Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC comics. I am not for profit.
Mark Mardon was a good guy. If you asked any of the rogues (the people closest to him), they would tell you that Mark was a protector, he cared a lot about the people he loved. But he tended to notice men and women who just used him and left him when they got what they wanted. Mark drowned his frustrations with the drink, asking the rogues what he did wrong, what he got confused about. The rogues were tired of seeing his friend like this. And they were tired of the storms Mark caused whenever he was in that state. The weather reflected his mood.
The weather man in Central City had switched to the news because there was no way to anticipate Mardon's constant mood swings. Thanks to the Weather Wizard, the Central City weatherman had received a promotion and a raise. So that later they say that the criminals of Central City were not considered.
There were many customers in Saints and Sinners, some came in to shelter from the rain, others had a drink and tried to cheer Mark up hoping the storm would die down and they could go home.
-Calm down Mark.-said Axel.-One day you will find the perfect person for you.
-I don't know why I bother.-Mark said taking a sip of his beer.-I'm not a good guy. In the end they all leave me. I will end up alone, old and surrounded by clouds and rain.
- Don't be like that, Mark.-said Rose.-Maybe the perfect person is about to walk through the door.
As if it had been a signal, at that moment Barry Allen entered, soaked to the skin, looking for Captain Cold for a case, he went quickly towards him, without even looking if he was alone. If he had, he would have seen that he was surrounded by his rogues and Mark didn't seem too happy to see Allen heading towards them.
Barry Allen himself was no problem for Mardon, but Joe West, his adoptive father had killed his brother Clyde, that made him want revenge on Barry at all costs. The fact that Barry Allen was a CSI made Mardon have no qualms about what he could happen to the boy. If Snart hadn't made that stupid deal with Flash, Mardon would be free to kill Barry Allen. It was at times like this that Mardon didn't know why he had joined the rogues, being as well off alone as he was before, maybe it was that loneliness that had made him join the rogues, the feeling of being part of a team, a family, something he hadn't felt since his brother Clyde had died.
"This is Barry Allen".-said Snart before Barry could say anything. It was then that Barry looked around the table, instantly getting flustered.
"I… uh…" Barry stammered. "I wanted to talk to you," he said, addressing Len. "In private, if it's possible."
Leonard Snart was undecided, it could be clearly seen for those who knew him, for the rest of the people he continued to maintain his cold expression. He looked from Mardon to Barry and from Barry to Mardon so subtly, if the rogues and Flash weren't staring at him so closely, they would have missed him.
- Whatever you have to say to me, Barry, will have to wait.-Len said.-I'll propose something to you. You're here for a while and you buy Mark some drinks. Then you can propose whatever you want.
- Wait a minute, Snart.
Whatever Mardon was going to say, Len ignored him getting up and heading for the bar. With a nod from him, the rest of the rogues followed him, leaving Mark and Barry alone. Mark directed his gaze to his glass, trying to ignore the boy, Barry rubbed his face with his hand and ordered a coffee. Undecided he looked at Mardon, they had never gotten along, Mardon had tried to kidnap him and was one of his main nemesis. Other than that, they had nothing in common. Why would Len have put them in that position? He looked at Mark, at the slouching posture of him, the erratic gaze of him in the beer, although neither of them seemed to be the ones to break the ice and start talking, Barry felt sorry for Mark. The time mage had always been confident and sure of himself. Barry quickly remembered the day they were on, but it wasn't yet the anniversary of Clyde's death, so Barry didn't know what he could have done that one of his rogues was in that state.
"Hey, are you okay?" Barry asked.
It might not have been the smartest move of his, but he wasn't the kind of person to stand by and watch others suffer. The Flash should probably keep an eye on Mardon tonight, the boy looked like he needed a cab when he got out of there, but Barry doubted Mardon could remember his address correctly.
"As if you cared." Mark snorted. "As if anyone cared."
Barry was beginning to feel worse by the minute. Whatever Snart said, he had to make sure Mardon got to his house safely. He sometimes felt like the nanny to his rogues, he could bet Snart knew that.
- You matter, Mark.-Barry said.-I don't know why or for whom you are like this, but you're worth it. The rogues care about you and I'm sure the Flash does too.
Mark stared at him for a few minutes that felt like hours. Barry was very uncomfortable, he didn't know why he had said that, but it was what he felt. Flash cared about all his villains, that was what set him apart from the rest of the heroes, as much as the other members of the Justice League disagreed, Flash was not going to change his methods. The rest of the heroes would have to adjust, especially Batman, who would be very upset if he could see Barry now.
Mark and Barry did nothing, just stared at each other. The rogues watched the scene not wanting to intervene, but keeping an eye out for trouble. The storm had died down outside to a complete stop. Whatever Barry had said, it had worked. Len knew it, Barry had the effect of calming and uplifting people.
The patrons of the bar took the opportunity to get out of there, thanking Mark for stopping the storm, although Mark wasn't listening to them, he was focused on Barry Allen, who was constantly talking about a topic that Mark had long since lost track of. No one had ever said that kind of thing to him. An unexpected warmth grew inside him at times, it was something akin to affection. Mark wondered if he was too soon to get attached to the boy, he just hoped they didn't hurt him this time.