided to share it with him in the day of his emotional breakdown. And this kind of trust was precious, accompanying them everywhere they went. Because without it, there would be no them. And this statement had never stopped being true. They'd just let themselves got astray from this road and now when they finally found each other, neither of them was ready to let that happen again.
"This is never going to work if we don't trust each other, Barry," Oliver claimed sorrowfully. Instead of a reply the brunet leaned his head on Oliver's shoulder, begging whoever was willing to listen. It can work and it will. But no words managed to come out of his mouth. He was just too scared that Oliver would leave him regardless of what he said. Such cruel idea was literally tearing him mercilessly apart.
Yet thankfully, it was like the blond could read his mind, because after a few more seconds Oliver turned his head towards Barry and squeezed the hand of his lover reassuringly.
"Lucky for us, we're both too stubborn to stop trying to accomplish that now," Oliver pointed out with a warm smile. Barry's heart fluttered at the sound of those words and he couldn't help but sheepishly return the smile, gripping the older man's arm tightly, unwilling to let go now.
"I know that part of you still loves her and I want you to know that I understand that. She was a huge part of your life and something like that can't just simply disappear. Maybe it never will. When it comes to me, what happened with Patty will probably never leave me completely alone. But the important thing is that it's part of who you are. It's not a flaw, it's not any kind of sign showing your imperfection. It's just another thing that formed the person I see today. And I don't want this person to leave. Not now, not ever. I've already learned how to trust you. I can learn it again." After this was spoken, they both knew that this was not the time to give up. Because after all, this little problem wasn't supposed to show them how imperfect their relationship was. It was supposed to show them that what they held was far more greater than a romantic affection. They were bonded by a friendship. That kind of friendship, which would survive everything if they'd decided to protect it at all cost. They might've erased all borders of a friendzone, but they had never stopped being friends.
"You know, Ollie, you keep saying that you changed thanks to me. That I made you a better person, but I honestly don't think that's true," Barry once again spoke up, scratching the back of his neck. "You haven't changed, because you were like this the whole time. You just refused to show it to this world, because you didn't have any reason to. But this nice, caring, thoughtful, compassionate person with all their flaws has been here the whole time, just waiting for the right time to come out of the darkness. I know this, because I've seen it before. I always knew you had it in you." The brunet offered him another warm smile, which couldn't leave Oliver cold no matter how hard he would try. Because the heat from his blushing cheeks refused to stay in one place. Instead of that, it grouped and spread everywhere where he needed it to be. And amongst many things it taught him one important thing – that love did indeed strange things to people. Before, Oliver had been worried all the time, afraid to take any risks, because he'd known that in the end it would only bring him more pain. No such thought wasn't true anymore. With Barry, he was ready for the risks, ready for the tears and for the heartbreaks as well. Because the brunet's presence gave him the courage he so desperately needed. And not just that. If the brunet stumbled, Oliver wanted to be there to catch him in time. And even if he'd fallen, the blond would help him stand up once again. Because that was what partners did. And that was exactly what they were and always had been.
"So are you ready to move forward from this? For good?" Barry asked, raising one of his eyebrows at the blond.
"Can't wait actually. And you're ready?" Oliver replied, lifting Barry's hand to his mouth and pressing a tender kiss on it. And Barry's soothing smile was the perfect proof that he liked the gesture.
"More than ever before," Barry agreed confidently and together with the blond stood up now fully facing him. He let his eyes once again wander to Oliver's blue ones and soon after that he once again got lost in them. Which caused him to wish one last thing, which would seal their reconciliation for good. So he slowly leaned in, but before anything could happen, he felt a sudden loss of the blond's presence which caused him only to whine. And when he opened his eyes and saw Oliver walking away, he couldn't help but dedicate the older mean a death glare.
"You are going to leave just like that?" he scoffed, crossing arms over his chest unbelievingly.
"I am, because I know that Joe is watching and honestly, I don't want to die just yet," Oliver explained, turning around to look at his lover for the last time. "But don't worry. We are not done with each other today yet."
"What's today?" Barry asked, confused, cocking his head to one side.
"Our date, so see you there," Oliver claimed and winked at his boyfriend, leaving afterwards. More happy and relieved than ever.
"But are we seriously gonna ignore the fact that you used Sara's voice to modify Gideon's?" Barry teased the blond, smirking even though Oliver refused to look back.
"Bye, Barry," Oliver put him down without turning around to face him. He just simply continued walking, because after all he had a date to plan. And he already couldn't wait.
I really hope that this little twist was worth the trouble in the end :). Thankfully, Harry and Gideon don't want their little family to perish, which makes them saviors. And now prepare for happiness… for now ;).