Of course Barry had to pull overtime on his forensic shift, and he wasn't even done by the time he had to call it a night. Analyzing the ton of evidence would take more time and right now he had to wait on some DNA results, which would take longer than Captain Singh would probably want. Hell, no one wanted to wait for results, demanding to have them within hours when it would take closer to a day. Still, right now, there was nothing he could do.

"Anything?" Joe asked as he dropped by.

"Too soon," Barry answered patiently, though inside he wanted to remind his foster father that no, even as The Flash, he couldn't speed up DNA analysis. "All I can say is that it looks… normal." He shot him a quick smile.

"No meta?"

"Well, not so far."

"I know it's kind of wrong, but I'm happy to hear that. A normal murder for once."

Barry gave him a wry smile. "Yeah. The moment the DNA analysis is in, I can tell you more. The rest of the evidence is inconclusive. Whoever ran that poor guy over, it's such a generic brand of tires and there is nothing from the coroner concerning any marks on the body."

Joe nodded. "It was too much to hope for the license plate imprint on his skin or anything easy like that. So, when can we expect the DNA?"

"Tomorrow. I'll give you a call the moment I've got the results."

The detective nodded. "Get some sleep, Barry."

"I'll be done in a minute."

The minute took another hour and Barry left an almost empty precinct. Only the night shift was present and hardly any perps were waiting for processing.

He had just jogged down the stairs when Cisco sent out an alert for something fishy happening down at the old train yard.

"Can't catch a break," Barry sighed and raced toward S.T.A.R. Labs to change.

"Sorry," Cisco mouthed.

Harrison raised his eyebrows in a silent question. He gave the older man a shrug and then The Flash was off.

Three more hours were spent looking for the mysterious origin of what Cisco called a miniature gravitational hole.

No success.

It kept switching locations and finally disappeared. Barry saw nothing at all wherever he ran and Cisco's readings were absolutely inconclusive.

"Can't even say whether it's a meta or some other kind of phenomenon."

"Great."

"Let's call it a night," Wells suggested. "We'll keep our sensors peeled."

So way past midnight, almost closer to two a.m., hungry, tired, and a little bit annoyed, Barry changed into his street clothes and sped past a twenty-hour hour pizza place, picking up five pies. He headed to Len's safehouse. He knew Snart was there; he could feel it.

The other man was lounging on his couch, reading a book. A book on Central City's museums and art galleries.

"Research?" Barry asked as he deposited the pizzas on the table.

"Working on my general education, Scarlet," came the lazy drawl. "Already done?" Len teased as he got up and sauntered over. He glanced at his wristwatch. "Hope you get overtime."

"Evidence collection and analysis takes time. And there was some Flash stuff."

"Flash stuff, hm?"

Barry pulled him into a kiss that Len answered readily. It was so normal already, so familiar, and he loved the feeling of Len next to him, close to him. He relaxed into the physical closeness, felt the tension bleed away as it always did. The kiss grew more intense and he nipped at those teasing and inviting lips, earning him a low chuckle. It should be terrifying how well they were adjusted to each other, how in tune.

"Nothing exciting. Chasing anomalies."

"Ah." Len smirked.

Barry's stomach growled loudly and he felt a little wave of dizziness, reminding him of his low blood sugar levels. He gave Len an apologetic look.

Snart smiled and gave him a soft peck. "Eat before I get an earful from Snow."

Barry opened the first box and started to eat.

"I see the culinary delight of the evening is Gino's." Len leaned against the desk.

"They have good pizza," he muttered.

"Good and cheap pizza."

Barry glared half-heartedly at him. Len stole a slice and ate it slowly as Barry finished off the first pie.

"You're still okay with this?" Barry asked all of a sudden as he started the third one. "You had some time to think about the stuff I threw at you."

"After that kiss you ask if I'm okay with what? Kissing you? Or the revelation that I'm your special kind of safety net, Flash? It's a done deal. Can't be changed." He smirked.

Barry scowled at the flippant words, brows dipping down. "Could you stop that?" he asked, annoyance in his voice.

"Stop what, Barry?" he taunted.

"The sarcasm. I'm serious. I know you, Len. I know you hate to have control taken away from you. That's what happened here. You never had a choice. You didn't know you were a kind of specialized Guide."

Len grew serious. "I had a choice. No, I don't mind. We already established that. I would have kicked you out on your leather-clad butt if I hadn't want The Flash or Barry Allen moping around my place, decompressing."

"I didn't mope!"

Snart leaned over and kissed the grease-stained lips. Barry nipped back, enjoying the intimate contact.

"Could've fooled me, Scarlet. But no, I never minded. I liked it, enjoyed it. I enjoyed your food-decimating presence. Very much." His voice dropped a little. "I don't mind your closeness, Barry. At all."

"I still feel like I should be apologizing for… using you."

Len burst out laughing, shaking his head. "Only you, Barry. Only you." His eyes danced with mirth.

Barry rolled his eyes. "I am using you!" he insisted.

Yes, only Barry Allen, Len thought fondly. "I'd be more upset if you had forced a bond I didn't want upon me."

"You can't…"

He held up a hand. "I know a bond can't be forced. I know Guides are as free to choose as Sentinels are. Even if you weren't such a special edition of your species, you would never force yourself on anyone, Barry Allen. You're not the type."

The speedster looked a little unsure. Len pulled him close again and kissed him. Barry responded eagerly and Len chuckled as he was pushed toward the couch.

"Comfy?" he drawled between kisses when they fell onto the cushions.

"Very," came the honest, warm answer. "Always. You are very comfortable." Barry straddled him and leaned down, capturing his lips again.

Len rested a hand on the closest thigh, then brushed a palm over the denim. Strong, hard-muscled, leg of a runner. It was so easy now to touch where before he had stopped himself from such intimate contact. He felt Barry relax, his whole energy levels evening out and smoothing so quickly, it was like a plug had been pulled.

"Sucker," he teased gently. "You're so easy."

"What can I say? You're just that good."

"You sound like an addict."

The green eyes that met his gently mocking gaze had him want to do so many bad things. So very many.

"Maybe I am."

There he went saying stuff that would get him into trouble!

"Don't," Barry suddenly said, meeting his eyes.

"Don't?"

"Push me away. You keep doing that, Len. Again and again. You have this… automatic defense against whatever hits too close and then you just… attack. Always. After we kissed. After I told you that I like you. You respond on so many levels and then you take a step back and pull away or push at me."

He stilled. Blue eyes met green. "It's still a little hard to process," Snart finally answered honestly.

"That I like you? That I kissed you? That I want more?"

"That I want it just as much," he replied, still absolutely open and honest. "I don't do emotions all too well." Len tilted his head.

Barry leaned down, the kiss gentle and soft. "I've wanted to take that step for a while. I just wasn't sure."

"Shy, Scarlet? Not really your thing," Len teased.

"Cautious. Careful. I'm not good when it comes to relationships. Especially ones I'm invested in."

"Invested." Yes, Len was good just stating a lot in one word.

"I want this, Len. With you. It didn't come over night."

"No," he conceded. "We've been at this for quite some time."

Snart's hands had come to rest on those slender hips, feeling the coiled energy everywhere inside the younger man.

"Hm. Looks like this whole shield business isn't fool-proof. This doesn't feel calm and relaxed," he commented, falling back on his snarky persona.

"That's on you," the speedster murmured.

"I am the shield, Scarlet," he reminded him with a smirk.

"Hm, you are. You're also a lot more."

His speedster leaned forward, closing the distance. Their lips met and Len dug his hands into the deceptively fragile form as Barry wrapped long, lean arms around him, deepening the kiss. It was a collision that was far from gentle. It was possessive and spiraling out of control, like the whole encounter. The next kiss was hard, almost harsh, expressing pent-up desire and energy, and Len went with it without thinking. One of his hands threaded into Barry's hair, the other curling around the slender waist, pulling him as close as possible. He lost himself in the contact, the taste and smell, restraining himself not to go too far just yet.

Lightning sparked over the sinewy form, travelling over Len like he was just another extension of the speedster. It was an amazing sensation, powerful and empowering, hissing and snapping around them, kept in check by the shield that was Leonard Snart. It didn't hurt, didn't so much as prickle, and Len watched it crawl over his skin and then evaporate.

"You are amazing," he murmured, voice just a little side of rough and uneven.

A light flush crept over the narrow features.

"You are an amazing man, Barry Allen," he repeated.

The younger man chuckled, kissing him again. "So are you, Leonard Snart. This whole messed-up connection feels perfect."

"Yeah."

"And I want it. That mess. I really want it. So much. With you. All of you."

He hummed, tasting the pale skin, tasting lightning and pure power. Len left a bite on the long neck, drawing a delicious little noise out of the other man.

"I've wanted you for a long time, Len."

"Because I give you control." Digging into the same argument once again.

"No." The green eyes were intense, serious, ringed by golden fire. "You feel good to me and I like you. I, Barry Allen. Not the Sentinel, not The Flash, not the meta Sentinel. You're… different. From me, from so many people I met and know. We just… fit. No spiritual crap involved."

He laughed. Yeah, no spiritual crap. Just something else.

"And every other aspect of me likes you, too. It's different when you're there. I'm different. I can feel the Speed Force like a living, almost sentient thing. It… likes you."

"Your Speed Force likes me," he echoed evenly, brows rising.

"Yeah. No idea why," was the cheeky reply.

He pulled Barry into another hard, hungry kiss, filled with desire and a promise he had never given anyone before. He felt the power rise, felt it lick over them. It wasn't unlike his existence in the Time Stream. It was primal, ancient, hungry and demanding, but it did favorites. His whole body thrummed with an answering hum.

"It likes you, too," Len mouthed against the wet lips sliding over his.

"Good to know since I'm connected to it."

Len had worked a hand under the layers of clothes, running it over naked skin. Barry buried his head against his neck, making a soft, warm noise.

"Please don't tell me it's been that long that I can make you go off with one touch, Scarlet," he teased, stroking the smooth, unscarred skin.

"I'm not a virgin."

"I didn't say that. I said 'that long'."

Barry's whole form seemed to vibrate and that caught Snart off guard. He stared at the other man and heard soft laughter.

"One reason why sex or even just making out was off the table for me."

"I think we can put that to good use sometime," he drawled as he found his voice again. "But right now we'll stick to the basics, Scarlet."

"Fine by me."

And wasn't that a challenge and a half.

It went very far, very fast not soon after. Clothes landed on the floor as he stripped off the ridiculous sweater vest, the dress shirt, and finally the rather sensible jeans. Barry was helping him strip, equally tugging at Len's clothes until both men fell naked into the bed. He frowned as he discovered the marks on Len's wrists.

"What happened?" Slender fingers tracked over the healing bruises.

"You happened."

Barry froze. Len captured those exploring fingers, holding them. He looked into those expressive green eyes, willing Barry to understand.

"Isolation," the speedster murmured.

"Yes."

"I… attacked you?"

"You didn't."

"Len."

"Barry?" He curled his lips into a half-smile.

"Anything else?"

He gave a little shrug, one palm sliding over the naked skin within his reach. "Nothing that will stop me from finally getting what I want," he purred.

"Len, please…"

"I'm fine, Barry. Absolutely fine." He pulled him into another kiss. "Fine," he whispered against those warm, soft lips.

The lightning whispered over their naked skin again. It was harmless, he barely felt even a tingle, but it was fascinating to watch. Len let his hand wander over the firm muscles, then dipped down to brush over the straining evidence of Barry's arousal. The man was contagious… mine… addictive… mine… his… only his.

Barry's whole body was trembling again, blurring slightly. "Len," he breathed.

He lightly bit the warm neck.

Their first time was without real finesse, just taking the edge off, slick and hot between them, Barry pushing into Len's hand as he did just the right thing, that little twist, increasing the friction and bring them both off.

Barry's body felt like a live wire, energy coursing through him, thrumming through his mind. There were no verbal questions as to first times, how far, how much. Barry was quite vocal with his gestures and eyes alone and he pulled his speedster against him, biting at his neck, and it had the other man arch and groan his name as they moved against each other.

His teeth left an imprint in Barry's skin, but he didn't break it as he came.

Len held him, running a shaky hand over the bowed back, feeling his own tremors of the release, of the energy that was more than just physical, that enveloped them in the afterglow.

"Damn, Scarlet, you really had a long dry spell," he teased breathlessly.

"Ass," came the fond mumble.

"While we're discussing that, I want yours," he said bluntly.

"Hope you like switching, because I'm claiming yours," Barry shot back.

"I'm quite flexible," Snart purred with a very wide grin, like a cat who had just gotten the cream on top of the canary.

"Good to know."

Len pulled his speedster into a kiss, enjoying the way Barry responded, the way his body felt against him. There was a resonance between them, a strange kind of equilibrium, and it had both of them mellow and totally at ease. The anchor was firmly in place, unbreakable; the shield wrapped around Barry's core like a smooth, natural barrier.

It was beautiful.

Len had never been aware of it as he was now. He knew he wasn't a Guide, but something inside was wired that way, like a basic structure that could have become anything, and he had become a shield-anchor-conduit. He was a variation of a Guide.

And he liked it. It was… amazing. Like the man he was connected to. Yes, they were connected. It was the first time he would allow himself to think it, to accept it, and maybe even call bonded.

Barry found his lips and kissed him again, still hungry, almost apologetic, too. The desire was there and his hyper-healing wasn't just good when it came to physical injuries. There was also the matter of such a low refractory period, he put a teenager to shame. Len smirked knowingly. He urged him onto his back and straddled him, then worked his way down the lean, sinewy body. He swallowed the once again straining erection and sucked hard, relentless, and very intent on having him come fast and hard.

"Damn," Barry breathed as he lay spent and a little breathless after climaxing twice.

Lightning energy still curled around them both, almost as if trying to keep Len there. He crawled back up the grinning man and draped himself over the warm body. Barry made a happy noise.

"This never happened with anyone else before," the speedster sighed.

"Coming twice?"

He rolled his eyes. "The Speed Force showing. It's just you," he murmured, nuzzling against Len's neck, delivering a gentle bite that wouldn't leave a mark.

"I'm… honored?" Snart teased, tangling his fingers in the unruly hair. One hand wandered down south again, fingers playing over the still not completely softened erection.

Barry inhaled sharply as he started to work him.

"You're gonna be the death of me, Scarlet," Len murmured.

Barry had no words left as he was brought off hard and fast, making him whine as Len twisted his hand a little to make it extra pleasurable.

"I've got to find ways to exhaust you," he continued, teeth leaving a mark against the pale skin that would be gone soon.

"You're doing fine so far," Barry answered, feeling like a bowl of jelly. "Damn."

"Never had someone bring you off three times in a row?"

"None of the possible partners knew about, well, The Flash stuff."

Len studied the relaxed features, the way Barry's eyes were half closed, the hot form plastered against him. His breathing was slow, deep, almost meditative.

"Still with me?" Len broke the silence that had comfortably sat between them for a while now.

It got him a soft hum.

He grinned, dragging loose fingers through the longish strands. Gentle fingers caressed one temple. The arm thrown over his hips tightened briefly.

He felt no different, had no telepathic or empathic connection to the man, but he knew he had changed. Profoundly.

"You're a cuddler," he teased. "Who would have known?"

It got him a slightly annoyed sounding grunt. He laughed silently, feeling just as loose and relaxed as Barry. His Sentinel. Who was a cuddler.

And who was asleep a few minutes later. Considering that he had been working close to eighteen hours, Flash stuff included, it wasn't much of a surprise.