It was just around seven in the morning and they were comfortably entangled on the bed, Barry's hand pushed underneath Len's t-shirt and resting against warm skin. Now and then he dragged his thumb over the warmth.

The caresses were calming and teasing in one. Making him crazy and still relaxed him into a puddle of goo. Len had never felt like this before. Then again, he had never given sex any kind of emotional involvement. It had been release, a service rendered. It had never been this, with Barry, with someone who meant so much to him.

There was no awkwardness between them. It felt like an absolutely natural progression in their relationship, from being enemies, from Cold shooting at The Flash and seriously hurting him, to saving his ass and finally to having this amazing man in bed with him. Not because he was injured, fighting to remember who and where he was, but because Barry wanted him.

No, it wasn't awkward. It also wasn't disconcerting how open Len felt, how very little it mattered that his masks fell away, how Barry touched a part that was still unaccustomed to such intimacy.

"Hungry?" he murmured against the teasing lips.

"Definitely."

He laughed softly. "Why did I even ask?" Len yawned. "And you're an early bird."

"Not really. Just need less sleep," Barry mumbled. "And I've got be at work in an hour."

Snart stretched, feeling tendons and joints pop. "You're The Flash," he told him, pulling Barry into a kiss. "You have the time."

"Hm. I'd love to have more time for us, too."

"Insatiable."

Barry rolled his eyes. "It's not all about sex."

"But the sex was fun, Scarlet," he drawled.

"Hm, that it was."

Making out in bed was fun, too. A lot of fun. Strong hands ran up Barry's sides, eliciting little frissions of desire. Something curled in his stomach. Warm and longing and intense. Barry finally groaned, forcefully separating himself from the enticing man in bed with him. He looked down, meeting the blue eyes, an apologetic smile on his lips.

"Need to go," he sighed. "Or Joe will send out the hounds."

He gave him another kiss that Len shamelessly exploited until Barry was gone from one second to the next, using his powers to drag himself away from his not-Guide.

Len grinned and watched the almost naked man standing at the foot of the bed, appreciating the slender, sinewy form.

"You could call in sick," he suggested slyly.

Barry grimaced. "I don't get sick. Joe would know something's up."

"There are drawbacks to having hyper-healing," he teased.

Barry needed no time at all to get ready and he was gone with ten minutes to spare. Len decided to catch some more sleep.

Despite his workload at the CCPD and the work as The Flash, they gravitated toward each other and seemed to be making up for lost time.

And damn, it was good.

Not just the sex. Everything. Barry had never felt this complete, this settled and balanced, and even Caitlin remarked on it.

"So Dr. Snow is recommending more extracurricular activities?" Len stated, eyes alight with mirth and laughter.

They were both already naked. Barry pinned him down, kissing those smirking lips, hips grinding against the equally hard evidence of Snart's arousal. He trailed biting kisses along the smooth neck. Len's caresses were both arousing and calming, carefully explorative and yet in absolute control. Barry had made it his goal to have him lose that control as often as possible, like now. He loved hearing Len voice his pleasure, his encouragement, and especially how he could get him undone by a simple blowjob. Especially using his ability to vibrate parts of himself.

This time he wanted more and stopped before bringing the other man off, grinning down at him.

"I want you in me," he purred.

"Damn, Scarlet," came the breathless reply.

Barry grinned. He knew what he wanted. He also knew Len wanted it and they had yet to take that last step. He had already shown his willingness to experiment, to give and receive, and right now he wanted it very, very much.

Preparation was meticulous. So meticulous it had Barry come hard as Len used his mouth while he had his fingers push in deep. Len licked his lips, eyes blown wide, looking hungry for more, all shields down. There was unbridled desire and Barry knew his own eyes reflected that very same hunger. His own recuperation period was negligible and while he had never experimented how often he could come, how far he could push himself, Len had shown him that three times in a row was possible, though not the end.

"Len, now!" he demanded.

"Pushy." His lips were taken in a slow, deep kiss. "I like pushy in a man." Len's voice was silky, dark and deep as he urged Barry to turn on his stomach, fingers playing over his butt, teasing, sliding in and out.

"You think I should take the next edge off before we get to hitting home?" he rumbled.

"Don't you dare!" he hissed.

Len leaned over him, mouthing at his ear. "I'm only human, Barry. We might have to invest in some… toys…"

He groaned into the sheets, fingers clenching. "Len!"

"No toys?"

"No toys," he growled. "You. Just you."

Snart nipped at his ear. And finally Len slid into him in one smooth, still slow and careful move.

"Fuck, you're tight," he groaned. "You sure this isn't your first time?" Len breathe-hissed through clenched teeth.

"Pretty sure," Barry replied, panting with the sensation of being filled.

There was no pain, no fear, just the pleasure, the fullness.

Len's brows angled up. "Pretty sure?"

He laughed, groaning as that sweet spot was hit. "Yeah," he stuttered, breathing deeply. "I'm sure. Gawd, Len! Yes, I'm really sure. Accelerated healing, remember? Move!"

Len stared at him, realizing what Barry had just told him. "The eternal virgin?" he stated.

"Len!"

It got him a low, throaty chuckle. Len took his sweet time, lips and teeth torturing Barry's neck, but when he did move, Barry went with each stroke, pushed back, encouraging, wanting more. For all his hunger and need, Len wasn't just rutting into him. He pushed Barry into getting completely hard once more and the speedster panted, lightning sparking in his eyes. He felt loose and raw and oversensitive and it was too much and not enough. The Speed Force rose like a tidal wave, enveloping them, and Len's gasp told Barry just how much it affected him as well.

"Scarlet…"

The incessant slide, the pressure, the hard form pushing against him, had him want more. His whole form started to blur, vibrating slightly.

"Fuck!" Len cried.

He suddenly buried his face against Barry's neck, hips pushing down hard two more times, then he hissed out his release. Blunt teeth scraped over Barry's neck and he followed. Len blanketed his back, still deep, and the Speed Force was everywhere, the lightning painlessly flickering over their hot skin.

"Damnit," Len whispered hoarsely, sounding almost wrecked.

He slid off, pulling out, and Barry made a soft sound of pleasure at the sensation. He kissed him, the contact sloppy but loving. "That good?" he teased.

Len gave a breathy laugh. "Cute, Scarlet. Cute."

Barry knew they were a mess, but he couldn't care less. He took the opportunity to dive into another kiss, pouring a lot of what he felt into the contact. Len softly bit at his lips.

"Hope you don't expect another round," he drawled. "Because my refractory period is still quite normal."

Barry chuckled and nuzzled the inviting stretch of skin along the other man's throat. He felt loose, pliable, so very at ease.

xXXx

It was strange that it had never come up. Not that Leonard Snart went around telling everyone that he had sacrificed his life to end the Time Masters' dictatorship and control, to set Time free, to heal the Time Stream. It wasn't part of light dinner conversations and while Barry knew about his time aboard the Waverider, he had never asked why he had come back.

Now he did.

"Damn," Barry murmured.

Len smirked. "You can say that again."

"So you got pulled into the Time Stream and it spit you out again?"

The mischievous light in Barry's eyes had Len chuckle and he leaned over the supine man, studying the so relaxed, so very young features, feeling like he had just robbed the cradle.

"In a way. Not even Time wanted to keep me."

Strong arms wrapped around him, naked skin against naked skin. "I do."

"Didn't think we reached that phase of your relationship just yet, Scarlet. Hope you don't expect a ring."

Barry laughed and Len silenced him with a languid kiss. It was an amazing feeling to have the slender young man in his bed, so close, so pliable and warm, so very much his.

"Do you think they know you're alive?" Barry asked after they parted.

"No idea."

"You didn't try to get in contact with the Waverider?"

Len gave him a withering look. "Do I look like I know how to contact a time-ship?"

"You're smart. You'd find a way."

"Thanks for that," he drawled. "I'd kidnap Cisco and make him do it."

"There you go," Barry teased, then grew serious again. "We could try."

"No."

"Len…"

"No," he decided.

"Mick's your oldest friend. You died."

"And he mourned and moved on," Snart said firmly, refusing to let emotions rise.

Barry met the cold blue eyes, then nodded. "Okay."

"That was easy," Len remarked suspiciously.

"No. Just… it's your choice. I think I understand it," the younger man said. "And they are time travelling. They might run into us in the future and find out eventually."

Knowing them, Len mused, it was more than likely. And it wasn't just likely but absolutely certain that Mick Rory wouldn't be amused to see that Len was alive and well.

Barry knew he couldn't keep such massive changes in his life a secret from his family. Iris already knew some bits and pieces, but he hadn't told her how close this partnership was, or even a name.

Telling his foster father was not something he had been looking forward to. Len had had no opinion at all. His expression had been completely neutral, close to non-existent, but Barry knew he had to do this. It was bad enough already that he had held onto that secret for such a long time.

"He's your father," Len only said after a while. "Don't look at me like that, Scarlet. You know it's the truth. West raised you as his own. He's had your back since you were eleven. He never turned on you. He never gave up on you. He's been there and he will always be there."

"Len…"

The other man shook his head. "This isn't about me, Barry. Nothing is. It's about you and Joe West. He might want to shoot me on sight the next time we meet, but he won't turn his back on you and leave. He's not that kind of person. He'll probably give you an earful and might just use the phrase 'you could do better' or 'what were you thinking' or my personal favorite 'what's he got on you?'."

Barry's brows drew down and for a moment it looked like he wanted to argue, then he mumbled, "I could pull the Sentinel card."

"It's Detective Joe West we're talking about. He knows you're self-contained, right?"

Barry shrugged.

"Well, you're out of cards then, Barry," he drawled. "You only had the one and that's kinda useless. I doubt he'd believe you suddenly evolved into a normal Sentinel and I magically became your Guide."

"You're no help."

"Want me to tag along? Make it interesting?"

It got him a burst of laughter. "Hell, no. This will be bad enough."

"Your sister took it well enough."

"She's not a cop who arrested you a few times already."

"Her husband is," Len reminded him with a grin. "And he knows, thanks to his wife knowing, right?"

"Yeah."

Barry sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he slumped back. Eddie's reaction had been shock and disbelief, but he had very quickly accepted that new development in his brother-in-law's life. Seeing what the man had gone through, what he had had to accept and now knew, it might just be another day in the life of Eddie Thawne.

Joe was different and would always be different. Eddie had promised not to tell his partner.

"Oh, you tell him," had been his reply. "I'm not going to step into that hornets' nest! You know I was on his shit list when he found out about Iris and me."

Barry's grimace had had him laugh and give him a companionable clap on the shoulder.

Len now pulled him into a kiss, leaning back against his work bench, Barry's weight resting against him. The speedster lost himself in the kisses, felt his muscles relax, his tension flow away, and he could almost hear the laughter in Len's kiss.

"So easy, Scarlet," he teased.

Barry pushed his hands under the shirt and Len shivered. As much as Barry was responding to his closeness, Leonard Snart was just as responsive to simple physical contact, skin on skin.

"Any plans for tonight?" Len asked in a soft rumble.

"If you mean do I plan to talk to Joe tonight, nope, no plans."

"Good. Because I do."

"Is this a proposal for a date?"

It got him a slow, lazy smile. The next kiss was soft and gentle.

"There's an interesting new exhibition down at the National Gallery," Len teased. "The Justice Diamond. Quite a nice stone."

Barry chuckled and ran a teasing caress up and down Snart's spine. "So it's a Cold-Flash date?"

"Spice things up," Len murmured, voice low and almost a purr. "Really spice it up. Catch me if you can."

"You telling me where you're going to be isn't a challenge."

"Hm, that's what you think, Scarlet. The past begs to differ."

Barry claimed a hard, hungry kiss. "Challenge accepted," he whispered.

Cold made it truly interesting and challenged The Flash on more than one level. He hadn't tried to get into the National Gallery to steal the diamond, but had lured The Flash to an abandoned warehouse. In a way it felt like a training exercise for his senses and Barry caught on to the intent and purpose after a little while, laughing to himself.

"He's staging this to make you use your senses?" Cisco asked, sounding perplexed first, then he laughed. "Man…!"

"Well, also to steal a diamond, but yeah," Barry replied, amused despite the seriousness of the situation.

Cold didn't hold back and The Flash was sliding over iced floor, evading precise shots. He had to make a lightning-quick decision once, his brain calculating the odds at superspeed, and he phased through an obstacle that then took the brunt of the attack.

"Barry!" Caitlin called, sounding worried.

Barry only felt exhilaration and he was grinning like a loon, adrenaline competing with the Speed Force. "I'm fine!" he laughed. "Wow!"

"Your vitals spiked!"

His grin was still there and threatened to get even bigger.

"Well done," Harrison lauded, sounding amused. "Mr. Snart did his homework."

"He's endangering Barry's life!" Caitlin argued.

"It's a training schedule!" Cisco exclaimed. "It's a parkour! Flash powers and Sentinel senses…" He snickered. "Neat!"

Barry thought so himself and he applied himself to navigate the set-up, chasing his partner and using his senses together with his speedster abilities. He very nearly got hit once or twice, had to think fast and use speed, reflexes, agility and strength, and he knew he would have been in big trouble more than once if Len had truly set this up to kill.

In the end The Flash had Cold trapped against the wall, grinning triumphantly. "You lose, Cold," he murmured.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Cold's smirk was unholy.

"I've disarmed you. You're trapped," The Flash stated. "You lose, Cold."

"Did you check the rafters?"

"Actually, yes." Barry allowed himself a cheeky smile. "I found your little surprises."

Len hummed appreciatively, but the smirk stayed. He didn't seem to be perturbed by his position, both wrists firmly in Barry's grasp, the gun still held in his right hand.

"I also disabled that little trap you had on the other side of the warehouse."

"You are learning, Grasshopper."

"Not to mention the Sentinel-unfriendly flash grenade. You really think it would distract me?"

"No, but you found all my easter eggs." Len sounded proud. "Casing a scene. Well done."

Barry leaned in and brushed their lips together. "I have a good teacher."

"Quite."

"Could you please not flirt while everyone is listening in?" Cisco complained with a plaintive tone.

Barry let go of the trapped wrists, switched off the comm, pushed back the cowl, and went for another, much more intense kiss.

"Should have let him stay on," Len commented when they parted. "He might have learned something."

He grinned. "I like my privacy when I claim my prize."

"Cocky, Scarlet. Who says you won?"

"Who says I didn't?"

Snart didn't argue, just framed the narrow face and plundered his mouth.

"Pro tip, Scarlet," Len rumbled when they came up for air. "Disarm your opponent. My finger was still on the trigger."

"I'll keep that in mind for the next time. Now I want that finger somewhere else."

The blue eyes darkened, Len's mouth twisting into a taunting grin. "I really like your dirty mouth, Barry."

"Let me show you how to apply it."

Laying on the ground of the warehouse, pleasantly worn out and still trembling from his release, Leonard Snart couldn't complain about the outcome of his little training exercise. Barry kissed him, soft and loving, and he brushed a hand over the slender man's side. He never would have imagined his life to come to this, to have Barry Allen naked and willing, to have him trust him, connected to him, and Len actually wanting it all. Wanting the connection, that trust, wanting Barry coupled with that intense sensation that he would fight to keep this, to keep it all safe and sound.

"We should do this again," the speedster now murmured against his neck, leaving a trail of kisses.

"I think we're doing it quite often," Len replied, deadpan. "Makes me wonder about your dry spell. The Sahara desert pales against you."

Barry chuckled and lightly bit him, then met his mocking gaze. "The training set-up."

"You like getting shot at? I can arrange that."

"Len."

"Barry?"

Barry chuckled and gave him a last kiss, then got up. "I think Cisco will want to talk to you about the plan. He sounded excited."

"Like a kid at Christmas," came the wry addition as Len openly watched the naked speedster dress.

Barry used his speed to finish dressing, much to Len's open disappointment. He pulled on his own clothes and The Flash took them both back to the cortex. Len just walked off to take a shower, ignoring the team, while Barry was immediately assessed by Caitlin Snow, asking him a million questions while also scolding him.

It was the start of a new form of training, one devised by not just Len but now Cisco, too. The young engineer was completely on board with creating scenarios that challenged not just The Flash but also the meta Sentinel. Len studied everything they had on The Flash and his abilities and powers, then set out on hitting Barry where his weak spots were, driving him into getting faster, more agile, thinking on his feet, casting out his senses as he used those powers, and also using his head.

"According to Dr. Snow's notes you have augmented bones, joints, tissue,you're your entire physiology was changed to beyond peak human condition to easily handle the rigors of your powers. You're no longer affected by high-level friction, inertia, air pressure, reduced oxygen, and kinetic impact," he told him emotionlessly, citing those reports. "That enables your thought processing to take in and retain information just as fast and efficiently. You only have to use it, Scarlet. Sometimes you think too much." His lips formed a wry smile. "Your instincts are there, but then you think and ponder, and that's when the enemy can hit you."

"Like you?" Barry teased.

"Like me," he agreed. "Your speed should make it impossible for a normal human like me to get even close to you, but you hesitate. You think," he emphasized.

"I'm human, Len," he reminded him. "Not a machine. I'm not a warrior. I'm not going to be one," Barry added, voice sharper.

Len's features shifted from coldly analytical to sudden realization, and there was a moment of regret, then it was gone.

"My apologies," he said softly.

Barry scrubbed a hand over his face. "No, I'm sorry. I know where you're coming from and I appreciate this. A lot, Len. Really a lot. Training happens while I fight off the latest meta or bad guy. All my abilities developed through necessity, never because someone had the bright idea that I might be capable of flinging lightning or breaking the sound barrier or even time-travel, let alone jump dimensions. It happens because I need it at that time to not get killed or not let the world blow up." He gave him a sheepish smile.

Len's eyebrows climbed. "I see."

"Phasing through stuff? Highly theoretical and when I did it, no one knew if it worked. Same about going so fast I can hit metal and break the surface tension. Or run on water."

"Or survive being hit by fire and ice at high settings?" he asked quietly. "To get the two supervillains to cross streams?"

Another shrug. "Kinda?"

"You and your team are certifiable, Scarlet."

"Maybe?"

He gave an explosive sigh, shaking his head. "It's a miracle you survived until today. What are the rules?" he asked with an almost rhetorical air to it. "Make the plan. Execute the plan."

"Watch the plan derail?" Barry laughed.

Len grimaced. "Plans, Scarlet. You have to take the time to plan ahead. Same about your powers. I knew you were powerful, but seeing what Caitlin and Cisco and your late bad guy Wells collected, you have an insane, untapped potential." He met and held the green eyes. "You're not going to be a super soldier of any kind, but knowing what you can do, what you can be, could mean the difference between life and death."

Barry pulled him close and stole a kiss. "I know. And I know you and Cisco will come up with a lot of challenging stuff, which I'm looking forward to."

"Are you now?" Len asked sardonically.

Barry's next kiss was getting closer to being a little bit more on the intense side.

"Geez, guys, please!"

Barry dropped his head against Len's shoulder, chuckling.

"Cisco," Snart drawled. "How can we be of service?"

"You just, uh, do your bonding stuff. I'll be…" Barry could almost hear him gesture, "somewhere else. Oh, and Caitlin's looking for Barry. Something about blood sugar levels and oxygen saturation."

The speedster groaned.

Len slipped a hand underneath Barry's dress shirt, angling south as he drew him close. Cisco beat a hasty retreat, though he looked far from scandalized.

"Bonding, hm?" Len murmured seductively into one ear.

"I'd love to do some serious bonding, but Caitlin's no woman you want to keep waiting," Barry sighed.

"I see." He smiled. "Then you might want to pay Dr. Snow a visit. Come find me later," Len added in a purr.

Oh, he would. He definitely would.