Blind (adj.): unable to see; sightless; alternatively, lacking perception, awareness, or discernment.

1 day later

Future Industries Airfield, Republic City

9 months, 2 weeks after the fall of the Red Lotus

"Whatcha got?"

Caitlin bit her lower lip, turning toward a stack of police reports on her desk. "The cop that was affected by our meta reported seeing a 'flash of red' before going haywire. Based on previous witness accounts, I think this man exhibits some kind of…chimerical traits."

Barry and Korra exchanged a look, the latter shrugging. "English?"

Cate sighed. "Spirit and human."

The couple stared at her openmouthed.

"He looks human, and for all intents and purposes is—except for the fact that he can possess people without altering his own bodily structure."

Korra blinked hard, shaking her head. "That's…impossible, apart from bloodbending."

"But last I checked," Barry countered, "bloodbending doesn't affect emotions. These victims may not have been in full control of their actions, but they were still…theirs."

Caitlin held up a finger in thought. "I think the meta may be possessed himself, or otherwise can impart a sliver of spiritual essence to cause a kind of…spiritual corruption."

"Like that dark energy at the bank," Barry said.

Korra's brows furrowed as her arms crossed. "I've seen spirits go haywire because of corruption, just get so angry that they can't think straight…but humans? They're usually the ones who cause it."

A huff left Barry's throat. "Ten to one odds a metahuman caused this one."

She gave him a look. "You mean—"

"The Reverse-Flash. It's the only possible explanation for everything we've discovered so far."

The Avatar's eyes rolled. "The man in yellow…just the gift that keeps on giving."

"But at least we now know how to stop his victims," Caitlin suggested, waving at Korra.

"She's right," Barry agreed. "If you could use spiritbending to neutralize dark spirits, something tells me you can do the same to the essence in infected victims."

Korra shrugged. "It's worth a shot." She nodded at the doctor. "Anything else?"

Caitlin shook her head slowly, a sharp breath entering her lungs as something occurred to her. "Oh. Barry, Chief wants to see you." She motioned toward the suit storage room.

Barry exchanged a look with Korra before proceeding inside alone. He was immediately greeted by a stern-looking Lin Beifong and Eddie Thorne. "Why do I feel like I just got called into the principal's office?"

"The Hood," Eddie said flatly, arms crossed.

"He calls himself the Arrow now," Barry corrected.

"Does he, Flash?" Lin asked sharply.

The speedster looked between them. "I'm sorry, what's the problem?"

His two semi-guardians exchanged a look. "We don't trust him," Eddie admitted.

Barry huffed. "You don't even know him."

"And you do?" Lin asked.

"Yes. Yes I do. We were…kinda friends growing up, more like acquaintances, but still. He's a good guy, and the last time we met him—"

"The last time we met," Lin interrupted, "we made a deal that would keep the Arrow out of Republic City permanently. His presence alone violates that deal."

"Okay, listen…I don't actually disagree with you there, but the main reason that deal even existed no longer applies. He doesn't kill people anymore."

"So, what, the other times just don't count?"

Barry stayed silent.

Eddie sighed. "Look, Barry. There's no denying that he does good work. He's been keeping a situation in the Earth Kingdom from descending into open civil war for months now, on top of taking down one of the world's deadliest assassins. That aside, the fact that he is here now complicates things."

Barry huffed and threw his hands up. "He's a hero, Eddie."

"You're a hero, Barry," Lin objected. "You offer protection, hope, light. What that man does is carry out a dark reckoning for his city. It is a brutal, violent vision of justice…one that we do not share."

He stared the two of them down for several seconds before a knock resounded at the door. The trio turned to see Cisco standing in the doorway.

"Sorry. This a bad time?"

Barry sighed hard, then shook his head. "Nah, we were just finishing up." He nodded toward Eddie. "Cisco's been waitin' for you to help with the treadmill."

Eddie smiled a little and nodded. "Gotcha." He gave one last look to Lin before rising and patting Barry on the shoulder as he walked past. "See ya Bear."

The moment he was out of sight, Barry's smile faded and he turned back to the woman.

"Look, Barry," Lin sighed. "You really think he's a hero, fine. But he's not the kind you should be looking up to."

Barry's jaw tightened for a moment before he exhaled slowly. "Look, let's just see what brought him here…and then we can decide whether or not to kick him out."

…

30 minutes later

"Is that an—"

"FI-26 precision cutter?" Cisco grinned. "Yep."

Felicity's eyes were wide and sparkling as she gingerly ran her hands over the machine, an amused Barry and Korra watching from the side. "I want one."

"For what it's worth," Cisco chuckled, "I think your boss can afford it."

"Speaking of," Eddie said from his spot under the treadmill, "when's he getting here?"

Felicity whipped over to him. "You—should probably go, actually."

"Huh?"

"The Arrow's…not too fond of meeting new people…specifically when it involves telling them his secret identity."

Cisco gave Eddie a sideways look. "You mean he doesn't know—"

Felicity's head shook.

"Oh…yeah, you should, uh…you should go, man. Don't want him to get all…arrowey."

"Is that even a word?" Korra asked.

"It is now."

Eddie's blue eyes flickered over to Barry with a long, pointed look. "If this Arrow guy's so dangerous, why are you letting him come here at all?"

Barry frowned when he saw the crestfallen look on Felicity's face. "Because he's not dangerous…to us." He huffed, running a hand through his hair. "Honestly, I don't know what your guys' problem is. He's just like us."

"Just with more…pointy objects," Felicity added with a shy smile.

Sensing the tension in the room, Eddie smiled at the girl and nodded. "I'll go. Let me just get my coat."

A gust of wind sent a few papers flying and Eddie's coat into his hand. The man chuckled.

"Much appreciated." He stood there and stared at Barry for a few seconds, shaking his head. "I'm never gonna get used to that."

Barry grinned and shrugged. "I thought so too, 'til I figured out I could run on water. At that point, nothing seemed strange anymore."

Eddie just chuckled and shook his head, making for the exit. A pronounced silence fell over the room until Korra broke it.

"So when is Oliver getting here?"

Felicity checked her watch. "Should be…right about now, actually."

"Think Eddie ran into him on the way out?" Barry asked.

"No," a new voice replied, "but he did run into me."

Barry turned toward the door and smiled, approaching their new guest. "Mr. Diggle."

He smiled and shook his hand. "C'mon, man, don't be so formal. It's just Diggle, or Digg if you like."

The speedster nodded as Korra approached the dark-skinned man.

"Avatar Korra," she said warmly, holding out her hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

He grinned. "Likewise." Digg turned toward the door and waved. "And now, the man of the hour."

Blonde hair was the first thing to be seen, followed by a thick torso and a long brown jacket, hands in its pockets. Oliver Queen's boyish yet regal form came into full view a moment later, his face smiling slightly as he stepped into the control center.

"Hear I've been causing quite the stir," Oliver said with surprising warmth.

Asami glanced over at an expectant Barry before responding. "Well, these days you can't be too careful. Besides, the last time you were here…"

Oliver grimaced. "Yeah. I remember." He looked over at Barry. "Sorry about the leg."

The speedster just snickered and shook his head.

"Mr. Queen," said a new voice from the storage room.

The man in question took a deep breath. "Chief Beifong."

She strode just inside the room and leaned against a nearby wall, arms crossed. "When last we met, I seem to remember making a deal with you that involved a little black book, a list of Red Lotus conspirators, and a requirement for you to stay the hell out of my city. Mind explaining why you're violating that last bit?"

"I recognize that I made a deal with you, and ordinarily, I'd follow it to the letter."

Lin arched an eyebrow. "But?"

His expression turned grim. "This is a special case, and it has nothing to do with the Red Lotus."

Her green eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"Felicity." He motioned to the blonde, who pulled a file from her messenger bag and laid it out on the room's central table. "Two weeks ago, we discovered a string of suspicious murders at various tiers of Ba Sing Se, all with the same MO." He pulled a photo from the set, a victim lying face-up with a boomerang in his chest. "Killed by a boomerang poisoned with a platinum-heavy toxin. We believe the perpetrator is this man." Oliver slapped a mug shot on the table of a grim-faced convict with dark eyes. "Digger Harkness, assassin-for-hire. Used to make a living hunting animals in the Southern Water Tribe. Now he hunts people."

"And?"

He looked over at Lin, then at Barry. "Harkness isn't the important part. The man he's working for is." Another picture was pulled from deeper in the file, blurry and indistinct, but still showing a dark figure all in black, armed with a bow, with what looked like studded armor across his chest and a masked hood over his head. "They call him 'Al Sa-Her.'"

Barry's eyebrows shot up. "Ominous."

Oliver looked up at him. "It means 'The Magician.'" He looked back down at the photo, pointing. "This man is personally responsible for over a dozen confirmed killings in Ba Sing Se, mostly corrupt businessmen and politicians."

"Sounds a bit like you, to be honest," Lin said flatly.

The archer shot her a sharp look. "Except for the fact that he's also indirectly responsible for two terror attacks, and the planning of at least three others, which I stopped. The aim of each—" he flipped a page to show the two successful attacks, "—was to discredit Count Vertigo and his rebellion."

Barry wagged a finger at the file. "I've been reading up a little on this Vertigo character, and for the life of me, I can't figure it out." He shrugged. "What's his deal?"

Oliver blinked. "Vertigo's real name is Werner Zytle. He's the last living member of House Vertigo, a 'noble' family in the Earth Kingdom, one of the last still standing after the country fell apart. When Kuvira started putting things back together, he…I believe 'freaked out' is the technical term."

"I don't get it," Korra said. "If Kuvira's setting things right, then why is Zytle making such a big deal about it?"

"Because," Digg replied, "during the insurrection, his family's lands were seized by the populace. When Kuvira restored order, he asked to have them back." His arms crossed. "She refused."

Korra's brows furrowed. "Why?"

"Zytle and his ilk weren't exactly the most upstanding citizens," Oliver explained, leaning his hands against the table. "In fact, whatever corrupt dealings the last queen was a part of, the Vertigo family was one of her chief beneficiaries. In return—"

"They helped her shake down the commoners." Her head shook. "Extortionist bi—"

"Korra," Barry chided.

She arched an eyebrow at him and stuck her tongue out. "She's lucky I didn't pulverize her the last time we met."

"Though based on how she died," Oliver responded, "something tells me that would've been a mercy."

Korra shivered as she gave him a look. "Don't remind me," she whispered.

Barry curled an arm around her shoulders, looking to Oliver. "So where does this Magician character fit in?"

The archer frowned and stared at the file. "I'm still not sure. By all indications, he opposes Zytle, but his methods are far too extreme to be government." A long silence passed before he looked up at Lin. "That uncertainty is why I had to come here. Harkness is the only solid tie we've had to Al Sa-Her in months. Hopefully he'll be able to get us some answers once we track him down."

Lin stared at the file for a few moments before sighing. "What do you need?"

Oliver looked up in surprise, then straightened. "Access to ledgers, cargo manifests, anything that can be used to track the movement of platinum in this city. Harkness is getting his toxin from somewhere."

Asami spoke up. "Since I'm more connected to local industry than the chief, I'll see what I can do about getting your information, especially since we plate our mecha tanks with platinum. We'll find him," she assured Oliver.

The man smiled a little. "Thank you." He nodded to his team and made for the door, getting halfway down the stairs before a voice stopped them.

"Whoa," Barry said, "that's it?"

Oliver stopped and turned to him. "The bad guy that you're after, the one who rented that storage unit? His name is Roy G. Bivolo."

"So he is human," Barry whispered, eyebrows furrowed. "Thanks." He looked back up at Oliver. "Uh, how did you find that out?"

Oliver just blinked and gave him a look.

Barry inhaled sharply. "The guy's still alive, right?"

His head tilted as if to ask, "Really?"

"I'm just…asking." His brows furrowed. "I thought you didn't want to help."

"I'm not," Oliver insisted. "It's…just a name."

Barry stared at him for a second, glancing at a sighing Felicity. "Okay," he said disbelievingly, turning back toward the control center and grinning to himself.

…

Oliver stood there for a few seconds, breathing out slowly before looking at his very blonde girlfriend. "Felicity, this is me, noticing you staring."

She tilted her head up slightly. "We need to help Barry with his case."

Oliver rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Why don't you want to help?"

"Because Barry doesn't really want my help, he only thinks he does."

"Lin Beifong and his…scientist big brother person accused you of being dangerous and a bad influence." She leaned toward him, looping her arms around his neck. "Barry defended you." When he still refused to budge, she drew closer and pouted slightly.

Oliver's eyes squeezed shut as he sighed hard, tilting his head toward the ceiling, then looking back down at her with a smirk. "You're gonna hock me about this until I say yes, aren't you?"

Felicity grinned and nodded rapidly as Digg snickered in the background. "Mhm. I'm a hocker."

His brows furrowed. "Is that even a word?"

"It is now," she whispered into his lips before theirs met, Diggle letting out an awkward cough in the background. Pulling away, Felicity turned bright red and quickly let go of Oliver as he too paced awkwardly. She cleared her throat. "So. Are you gonna tell him, or should I?"

Oliver just rolled his eyes and marched back up the stairs into the control room, where a slightly surprised Barry glanced at his watch and smirked. Ollie sighed and approached him. "Okay."

The speedster's eyebrows rose expectantly as his smirk widened and the whole room turned to watch. "Okay what?"

"Okay, we'll help you catch your bad guy."

Barry grinned. "Great. Metahuman."

Oliver gritted his teeth. "I am not calling him that, Barry."

Behind Oliver, someone, probably Cisco, let out a snicker as the Flash's girlfriend just grinned and shook her head.

Barry rolled his eyes and extended his hand. "So, partners?"

Ollie let out a long breath and shook it, involuntarily noting the disapproving glares Lin was throwing his way. "Partners."

As he left the building to prepare, Oliver couldn't help but pick up how she got close to Barry, or the quietly spoken, "I hope you know what you're doing," that carried more than a note of suspicion and disappointment. As he walked toward the rest of his team and out of the building, he could only hope that Felicity was right. Otherwise…this was going to be a very short partnership.

…

4 hours later

Republic City outskirts

A streak of golden lightning sped into the field where Oliver Queen stood staring out into the distance.

"Hey!" Barry called as he approached him.

"You're late," Oliver replied flatly. "Barry, how can you have superspeed and still not be on time?"

He cringed. "Sorry. I guess the super-tardiness kinda neutralizes it." He took a long look around. "So…how do we catch Bivolo here?"

"Oh, no, we don't here. We're here to train."

Barry gave him a sideways look. "Just so you know, I've been trained by the Avatar and the Chief."

Oliver's head tilted. "I read a series of articles on you, many of them by a Linda Park. Visited every crime scene you've fought at."

"Don't you sleep?"

He didn't reply. "Two months ago, you confronted a man named Leonard Snart."

Barry grinned. "We call him Captain Cold."

Oliver shot him a look. "We can talk about you giving your enemies silly codenames later."

The speedster's eyebrows shot up as he let out a snicker. "What, you mean like over coffee with Count Vertigo and the Huntress?"

Ollie winced. "The point is that you engaged Snart on a commuter train, which he derailed."

Barry winced and shrugged. "Okay, there may have been some damage, but I got the job done. I was the hero."

"Barry, when you approach a new environment, do you case every inch of it? You could. You have the time. But you don't. You just run in blind."

"That time was different," Barry insisted as he looked down and away. "And…admittedly, I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind."

His features softened slightly. "Which is exactly my point." Oliver marched toward his parked bike, the speedster following him. "There is a difference, Barry, between powers and having precision."

"When I came to see you, you said I could be an inspiration to people."

He reached down and grabbed his bow and an arrow. "Living this life takes more than a mask, it takes discipline." He nocked the arrow, taking a deep breath. "And since you are probably as stubborn as I am—"

"Whoa," Barry interrupted, pointing at the loaded bow. "What is that for?"

Oliver glanced behind him. "You're gonna run over there, then you're gonna come back at me, and you're gonna get hit with an arrow."

Barry glanced at the spot, then back at Oliver. "No I'm not," he laughed.

Oliver chuckled. "Yes you are."

The speedster grinned. "Okay, Oliver, the last and only time you managed to hit me was because I was blindsided."

"Mhm, and you were blindsided because you rushed in without thinking."

Barry's eyes rolled as he sighed. "Fine. I will humor you." He sprinted over to a nearby hill. "Ready?!"

Oliver drew back the arrow and took aim, letting out a breath. "Ready."

He held it for another two seconds before releasing as Barry's blurred form streaked toward him. The projectile stopped six inches from his chest as the speedster held it by the shaft.

Barry arched both eyebrows smugly. "Nice try."

"Hm," was Oliver's only response as two arrows hit Barry from behind.

The speedster shrieked as he looked behind to see two green shafts sticking out of his back. His head whipped back to Oliver. "You shot me?!"

Oliver smirked as he walked behind him and gripped both arrows. "I heard you heal fast."

Barry let out another shriek as they were unceremoniously yanked from his back, giving Oliver a death glare as the archer suppressed laughter and marched off toward his bike. "That is not funny."

He let out a tiny snicker. "It's kinda funny, when you think about it." He put both arrows back in his quiver, placing his bow in its slot as he sat on the bike. "I'm actually surprised you didn't spot that, considering you figured out how I used the remote crossbow on Lin last time I was here."

Barry grimaced. "Yeah, I'm…a little disappointed with myself on that one too."

Oliver grinned and shook his head. "This is why we need to train."

The speedster gave him a stare.

"Look, Barry, I'm not saying you aren't good, because by all reports, this city would be a whole lot of rubble if you weren't. I'm just saying that there's still room for improvement."

Sighing hard, Barry swallowed his pride and nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay…" An image of a yellow blur flashed through his vision, his jaw tightening. He looked back up at Oliver. "So what's next?"

…

2 hours later

Police HQ

Barry's brows furrowed as he spotted a gray-haired military officer in Lin's office, the pair in a heated argument until the chief shot him a death glare and said something that sent him storming out of the room. He shoved past Barry as the CSI grabbed his smacked shoulder and shot him a frown.

"Rude," he muttered, entering the office a second later and knocking on the doorframe.

She arched an eyebrow at him, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Need something, Allen?"

He jerked his thumb toward the door. "What was that all about?"

Her upper lip twitched. "That was General Wade Eiling. He wants to reinstitute the anti-Flash task force, citing him as a 'potential menace to society.'" She snorted. "If I had an arrest warrant for every potential menace in Republic City, half the population would be behind bars."

Barry's brows furrowed. "Think he's gonna be trouble?"

She sighed and smiled a little. "Not the kind you'll have to deal with, if I have anything to say about it." Her expression sobered. "You, however, forgot to tell me that you got Bivolo's name from shooting that storage guy in the leg."

He paled slightly. "Well, technically I didn't shoot him."

Lin arched an eyebrow and rose from her seat to approach him. "Well, what word would you use to describe how you got this information? I'm gonna go with…torture."

Barry sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I…look, the Arrow gets results."

"He's a crazy man."

He chuckled softly. "Okay, I don't actually disagree with you at the moment, but we wouldn't even have Bivolo's name if it weren't for the Arrow." Barry sighed hard. "And whether or not we like it, he saved both our lives last night…so maybe instead of judging him, you should just be thanking him."

Lin's eyes narrowed dangerously, and the CSI gulped involuntarily. "Get over to the airfield. I think Thorne's making some progress with that treadmill."

Barry let out a relieved sigh as she went back to her desk. "That all, Chief?"

She arched an eyebrow as she sat back down. "What were you expecting, a cookie? Get out of here."

The CSI sighed and shook his head, grinning as he walked out the door, bumping into Mako.

"Oh, hey Bear."

"Mako. What's up?"

The detective frowned and looked over the bullpen. "Yeah…this latest robbery case has us all in a twist." He looked back at Barry. "You got anything that can give us a leg up on this guy?"

"Well…I recently found out that his name is Roy G. Bivolo."

Mako arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"What?"

The detective smirked. "Roy. G. Bivolo."

Barry shrugged. "What?"

Mako sighed and shook his head. "Roy. G—"

"Oooooh…I get it." His brows furrowed. "Like the light spectrum…and one of his victims reported seeing a flash of red, too…that's a bit of a strange coincidence."

"Little too strange, if you ask me."

"But honestly, since the Flash, what's weird anymore?"

Mako snorted a laugh. "Got that right. Speaking of weird, I still don't understand why you've been so on edge around me lately."

"W-What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Well, first it was at the station, then the crime scene, and then it was at the park with Korra."

Barry frowned at the mention of the last one. "I'm fine. Just…dealing with a lot right now."

Mako arched an eyebrow. "Relationship problems? I mean, I talked to Korra yesterday, and it sounded like everything was fine with you two."

He stared at him openmouthed for a second. "Oh…so you…talked to Korra? Huh."

The detective shrugged. "Is that so weird? We're old friends, Barry."

The CSI forced a smile. "Y-Yeah, I know. Nah, it's not weird. Sorry. I just haven't been sleeping so well lately. No, we're good, Korra and me. We're all good."

Mako gave him a concerned look, but nodded. "Okay. Well, I'll let you get back to work."

"Mhm." Barry walked off toward the exit.

"Um, Bear?"

"Yeah?"

"Your lab's that way."

He let out a chuckle. "Right." His smile faded as soon as Mako was out of sight. He was gone the next second.

…

Future Industries Airfield

"So, Felicity, have you ever heard of chimeric symbiosis?"

"The theory that two races can be bonded on a more permanent level without harm?"

Caitlin sighed and grinned. "It is so nice to have another woman to talk to."

Felicity gave her a confused look.

Caitlin shrugged. "Asami's great and all, but...she's our boss. And Korra's, well...a bit of a tomboy."

The blonde chuckled and gave her a small nod.

"So, having another very intelligent girly girl around is...a nice change from the norm."

Felicity let out a small groan. "I know. Not that I don't love my boys and all, but…yeesh, I swear the testosterone levels get outright toxic."

Cate let out a small giggle. "Well, I was thinking that if Bivolo is somehow manipulating spiritual energy, that…" Her voice trailed off as her expression darkened.

Felicity gave her a concerned look. "Caitlin?"

She inhaled sharply, looking up at the blonde. "What? Oh, yes. Um…I was thinking that the Reverse-Flash may have figured out a way to…I don't know, bond a human with an angry spirit, without doing permanent damage to either of them."

The blonde nodded slowly. "Okay?"

"And…I was thinking…that if he managed to pull that off with Bivolo…maybe he could've done it with someone else."

Felicity arched an eyebrow. "Like?"

Cate's lips pursed, and she reached over to her desk, pulling a thick file off it. "Ronnie Raymond."

Felicity blinked hard, looking over the contents of the file, including a picture of Cate with Ronnie, both smiling. "You…your…"

"Fiancé."

"Oh…wow." She blinked rapidly, looking up at Cate. "What makes you think—"

"Because he's alive, Felicity. I saw him, when the Reverse-Flash tried to kill me during the sting. He stepped in, saved Barry's life."

Felicity looked back down at the file, her eyes scanning over an article by Linda Park. "The 'Burning Man'?"

"That's what they're calling him," she replied softly. "And for good reason. When I knew him, he wasn't that powerful of a firebender. Used his abilities mostly for welding and cutting, ya know, engineering stuff. But now…"

"Now he can cause outright infernos just by flicking his hands."

"And the way his head and hands burst into flames…it's not natural." Caitlin frowned, the women sharing a look. "I don't think Ronnie's…Ronnie anymore."

Letting out a choppy breath, Felicity looked down at the file, and the one blurry picture they had of this…Burning Man. "Wow…" She looked back up at Cate. "I am gonna look into this when I get back home, okay?"

Caitlin smiled a little and nodded. "I appreciate it. Thank you."

Felicity smiled back brightly, turning when someone cleared their throat by the door.

"Hey Felicity," Eddie called. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," she replied, walking over to him and stepping into a hallway out of Cate's earshot.

"Look…you know how much I've always cared about Barry."

"Of course."

"And…you know I don't like unknown quantities, mainly because I find them to be dangerous and toxic." He turned to her as they stopped walking. "The Arrow is unknown."

She sighed. "I can assure you, Eddie, he's not dangerous—to us."

"Well…of that I have little doubt, and yet I find myself with a conundrum." Eddie leaned closer. "How can I completely trust a man when I don't even know his name?"

Felicity gave him a long look.

"So…I was hoping that you could help me trust him. Who is he under the hood?"

Her eyes narrowed and lips pursed. "That is not my secret to tell."

A long, tense silence passed between them before Eddie smiled and nodded. "Of course." He walked off, hands in the pockets of his lab coat. "I'll figure it out on my own."

Felicity stared after him for a long moment before a gust of wind at her back got her attention. "Hey," she said with a smile.

"Hey," he replied, somewhat glumly.

"How'd it go with Oliver?"

"Ugh," he groaned, walking into the control center. "You know, to be honest, not exactly the partnership I had in mind."

"Did he really do the thing with the arrows?"

Barry whirled on her, a disbelieving look on his face. "You knew he was gonna shoot me?"

She backed up a step. "Whoa, it is practically impossible to tell when Oliver's making a joke."

The speedster shot her a skeptical look before shaking his head and striding into the command center. Asami and Caitlin were leaned over a desk, the former tuned into the police frequency.

"Barry," Asami called. "We just got a report of a severe domestic dispute near an abandoned Triad den."

"Where?" he asked, already heading for his suit.

"Corner of Jarvis and Tenth, Dragon Flats."

He nodded once, pulling his suit off the dummy.

"We should let the Arrow know," Felicity said.

"I can handle this solo," Barry replied offhandedly. "I've done it before."

Her brows furrowed in concern. "Barry, I really think you need to wait—"

"Felicity," he interrupted sharply, his tone bearing an edge she'd rarely heard. "I don't need his help."

A gust of wind later, and he was gone.

…

2 minutes later

Dragon Flats borough

The Flash sped down one street after the next, heading for Bivolo's location and streaking through the open door, the building's disrepair evident from the stripped paint and doors hanging off their hinges. One was still intact, and locked to boot. He held the knob with one hand, vibrating it at rapid speeds until the bolts came off and the knob detached from the door. Pushing it open, his jaw clenched as his eyes scanned over the room, the speedster moving halfway inside before hearing the rattling of loose floorboards behind him. He whirled around to see Bivolo standing there, smirking malevolently.

"I knew you'd be coming for me," he drawled smugly. "I could see it in your eyes at the bank. When I turned those people against each other," he smiled wider, "it made you angry."

Barry snarled and yelled as he tacked him across the room into a wall, the hybrid grunting at the impact, but staring him down nonetheless.

"Have some real anger."

The next thing Barry knew, he was staring into an overwhelming wall of red, hearing faint whispers in his subconscious as he blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear it away. When his vision finally stabilized, he was alone, and knew without a doubt that either Oliver, Lin, or Eddie would be reaming him out later. Probably all three.

…

2 hours later

Future Industries Airfield

"No signs of macular damage. Your retina and cornea seem unaffected."

Barry sighed. "I told you, I'm fine."

"You said Bivolo 'whammied' you," Korra said uncertainly.

Felicity also gave Barry a concerned look. "No desire to go all psycho on any of us?"

He shrugged. "No. I mean, something weird happened with his eyes for a sec."

Korra arched a brow. "Something weird?"

"Yeah. His eyes…everything went red."

Korra looked over at Caitlin. "You were right."

Barry's eyes rolled, and he pushed himself off the medical bed. "Next thing you know, Bivolo was gone." He strode out of the med bay, past a watching Lin and Eddie. "Look, obviously his powers didn't work on me, for one reason or another, so—"

"It was stupid for you to go out there alone," Caitlin scolded. "You take too many risks. Fast as you are, that's gonna catch up with you."

He sighed in annoyance and turned on her. "Caitlin, I'm not Ronnie. You gotta stop treating me like I am."

Korra's jaw dropped slightly as both Felicity and Lin's eyebrows shot upward. Caitlin just stared at him, her expression fading to a blank stare.

"You're right," she replied coldly, striding past him. "You're not."

Barry just rolled his eyes and sighed, looking over at a dumbstruck Korra. "What?"

Korra winced slightly at his tone, walking toward him and looking him over for a second before shaking her head. "You are such a lovable dummy."

He arched an eyebrow. "Thanks?"

The Avatar rolled her eyes and walked in Cate's direction, leaving Barry to face the wrath of his guardians. Lin stayed silent, instead heading over to speak with Felicity, but Eddie grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

"Caitlin's not wrong, Barry."

His head tilted. "You too? Really?"

Eddie frowned. "Bear, when you brought me into the fold, I stood behind you all the way because I thought you knew what you were doing, because I thought you had everything under control. But being here the last few days? Seeing what you're up against, and how you respond?" His head shook as he huffed disbelievingly.

"What?" Barry asked with rising heat.

"Barry, you think that because you can run fast that you're invincible. You're not."

The speedster's expression turned progressively more sour.

"You have a sterling career, a great group of friends, and yet for some reason, that's still not enough. Instead, you have to go out there and risk your life, and for what? Because of survivor's guilt, 'cause of your parents?"

"Excuse me?" he hissed in disbelief. "There is no guilt in what I do, and in case you didn't notice from the freaking attempted murder over a year ago, I'm already at risk. But now? Now I can actually make a difference in this city, stop crimes instead of just cleaning up after them."

"Really?" Eddie's head shook slowly. "I'm sorry, Bear, but I cannot stand idly and let you commit suicide because you have some kind of hero complex!"

Barry's eyes narrowed dangerously as everyone around them turned in the direction of their argument.

Eddie's gaze hardened. "You're not a hero. You're just a kid who was struck by lightning."

Barry stared at him for a few seconds before huffing into a series of low, dark chuckles. "You're serious? Let me explain something to you, Eddie." He stepped toward him threateningly. "I didn't 'bring you into the fold' so you could question my decisions, and I sure as hell don't have to listen to this crap. I've listened to doubt before, from Lin, from Korra, even myself, and all that's ever done is hold me back, okay? People have died because I've held back."

"Barry—"

"No," he interrupted, voice rising. "I was doing this for nine months before I had you breathing down my neck, trying to 'protect' me, and I am still here. Why? Because you're wrong. 'Cause I am a hero." He snarled and got up in Eddie's face. "I'm the Flash…and I don't need your approval to do my job." Barry turned and walked toward the door. "Nor do I want it."

Eddie stared at him openmouthed. "No, wait, Barry, that's not what I—"

He was gone a second later.

…

Korra stared at the space Barry had just occupied, her ocean blue eyes slowly turning to Eddie. "He's right."

The man turned to face her.

"Doubt is the last thing he needs right now. Indecision, hesitation…that's what's gonna get him killed. It already almost has." She approached him and jabbed a finger into his chest. "And doubt from someone like you, someone he respects and trusts, is gonna hurt him the most."

Eddie stared at her wordlessly.

Korra turned for the door. "If you really want to keep him safe, you'll stand behind him, not in his way."

…

20 minutes later

Republic City, Residential District

I can't believe him.

Barry scowled at his countertop, his hands vibrating as he wiped off a grease stain from yesterday's dinner. The otherwise empty apartment was the perfect place for what was currently occupying his mind. He'd been brooding over Eddie's actions for the last twenty minutes almost non-stop, everything in him seething. Well, almost everything. A small but critical part of himself was experiencing overwhelming hurt. How could Eddie, of all people, his big brother, his mentor, say something like that to him? Did he have any notion of how important being the Flash was to him? With a snort, he decided that the answer to that question was no.

Tossing the cleaning rag into the sink, Barry rinsed off his hands and grabbed the towel as several knocks sounded at his door. Sighing hard, he marched over to the entrance and pulled it open to see Korra standing there. His eyes rolled.

"If you're here to scold me about earlier, I think I've had all I can handle for one day."

She stayed utterly silent, instead stepping toward him with purpose, her expression focused. Barry's eyes shot wide open as she grabbed both sides of his face and pulled his lips down to hers, her leg kicking the door closed behind them as she half-dragged him toward his room. Immediately responding, he kissed her back with equal ferocity, holding her against him as he zipped them inside, the door shutting behind them as he laid her on his bed back-first. He loomed over her, hands braced on the mattress on either side of her head as his head leaned down.

The couple's movements were cloaked in shadow as Barry lost his shirt and Korra her braids, her hair hanging loosely around her head as one thing led to the next. All said, they lay in bed twenty minutes later, Barry's head laid against her bare shoulder, his right hand absently stroking her side as hers weaved through his auburn hair. The younger man let out a long, contented sigh as he nuzzled and kissed her neck tenderly, his frustrations and energy utterly spent in a frenzied make-out session that would likely leave bruises on his girlfriend the next day.

As they lay there, she whispered gently in his ear, soft statements that made his heart do little flips and his arms hold her just a little tighter. When all was said and done, his face was buried in her neck and his lips pressed against her collarbone, small amounts of moisture leaking from his closed eyes.

"Korra," he whispered after a while.

"Hm?" she murmured sleepily.

"I…I don't know what I'll do if I ever lose you."

The girl sighed and smiled down at him as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Put it out of your head. Whatever happens between us…you're never gonna lose me."

Barry squeezed his eyes shut and nodded into her neck. He dropped off to sleep a few seconds later.

AN: Ok…so wow, this took forever to write. I am so so so sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Between Star Wars and Arrow and traveling and the Wild Hunt and massive writer's block—let's just say it's been difficult to write as of late and leave it at that. Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying this story arc thus far. The climax is fast approaching, and with it will come a whole slew of interpersonal issues and conflict.

Stay tuned for next time's confrontation between the Flash and the Arrow.

Oya, vode.

- CDrake

The Flash vs. Arrow - Training Barry: out in the field/getting shot; What's Up, Doc?: Eddie and Felicity to getting whammied; Barry Gets Whammied: start-0:44—arguing with Eddie