Silvers003: Thank you! I'm sending you a big hug, because I'm so grateful you are still reading this story and also because you leave reviews on every single chapter! You are so amazing and I thank you for that!... That was supposed to be just some random child to be honest XD sorry, but I wasn't thinking it over as much as I should apparently. But you and I, we can pretend that it was either Cisco or Barry. Whatever you prefer ;)… And your second question – I don't quite know. I don't have any kind of plans for Sara at this point, so I really don't care if she is a bisexual or not. I don't know, you tell me :). Also thank you for reading my one-shot "Just an excuse" :). Your review definitely lightened up my mood ;). And enjoy the new chapter ;).

Silvertongue25: Okay, you probably won't read this, but screw it. I understand your opinion and I get your points, because you're right, Oliver is OOC in this story. But I need you to see it from my perspective too. I think that the Oliver we love on the show exists mostly because of the island and what has happened to him throughout the seasons of Arrow. But this Oliver has a very different story. He lost almost everyone close to him in such a young age. He is younger than he is in the show, which is why I think he has some rights to be OOC. Because I changed his backstory in many ways. And I get that it's better when characters aren't like that, but please, understand that this is my first fanfic. I'm only 17 and so I'm a huge amateur in this and it's very difficult for me to write his character as he is in the show. At this point I feel like all characters here are OOC, but there are many fics which are the same and I think there is nothing wrong with that. Or at the very least I hope it is okay. But then again I understand why you feel this way. There are many things I regret about this story, but I can't change them. And so I'm sorry that I couldn't write this better so you would actually like it…

This chapter might be boring and horrible for you and I deeply apologize for that, but I feel shitty these days, so everything seems much more… difficult to me. I'm sorry if Thea is OOC, but then again so is pretty much everyone else, because I'm a horrible writer… duh.


After that call with Oliver, Barry really believed that things would get better for him. That he would stop missing him so much, that he would stop being so worried all the time. That Oliver would finally stop being the main phenomenon in his mind. This was how he'd imagined it would go, but now he could see that the truth couldn't be farther from that. Because his whole situation only exacerbated.

Right now, he was with Sara having breakfast in Jitters and instead of being grateful that Jitters existed in Starling City too, he couldn't stop being anxious. It didn't matter what he was doing, his brain always managed to find connections with Oliver which no one else would even think of. He was drinking his favorite coffee, thinking of how heartwarming it felt that Oliver knew what his favorite coffee was and would buy him one every morning with that perfect smile of his.

He was talking with Sara, laughing with her, having a good day with her and his mind still couldn't help but wander off to a thought of what Oliver might think of them if he'd been there with them. Would he tease Barry about his fresh new friendship with Sara? Would he be smiling ravishingly like he always did? Would he keep looking at him every time he'd been sure that Barry hadn't been watching? With that look which indicated how much Barry meant for him? That he meant everything? And would he just grab him and kiss him senseless until they would both lose their breaths? Probably, Barry inwardly answered and silently chuckled so Sara wouldn't notice.

But in the end, it didn't matter anyway, because Oliver was not here. He was six hundred miles away from him and Barry didn't even know whether his boyfriend was alright or not. It was his paranoia striking once again, ambushing him from all fronts. And deep down Barry knew that the only thing which could ease his mind for good was if Oliver had miraculously appeared in front of him. But otherwise, he was destined only to worry for now, although he could hardly understand why it was bothering him so much.

The truth was that as soon as he'd gotten on the train and Oliver had disappeared from his sight, he'd started missing him. And he hadn't stopped until they'd had that call. And when Barry had hung up, that was yet another moment when he'd started desperately missing him. And he still hadn't stopped.

It was still going strong, twisting him mercilessly inside. And no matter what he did and how hard he tried, he couldn't shake that feeling off. He couldn't force himself to think of anything else even though more troubling problems were waiting to get him. And it was confusing him beyond imagination, because all those feelings, this anxiety and worry were something he hadn't experienced for some time. They weren't completely unknown to him, but they weren't common for him either. All those feelings almost felt like they were something he'd used to know before and then forgotten about it. And now he just needed to comprehend them again. That was the only way how his confusion and anxiety could vanish completely.

And then suddenly someone made an appearance which instantly pulled him out of his daydream and it was no one else than the one and only Thea Queen.

"Handsome," he heard her say as soon as she approached their table. He had to blink multiple times before his mind completely returned to reality and as soon as he realized how she'd called him, he started blushing just like the day before.

"It's actually Barry," he claimed nervously as he was trying so hard to ignore how Sara was smirking at him.

"Handsome suits you better," Thea pointed out and dedicated him a smug smile when she noticed how his blushing level even increased. Barry wanted to hide his heated face, but he was aware that would only make things worse for him. And so his eyes just flew over to Sara with a pleading look, begging for help. But the blond in front of him had nothing like that in mind. Instead of that she quickly stood up without any warning and politely excused herself, which made Barry even more furious.

"I should get back to work before Tommy gets lonely. Have fun, you two," Sara encouraged and winked at poor Barry who just glared at her. She'd left him do the dirty work and that just complicated so many things for him.

"Sorry about yesterday by the way. I wasn't myself and I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable," Thea sincerely apologized and sat down on the same spot Sara had just left.

"Don't worry. I've already forgotten about it," Barry claimed and offered her a strained smile, because this one particular memory was annoyingly resilient in leaving him alone.

"You seem more nervous than I am," Thea remarked and lifted one of her eyebrows.

"I'm not nervous."

"Ollie is really lucky to have you as your boyfriend, because you're terrible in lying," Thea pointed out, smirking at him and when she saw how Barry's eyes widened at that statement, he couldn't help but let a chuckle escape her mouth.

"I may not have a perfect brain as my brother does, but I'm not stupid, Barry. Your pupils widen every time you speak about him. You are anxious because he isn't here with you, aren't you?"

"Don't tell me that your deduction skills are something that runs in the family," Barry snorted.

"My foster dad taught me and Tommy. He used to keep us from eating until we would tell him our daily observations. That is why Tommy is a detective. For him it's easy to read people. It's the same for me, but I have it more like a hobby. And you, Barry? What are you to him?"

"It's just like you said. I'm his boyfriend," Barry replied with a slight smile, because after all this time, saying this statement out loud still meant undeniably much to him and it hadn't failed to make his heart flutter. Not at least once.

Thea seemed stunned at first by that reply. It almost seemed like she was expecting Barry to be something more than just a boyfriend, but she quickly shrugged it off and nodded. "And Sara?"

"His ex-girlfriend."

"Really?" Thea questioned with a smirk forming on her face. "You two are quite a couple."

"She is the reason why I'm here."

"She didn't come to me on her own even though she could have. But you did. And the words you said to me yesterday… no one knows the meaning behind them. I've never told anyone about what happened between me and Oliver. Not even Tommy. And here you are, fully aware of their true worth. You must be really special to him if he told you about this," Thea stated with weak smile.

"Or maybe I was just prying too much to it," Barry pointed out jokingly and let a small grin settle on his face. Instead of any reply, Thea just smiled with amusement and Barry couldn't help but feel proud that he was able to make someone so broken smile again. Maybe he was gifted after all, with that cheery voice and hopeful eyes. Or maybe she and Oliver just felt sorry for him and smiled in front of him just to make him happy.

"What is he like? Does he still tend to show off his unbeatable skills?" Thea asked with a clear curiosity sparkling in her eyes. However, Barry didn't share her enthusiasm, because he knew better than anyone that the answer to this kind of questions were much more complicated than anyone would want them to be. And besides, answering questions was hardly the reason why he'd come here.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" he asked in the end and slightly lifted one of his eyebrows. The small hint of innocence and curiosity completely vanished from Thea's eyes and only hopelessness and sorrow remained.

"You came all the way here from Central City so you would convince me to go back with you? To meet him? Then you can stop trying, because that's not gonna happen and you can't tell me anything that would change my mind about it," she stubbornly stated and stood up and before Barry could stop her, she headed towards the entrance door. Yet Barry didn't stay stunned by this for long. He quickly ran after her, because there was no way he was going to leave it just like this.

"Then why did you come here? When you never intended to leave with me?" Barry shouted at her from afar as he was still trying to catch up with her. And although people around them were staring at him, he couldn't convince himself to care in that moment. Because for him only one thing mattered.

"I don't know!" Thea shouted back at him even though he was already right by her side. "I guess I was just curious. And I wanted to know what has become of my brother. But I have nothing more to say to you. So why can't you just leave me the fuck alone?"

Barry watched the broken look Thea dedicated him and truth to be told, he couldn't be more wonderstruck by what he was seeing right in that moment. Because it wasn't rage which was glowing in her eyes. It was sorrow. This utter sorrow, which was fueling her actions. Giving them reason to exist. It was that pain which was trying to push him away from her, to cover everything she was hiding deep inside. And although it pained him to see it, he knew this look very well, he knew this sorrow more than he was willing to admit. But with all that hurt and feeling of helplessness, he knew that this could be conquered and there was a way for him how to get to her. Because she hardly knew it, but the more she was trying to make herself sound tough and cold about those things, the more broken she sounded to him.

And so even when she didn't stop marching away from him, he wasn't willing to give up so easily. And so he followed her, all the way through Starling City, never really knowing where they were heading. And yet he could hardly care less in that moment.


"Can't you just please stop following me?" Thea exclaimed loudly as her feet stopped moving in front of Verdant and she spun around to face him.

"No, not really," Barry murmured as his head lowered and he smiled weakly at the ground beneath him. Then he lifted it back up and spoke up loudly: "I mean, I've come all this way here without listening to my second thoughts. And believe me I've had plenty of them, telling me to let this go for good, but here I am. So why would I give up now?"

"Why are you even doing this? Why bother with something which is not your problem? Because you believe that he would do the same for you? Oliver Queen is a selfish person and convincing yourself will do nothing else than just hurt you in the most dreadful ways."

"You're wrong. He is not like that at all! You don't know him like I do," Barry defended as he followed Thea right inside the empty club. No one was there but them.

"Of course, you probably see him like a selfless hero and the most perfect soul in this world, because he means so much to you," Thea mocked him with her heartbeat rapidly escalating. "I can't understand why you are still siding with him even though you know what he did to me!"

"What he did to you is one of the main reasons why I think you are wrong about him. Because he knew that you needed someone who would take care of you and who would give you that chance you so desperately needed. The chance of a better future. To have a normal life. He knew that he couldn't give you what you needed and so he made a decision to rather use his brain than his heart. Because he would have rather spent the rest of his days thinking about how you might look like, how your voice might sound and what kind of a person you are inside. He chose this instead of letting you rot with him, even though he knew perfectly how much it was going to hurt. And I'm sorry but you can't convince me to think that this was a selfish thing to do."

"People just tend to talk about my future so incredibly often, because they worry that what happened to me might affect it. But no one has ever asked me what I would want from life, what I would want to become one day and how I would want my life to go. And I can assure you, Barry, that back then I was a child full of dreams and hopes, ready to do whatever was needed to make them come true. But then I lost two out of three most important people in my life. Two pillars who could make me feel better when I was sad, who could give me hope when I saw none and who could give me courage whenever I needed it. And I can guarantee you that after that my future was the last thing that was on my mind.

All I wanted was to stay with him no matter what, because deep down I let myself believe that I would be okay if he'd stayed with me and that only with him I could be really happy. And one day he pushed me away. He might have slapped me and said all those horrible things, but neither of those things could trump the pain I felt when I saw him leaving like it was the easiest thing in this world. He didn't look back that day, not even once. And it hurts, it hurts so much when the person who is supposed to be your beacon of hope suddenly abandons you. Especially when you have no idea what you did wrong to make them leave. He might have done it for me, so I would have a future, but that doesn't mean it hurts less."

"I know, but the same applies to him. It doesn't hurt him less either. And he misses you every day. No matter how much he is trying to deny it I can see it clearly when I look into his blue eyes. There is a part of him which indicates that something is missing. This part has been there ever since I met him. Because he misses you. His sister. The only thing he's got left from this part of his life."

"I might actually believe it if he was here with you but I don't see him anywhere, so why should I believe your words? And that he really misses me, when he is not here to tell me by himself?"

"Because of the same reason you don't want to see him either. You are both scared to see the other one, but you can't ignore him forever. He is your brother."

"Tommy Merlyn is my brother! He is the one who was there every time I needed him. Going to school was difficult for me. Learning normal stuff seemed too hard and he was always there to help me with it. He's the one who keeps making fun of me. He's the one who pisses me off with his overprotectiveness when it comes to dating. Oliver stopped being my brother the day he abandoned me. He made his choice and I made mine. We're better off separated so let this go, Barry!" Thea shouted with clear rage dripping from her. However, Barry could hear her trembling voice, could see her fluttering eyes which were fighting so hard to keep the tears in bay. She was really close to an utter breakdown and no matter how hard she was trying to deny it, he could see it clearly.

"You know what's your problem?" she spat out angrily after a slight moment of silence, jabbing her finger at him. "Your loyalty to him and how undoubtedly you trust him with everything. You're willing to move mountains for him and one day it is going to hurt you so much that you won't be able to keep going anymore. You think you know him but you don't. Not really. Because the way I see it, all that it takes, all it's gonna be needed is just one more person dying on his watch. He loses just one more soul he loves and he is going to break so much that you won't even recognize him. And then he will push you away without feeling any guilt, because that's who he is, Barry! And that's how his perfect brain forces him to think. You should open your eyes before it's too late."

"No," Barry determinedly stated without blinking.

"No?" Thea repeated incredulously.

"I'm sorry but I can't seriously believe that what you are saying is true. Not after everything I've been through and what I've seen. You see, I don't think you can possibly be still mad at him for that. I think that you are just scared of facing him like he is scared of facing you. And so you keep coming up with excuses just to get rid of me."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Barry spat out at her with widened eyes as his patience was quickly slipping through his fingers. And yet even though his heartbeat was escalating rapidly and he could feel his legs trembling, none of it could stop his common sense from working properly. And thanks to that he could clearly see the similarity.

He couldn't blame Thea for behaving like this, couldn't be mad at her either, because deep down he knew that what he was seeing in her eyes and hearing in her voice was not a completely new thing for him. And this information was rapidly climbing through all his layers until it reached his brain and the thought struck him. He couldn't shout at her, nor hate her for how she was acting, because he could still remember the day when he'd been exactly like her. When nothing else had been on his mind than the constant rage, twisting his thoughts and making it so hard for him to breathe easily. When even the unforgivable things had seemed right to him and when the fact he was so much damaged and fractured could not easily pain him more. This day was so strongly attached to his mind, that every time he let his mind drift away back to it, it was like experiencing it all over again. That hurt. That suffering. That rage. Still there within him. Spreading through his veins quickly as an unstoppable sickness and fracturing him even more. Erasing all he stood for and believed in, because it was that easy. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop it.

This had happened to him a few times ever since that day he'd seen Mardon in CCPD. And every time it had, he'd been closer to giving in than he would actually like to admit. But he'd never let himself break down as much as that day. Because someone had always appeared in the right time and known exactly what to say to help all those twisting thoughts disappear. And because of that, Barry had never wished more than right in that exact moment that Oliver would finally be by his side.

Oliver had many abilities which Barry considered special. And even after all this time, the blond was still able to surprise him. Those abilities were one of the main reasons why Barry saw Oliver as one of the most exceptional people he'd known. The way how Oliver always knew what to say to Barry to soothe all his worries and anxious thoughts in a flash, Barry saw as something remarkable. So sometimes he really did feel like no one in this world could understand him more than Oliver. Like no one could make him feel safer than Oliver. Like no one could know better what was going on in Barry's mind than Oliver. And so believing that the love he held for his lover might possibly be stronger than any other one he'd experienced before was now tempting more than ever.

Which was why he couldn't simply let go and give up. Not now, when he was so close. He couldn't disappoint him no matter what. He'd already managed to get behind this kind of walls. So he could do it again, right?

"You know, you're not fooling anyone," he exclaimed determinedly when he took a new breath and looked right at her. Trembling and sweating was still there but with the thought of Oliver and his words he'd said on that meadow, it was easier to bear. It was giving him strength which he so desperately needed.

"You may act tough and cold like this is not bothering you at all and that you don't care about Oliver anymore. But deep down, I know that you're just scared beyond imagination."

"Of what?" Thea questioned incredulously, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Of caving in." And when those words found their way to Thea's ears, Barry could swear that something flickered in her green eyes. The very same thing, which had appeared in her eyes yesterday when he'd found the right way to her. It was small, barely visible, but still there like a firefly. In that eternity of darkness.

"Oh yeah? And how would you know? Because you seem pretty happy to me, so how would you possibly know what it feels like?" Thea hissed and narrowed her eyes at the brunet before her, which cast a weak smile across Barry's face. Because her skepticism resembled the one of his lover. Guess it runs in a family.

"Or maybe I'm just better in hiding it, but believe me, I've been there. And even after all this time, I still tend to come back to it. To that darkness. Because of all the things in this world, getting lost is something which will always seem easy to me," Barry concluded sorrowfully and slightly clenched his jaw, thinking how this would be so much easier if Oliver had been by his side. A simple squeeze of his hand would do the trick, but none of it was possible. It was just him and him alone, and although it seemed surreal that a broken person could fix another broken person, he was ready to cross all lines on it. Like he did with Oliver.

"What I hate most about it," Barry started once again, lifted his head and took a few small steps towards Thea, "is how I barely can get it out of my head, when it strikes me. Rage. Sorrow. Fear. And there is just too much of those that it leaves no space left for joy. You can't stop thinking about it no matter what. You wake up with it and you go to sleep with it. You cry so much, that it seems like you should have run out of tears a decade ago, but you never have, because there is always something to cry over. And no matter how hard you try, you can't bring yourself to stop."

You can't look into mirror anymore, because every time you do that, you're tempted to smash it with all your strength, because you hate what you see in it. You hate what you've become and you hate all those things which had made you this person.

You're scared to keep going, because you fear of faltering and falling down so low that you won't be able to get up afterwards. You crave for help, but you can't find words to ask for some. And the longer you prevail like this, the worse it gets." By the time all those words managed to escape Barry's mouth, he could no longer keep his tears in bay. And so he let them stream down his flushed face. Because it was too hard for him. What was the point of holding back, when that pain was so unbearable? He might not know Thea that well, but he also couldn't deny how fragile his heart and soul were. His past had made sure of it and although he was doing his best every day of his life and was trying to be happy, the scars on his heart were always there and they were never going to heal fully and disappear.

So maybe it still hurt like hell after all those years, but that pain and that suffering had play some part in creating who he was now. They shaped the person you are today… And maybe he was going to hate that person in the mirror sometimes, maybe he was going to be even disgusted by it, but the important thing was that someone still loved him truly for who he was without any sham in it. If someone could love him, then there was no way he was such a bad guy, wasn't there?

And deep down, he knew that Thea was like this too. Totally alright even if it didn't seem that way. Just… misunderstood and lost. And he knew that even if she was going to fall down, someone would always be there to pull her back up. He just needed to pray and hope that one day she would see it too.

"Then why do you keep fighting? When you know that it's always going to come back to you no matter what?" Thea questioned and Barry couldn't help but weakly smile at the vivid confusion playing in her eyes. That was a question he'd asked himself far too many times and he'd never gotten any answer. But now he had one.

"Because I know that even though it doesn't always seem like it, there is actually something good about this kind of darkness. Because only thanks to that darkness, light holds some meaning to us," Barry whispered warmly and watched as Thea's mouth slowly closed and her head lowered. And while she didn't say a single word, Barry understood and refused to push her into anything. Instead of that he just came closer to the massive staircase placed next to the bar and sat down. Because with all those tears watering his face and causing him an unbearable headache, standing still no longer seemed so easy.

However, to his surprise Thea soon joined him and sat down right next to him. Barry would definitely lie if he'd said that this didn't cast a smile across his face.

"It's funny, isn't it?" he broke the silence and leaned his elbows on his knees. "How even the most cheery and optimistic person can lose their faith and reason to smile."

"Why is that supposed to be funny?"

"Because I believe it works both ways," Barry pointed out and smiled warmly, fiddling with his sweaty fingers. "That even the most broken and depressed person can find their way back to laughing."

"You are hinting on Oliver, right?"

"Not just him. The truth is that even though I've experienced pain, there were times when I could still be myself. Smiling, laughing, having my hopes and dreams like it was easy. But eventually, it became so hard that I stopped fighting. Stopped smiling and hoping. I changed so much, that my family could barely recognize me. Even I could barely recognize myself, but I never cared. Then I met Oliver and my whole world started changing once again."

"Was it love at first sight?" Thea asked timidly as she placed her short hair behind her ear.

"Not even remotely," Barry remarked and chuckled slightly at the thought. "Let's just say that at first Oliver and I were not on exactly the best terms. But for some reason, I still kept trying to reach him. There was just something about him, which convinced me to stay. Maybe it was thanks to those irresistible blue eyes, or maybe he just reminded me of the fact the two of us weren't so different."

"And now? What's keeping you now?" Thea questioned softly and impatiently awaited his response, because it was strange, but there was something about Barry that made her wonder. Every time he'd talked about Oliver, his eyes were glittering and pupils were widened more than she'd ever seen in her whole life. And although she could hardly confess to it, this was a soothing sight. Knowing that Oliver had really found someone as precious to him as Barry was enough to weaken the wall she had built around her heart.

"More than I thought possible, actually. Because before, it was hard to spend even a second in the same room with him. And although I had many reasons to try to forget about him, I never did. Well, not for long anyway. And now I can hardly live without him. I mean, it's crazy, but I feel much better when he is around me. Less insecure, less scared and actually safer and braver to do things I'd never do," Barry claimed confidently, because he could barely see it before, but now it was crystal clear to him. He could no longer deny the fact that with Oliver by his side, every problem, whether big or small, could magically disappear from his sight. Whether he'd been tense before, Oliver's touch could always allow him to relax without any difficulties. And that there was absolutely no place he'd rather be, than by his lover's side. It was as simple as that.

"Even when he's not with me, I see him everywhere I go, because every little thing reminds me of him. My mind always strays to him no matter how hard I try to control it. I used to look at him with a full contempt, but now I can't stop smiling at a single thought of him. And I don't mind asking him stupid questions about his day just to get him talking, because I always worry that someday, I'll never be able to listen to his perfect voice anymore. Every time I look into his radiant blue eyes, I find it more difficult to come back to reality, but I can't complain, when those things he is causing me to feel can't be bested by anything."

By now, the smile on his face could hardly be even warmer or wider. The tears of sorrow, which had been streaming down his face before, were now completely gone, leaving no trace they'd ever been there. The red color of his cheeks was no longer caused by the hopelessness he was feeling. Now it was warm and sincere in every way possible, proving how touched he felt by feelings which had been hidden before and now were there for everyone to see. No headache was causing him trouble anymore, only pure joy stayed, occupying every little inch of his soul. Like it was the most natural thing in this world.

"I might've been on the edge of giving in far too many times, but with his help, I was always able to find my way back home. I still can remember the pain I've felt before, but with him by my side, all those painful memories tend to slowly fade. And sometimes I find it really hard to remember what it was like before I met him. But then again, I don't mind at all, because memories of him are much more precious to me. He can bring out parts of myself which I actually like. Every time I'm stuck in that darkness, he can pull me out and not just that. He can show me that this darkness exists so I could glow in it. And yet he is the brightest light in my life. Like a focal point, which will never die out no matter how dark it gets. He is a constant reminder of the fact that even when it gets hard, there is always a brighter side."

"Like your own silver lining," Thea softly pointed out and smiled at the sight next to her. With those blushing cheeks, with that glittering eyes and with that warm smile, Thea could see that Barry's feelings for Oliver were undeniably strong. He truly loved him with all his heart. Only an ignorant person would tell otherwise. And Thea wasn't like that. Her heart might've been scarred beyond repair, but even with the fear of pain accompanying her, she'd never truly stopped believing in something as pure as the love she was hearing and seeing right in that moment in the brunet next to her.

And with that she easily started regretting what she'd said about them. Instead of that, she started hoping that Oliver knew exactly how Barry felt and that he felt the same way. She truly prayed that neither of them would ever find a reason to push the other one away. Because Oliver might've broken her heart more than anyone else, but she'd never stopped caring, she'd never stopped seeing him as her brother. It was just easier to lie about it. Which was why knowing that he was happy even after all this pain was causing her a measureless joy.

And when it came to Barry, it was the complete and utter truth. He loved Oliver more than anything, because the blond was that family, which he'd chosen to have. He was that home, which he so desperately craved and missed this whole time. And Barry was determined to never let go of it, whatever it took.

But before he could say something more, the entrance door of Verdant suddenly opened and an unknown figure stepped inside.

"Thea?" the male voice spoke up and marched towards them. Thea slowly stood up and Barry followed the suit without any hesitation.

"I got your text and…," the older man stated as soon as he approached them, but got caught off guard as his blue eyes landed on Barry. "Care to tell me who is your friend here?"

"This is Barry Allen. He's Oliver's boyfriend. You remember Oliver, right?" Thea replied and Barry watched as the older man's face who could be close to his fifties, shaped into a slight awe. Yet Barry didn't feel very comfortable by it. There was just something about this man, which didn't feel right to him for some reason. And his voice was just so strangely familiar.

"You don't say," the man scoffed with a little strained smile. "It's a small world indeed."

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Barry wondered, shot the man before him a confused glance and crossed arms over his chest. He didn't like where this was heading. Not even a little bit.

"My apologies. You probably don't remember me, but we talked on the phone the other day," the dark-haired man pointed out with a little sly smile and lifted his hand for Barry to shake. "Malcolm Merlyn, the founder of Starling City's Mercury Labs and also Thea's foster dad. Pleasure to finally meet you, Barry Allen."

And now it was finally crystal clear for Barry why that name 'Merlyn' sounded so familiar. Because they'd already talked and although Barry had done his best to forget about that call and about Mercury Labs, for some unknown reason it was always destined to somehow catch up with him. And considering, his paranoid thoughts could always overpower every inch of his common sense, he couldn't help but worry that this was definitely going to cause some problems on his account.

However, he refused to listen to these thoughts for now. It was pointless after all. He was going to return to Central tomorrow and everything would be just like it'd used to be. So there was no reason for him to worry.

"Pleasure's all mine," Barry replied as casually as he could and shook hands with the dark-haired man before him, who dedicated him yet another empty smile.

"I hope you're not leaving so soon, are you? Because after all those years I would really love to hear what has become of someone who was like a son to me. How about you have a dinner with us tonight?"

"That's not necessary, Dad. I'm sure Barry is busy and already needs to go back home," Thea protested.

"I insist," Malcolm stated with slight hint of a command hidden in his voice, which didn't go unnoticed by Barry. Thea just sighed and rolled her eyes at Malcolm's stubbornness, but refused to say anything else on the matter. And that left Barry stuck.

He wanted to decline that offer, more than anything in fact, but it was still pissing him off that after all this time, Thea still remained reluctant on coming with him. And although he no longer had any idea what else he could say to her, he still felt guilty for letting it go that easily.

But then, suddenly, another idea had popped up in his mind that made that decision for him. Which was why he eventually agreed to have a dinner with them. He needed to try one last thing and if it didn't work, then he would leave for good. And although it hurt him that he would fail the man he loved more than anything, he couldn't insist on pushing Thea forever. And if she really didn't want to meet with Oliver, then there was no point in forcing her to it.

And so he said his goodbyes to both Thea and Malcolm and when he was already alone, he picked up his phone and pressed it to his ear, desperately hoping that this was going to work.

"Hey, Gideon," he softly said when he heard her voice with a smile playing on his lips. "I need your help with something."


Ugh, I completely understand that this was nothing great and I'm deeply sorry for it :(. But I promise, that it's just one more chapter to go in Starling and then we will go back to Central. So if by any strange miracle, someone is still reading this shit, stick with me please and hopefully next chapters will be better. I actually have plans for Malcolm… But still, thank you for reading :) and sorry for all my words. I'm actually a nice and positive person, but sadly, not today…