[[Warnings: Animal abuse (past), homophobia/homophobic attacks mentioned/discussed,
AN: I opened this in browser and all my bold face and italic was there until I hit save and opened it again. So Once again I'm nost sure how to fix that. So, I'm sorry the text messages blend in with the rest of the text but I can't try to add it in a thousand times until it works ): This story is way too long for that. 65k and ongoing. Thank you for reading 3]]

At S.T.A.R. Labs the day was trudging along at a snail's pace. The cortex was surprisingly empty and Cisco was visiting family so it was quiet too. If Caitlin was being honest, as much as she acted annoyed, she missed him popping up with random movie references or just dropping by the cortex to 'bother' her.

Something soft landed on her desk. Caitlin glanced up from her paperwork to see Ronnie. A heat began to fill her face, he was looking right at her with a big grin on his face.

"Good morning, Dr. Snow," he had his arms crossed on the table. He had pulled up a chair but Caitlin was too deep in her work to notice until now.

"Good morning Mr. Raymond," she seemed surprised, but not unwelcoming.

"I was wondering if it was okay with you, I would fill in for Cisco while he's gone and annoy you," he shot her a cheeky grin that nearly stole her breath away. "He asked me as a favour and I would feel rude if I denied him that," Ronnie had a great way of nudging Caitlin out of her comfort zone. Always in a gentle, casual way. Never applying too much pressure and if she did crack down, he always backed off.

"That-that would be fine," she tried to fight the heat that she felt rising in her face.

"Perfect," he smiled and then Wells called his name. "Sorry, Dr. Wells needs his high priced plumber," he shot her a wink.

"Okay," she smiled and ducked her head back down into her work. Caitlin had been friends with Ronnie and Cisco for years. She and Ronnie hit it off on her first day and she always considered Cisco's first impression to be lovely. Much better than her first meeting with Barry, who accidentally knocked her down.

On another side of town, Oliver moved a white, modern style desk into place against the far wall of a large room. When that was done he moved a small table to the middle of the room, adding a few chairs. He took a step back and checked how well it looked with the rest of the room.

He brushed his hands on his jeans in an extremely nervous manner. He left the room and came back with a box full of miscellaneous things. Setting it down on the desk, he pulled out a lamp, setting it down and plugging it into the wall. He quickly added a small closed glass box filled plans. He set it on the side before placing a laptop between the two items.

When that was sorted, he set up the science book between a set of cactus bookends behind the laptop. He gave one more glance around the room, checking the leaf - green comforter on the bed before grabbing one last thing from the box: a glossy paper tube.

He yanked off the rubber band off and unrolled it, sticking it easily to the wall. It was long and had a bisected flower on it. He sighed and ran a hand over his cropped hair, nearly startling when his phone began ringing, but he didn't. He picked it up and glanced at the caller ID. He frowned, his anxiety picking up slightly before he answered. "Hello? This is Oliver."

"Woah is this a bad time? You sound kinda mad." Barry was shaking a packet of sugar into his coffee, holding his phone between his shoulder and his ear.

"Who is this?"

"Barry … Barry Allen from the bookstore. I don't know if you remember me it's been a week or so. Sorry, work was insane; crime has shot up recently," he, of course, left out the bit where he had travelled back to Sun City to work on an unexplainable case.

"What? Oh yeah, Allen … the CSI right?" he feigned a light memory lapse. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, at the risk of sounding like one of your fangirls- I was thinking about you. Well, not just you-you and your son. I wanted to check in. I didn't care to ramble, which will stop soon but I can show you Jitters this week- if you haven't already found someone to show you that is- and just yeah-"

Oliver, while relieved and endeared- (even if he didn't have the foggiest idea why), cut Barry off. "Officer," he started.

"Oh, I'm not an officer. Some CSIs are different, some are both but I'm not-Barry is fine."

"Barry … um," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I would love to get coffee this week. You can tell me more about the city too."

"Sure!" Barry blinked, surprised.

"Actually what are you doing right now?" Oliver asked suddenly, surprising even himself.

"I'm not really doing anything, I'm watching my nephew at six but other than that nothing.

"Great. Could you come over?"

"Um, sure," Barry bit his lip. He wasn't sure what Oliver Queen could possibly want from him. "Where are you?"

"I'm over Windsor Heights. The Applewood community thirteen Maple Court, do you know where that is?" he glanced around the room before heading downstairs.

"Yeah, I know where that is," Barry had only been to that part of the city a handful of times for work, but he was certain he could find his way there on his own. "You'll have to tell the security desk I'm coming though- when do you want me there?" There he went again, seeing the best in people. He was always willing to help and that was his downfall at times.

"Could you come soon? I can compensate you for gas, of course, I know it's pretty far out," Oliver hoped he wasn't being too forward but he did need a hand. He was also surprised that Barry offered so quickly.

"Sure, I'll get there as soon as I can but gas money isn't necessary. I don't own a car. I'll be there soon.

At S.T.A.R. Labs it was now nearing lunch and Ronnie appeared at Caitlin's desk again. "Hey," he smiled. "I'm running up to Titos, do you want me to grab you anything?" he offered.

"I'm fine, thank you," she smiled. "if you'd like, you could stay here. Cisco left me some Puerto Rican leftovers that his mom made, she's actually a great cook."

"That does sound a lot better than driving across town," he allowed.

"I just need to see Grodd first!"

"What's a Grodd?" he asked, his eyebrows pulling together.

"Grodd is our resident Gorilla! I'll show you," she stood and waited for him to follow.

They made their way down a level and into a room. It was pretty open, the only things inside were a refrigerator and a large cage. Inside the cage was a large gorilla.

"That's kind of sad," said Ronnie. "He stays inside here all day?"

Caitlin went over to the fridge and pulled out Grodd's tray. "Could you lock the door behind you?" she requested.

Ronnie nodded and did as she asked before watching her walk towards the cage and open it.

"Hi, Grodd!" she smiled. "This is my friend Ronnie."

"He can't really understand you, can he?" Ronnie asked.

"Admittedly, not when I'm talking, no, but he likes the attention!" she smiled fondly at the creature before pressing her fingers together with her thumb, bringing her hand up to her mouth.

Grodd mimicked her and she put the plate of veggies down in front of him.

"You guys taught him sign language?" Ronnie asked curiously as he came into step beside her.

"Just a handful of words, he's very smart," she formed the letter 'G' and then 'smart' but Grodd was focused on his food and didn't see it.

"That's really awesome."

"Oh, boy-" Caitlin sighed and Grodd finished his food and came over to start picking at her hair. "Thank you, Grodd."

"What happened to his arm?" Ronnie asked, pointing to a large scar on his arm.

He wrapped his arms around Caitlin and she 'oofed' "Thank you Grodd," she hugged the large creature awkwardly. She peeked around him at Ronnie. "There was another man working with wells a few years ago. He wasn't very nice to Grodd. When Wells found out she banned him from the property."

"That's a shame."

"Okay Grodd," she stood and lead him back into his enclosure, locking it securely.

"He really likes you," Ronnie smiled. "Looks like I've got some competition," he joked as they walked back to the Cortex.

Caitlin fought a flush for the second time that day. "There's no competition…" she trailed off, unsure of how else to address the joke. It didn't feel the same as it would when Cisco made the joke.

"Then what's taking you so long?" he teased and stopped walking, crossing his arms and meeting her gaze. "I've been waiting for you to make a move," he explained. "was starting to think you didn't like me" he winked at her. "… anyways, you have lots of opportunities, feel free to take one-"

He was cut off by Caitlin's lips brushing against his, her hands cupping his face gently. When she realised she had just kissed her co-worker in the middle of the hallway, she jumped back. "I'm sorry- that was totally inappropriate!"

Ronnie just started laughing, a light airy laugh that would have made Caitlin feel stupid if it came from anyone but him. "I think it was great! Sometimes you gotta bend the rules sometimes. Want to grab dinner after work?"

"I would love to.

When Barry arrived at Oliver's house, it took him about a half hour to arrive by bus. The size of the house was intimidating. Two stories and what looked to be an attic up top. The house could probably fit two of the West house inside of it, if not more.

Barry rang the bell quickly before starting to wring his hands out awkwardly. He should have felt like this was strange- maybe part of him did but he ignored it.

Only a few short minutes passed before Oliver pulled the door open. "Thank you for coming," he stepped aside and invited Barry in.

"This is a really nice place," said Barry casually.

"Thanks. I don't know if I like it but it'll do. If you'll follow me, we'll get right to it and you can back to whatever you were doing before I dragged you out here," he started to head up the stairs.

Barry decided that Oliver Queen was a strange person, but Barry had been called strange for most of his life. It was a feeling Barry couldn't quite explain- he trusted him. Though that was Barry's nature. "Alright!" he followed him up to the room in question.

"I wanted your opinion, my friends just keep telling me it's fine, but I feel like I can trust you to give a real opinion," he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I think it's too much." Barry decided after taking a look around the room. "You said your boy is ten?"

"Yes, he just turned ten."

"He doesn't really need his own laptop. You could get a desktop for the house that he can use, that way you make sure he doesn't download anything dangerous and fry the thing- I've got a friend who works in computers." Barry started. "and this might be a nitpick but he doesn't need every single game system on the market."

"I've never really played video games. I just got whatever was at the store," Oliver admitted.

"You don't have to try so hard, the books alone were very nice."

Oliver nodded. "Thank you for being honest. It's … refreshing."

"Can I say something else too?" asked Barry.

"I'm all ears. I want my son to be happy here eventually," he nodded seriously.

"I think this house may overwhelm him. It's huge, and from how you talk about him it seems like his coming to live with you isn't under the best circumstances," Barry knew his statement was hold and possibly rude but he did promise Oliver he would be honest. "Also most of the kids out here are High School aged."

"What other neighborhoods are there?"

"Well, New Brighton is nice. It's got a pretty mixed groups and it's right by some shopping centres. You want to stay away from Brookfield Heights, it's all rich young adults. Chubbuck is by the hospital. Danville has a lot of families." he started listening things off.

"Thank you. His mother died suddenly, and I didn't even know he exsisted until recently."

"I'm sorry. I hope you and your son can move forward. I most of my expierence with teenagers comes from child development and Psychology but I'm always happy to help."

"Thank you. He's my first child."

"Happy to help."

Oliver compared Barry to Felicity very briefly in his mind. They were both people he found himself almost trusting without much effort, and he couldn't explain why. "I almost forgot," He pulled out his wallet and tried to pass Barry a bill.

"What's this?" Barry's eyebrows pulled together, nearly shrinking away from the money.

"If you didn't drive I'm assuming you took the bus. So I'm covering your fare," he spoke smoothly.

"That is twenty dollars. The bus is like four dollars," Barry objected.

"Oh." Oliver seemed momentarily embarrassed, but didn't show it and put the bill away.

"So," Barry stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You're probably nervous, right? My brother was off the wall when he found out his girlfriend was pregnant," he laughed lightly.

"I can handle it," he shrugged. "I came back from the dead, I think I can handle a ten-year-old," he smiled a little.

"You may have missed the one hundred questions phase but you're getting close to the rebellion stage," Barry attempted to contribute. "Also, he may be angry at first, be patient with him."

"Hey, do you want to grab lunch somewhere? I've been hauled up inside all day. I'll drive, I need directions to Big Belly Burger anyways."

"Sure," Barry shrugged his shoulders, accepting the sudden subject change.

When they sat down at the fast food restaurant, Oliver had picked a booth towards the back. Something Barry hadn't even blinked at.

As he spoke his phone went off. He pulled it out and glanced at it. "Oh wow!" he said, grinning.

Iris: Hey Barr. Your boyfriend was spotted near a warehouse just outside the city. [Iris sent a somewhat gritty photo of the Green Arrow]

Barry made a face at the message before shooting back.

Barry: He's not my boyfriend, shut up.

"What is it?"

"The Green Arrow was spotted in a warehouse just outside the city!" be showed Oliver the photo.

"You know about the Green Arrow?"

"Of course I know about the Green Arrow! I've been following him," Barry admitted. "Not literally. I'm just a fan. I have theories. One: I think he wears green because he trained in some sort of jungle or forest environment and the Green is a nod to that." he glanced at the image again. "This confirms my other theory!" Barry enlarged the image.

"What theory would that be?" Oliver asked, pulling his eyebrows together.

"The Hood and the Green Arrow are the one in the same," he replied.

"What do you mean?" Oliver swallowed but didn't outwardly show any concern.

"I made that mask," Barry pointed to the mark Green Arrow wore in the photo.

"You made it?" Oliver's eyebrows pulled together.

"A woman reached out to me via my blog and asked me for help, so I made the mask. She spoke pretty vaguely but I knew she meant the Green Arrow," he laughed. "I was more than happy to help them so I just made it and left it where she said."

"I'm surprised you like him. Most cops think he's a murderer," said Oliver plainly. He was surprised Barry seemed to be a 'fan'. He also made a mental note to have a very serious chat with Felicity next chance he got.

"I believe in the justice system, but I also know that the system isn't always right," Barry thought of his father and other cases he'd seen over his years as a CSI. "He helped me once too, as the Hood," he shrugged.

Oliver tried to think of when he had seen Barry's face before, but he came up empty. He was certain that he had never seen him before that day in the bookshop. Though he had intervened in a few random muggings and similar situations. Never deliberately, but he never ignored someone who really needed help. "What happened? How did he help you?" Oliver found himself asking finally. He wanted to know and hopefully remember.

"When I was twenty-four I was in Starling to work on a case. I ended up meeting a guy and we got drinks. We were both kind of drunk- anyways. Some guys decided they were offended by us holding hands and threw some words that escalated into them attacking us," Barry winced, remembering. "The guy I was with took off and then the vigilante intervened. Which I'm grateful for. I'm clumsy and not a fighter even when I'm sober and three on one is overkill. I just remember seeing him- then I woke up in the hospital."

Oliver nodded once. He remembered helping Barry now. He couldn't remember his face because it was too bruised and bloody by the time he arrived on the scene. "That's terrible. I'm glad the vigilante showed up, I guess." Oliver, who was usually composed seemed uncomfortable.

"Is there an issue?" Barry asked.

"With what?"

"Me liking men," Barry clarified, crossing his arms. If Oliver had any issues with him, he wanted them out in the open before they continued their friendship.

"Nope," Oliver shrugged. "none of my business who you date," he shot Barry what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Does your family know?" he found himself asking.

Barry laughed softly. "Yeah, they're really supportive! I had to break the news to my oldest nephew recently actually."

"How did that go?" Oliver asked.

"He's thoroughly confused and traumatized at the idea that gay people exist," he snorted. When he glanced up at Oliver, and gathered that he hadn't chosen his audience well for that joke. He cleared his throat. "Sorry, bigots are always saying that 'us gays' are going to 'corrupt the children'. E.J.'s biggest concern was whether or not his new uncle is going to like dinosaurs or not."

"Oh, you're engaged?" Oliver looked up at him again. He was certain Barry never mentioned this before.

"Oh no. I'm kind of … off the market these days," he shrugged. He didn't really make an effort for dating anymore. He didn't really make an effort for friends anymore either.

"I know how that is. Anyway, how old are your nieces and nephews?" Oliver asked, genuinely interested.

"My sister Iris's kids, E.J. is four, and Esther is eighteen months. Then Wally's son Sam is a little younger than Esther."

"Oh, so really young," he nodded once.

"They're growing so fast though. I remember when E.J. couldn't even hold his head up," a small smile formed on Barry's lips at the thought.

"I think you're an interesting person, Barry," Oliver stated casually.

"Thanks?" He was surprised by the comment which he wasn't sure if he should take as a compliment or not

"Hold on, Oliver Queen wanted your opinion on his son's bedroom?" Wally raised his eyebrows as he passed Sam over to Barry.

"Hey, Sammy!" Barry said softly but excitedly. The baby reached out and grabbed onto his nose, pulling hard, making him chuckle but also wince a little. "and yup! I don't know it was weird. I don't know what his interest in me is all about but he seems like a nice guy," Barry shrugged his shoulders.

"You think everyone who isn't a criminal is a nice guy," Wally accused. "and even then," he did a shrugging gesture.

"Oh shut up and go to work." He rolled his eyes "I hope Linda feels better soon," Barry added politely.

"Thanks, I'll tell her. Thanks again for keeping him overnight."

"I'm always happy to help."

Oliver 2:30 AM: Should I get anything else for the house?

Barry: Shouldn't you be like, asleep?

Oliver: I could say the same thing about you.

Barry: No one sleeps when there are kids are under 5 around.

Oliver: Who do you have with you?

Barry: [Barry sent a picture of himself in dim lighting. He was laying in bed, with a young baby asleep on his chest. One eye had to be closed because there was a small baby hand jammed into it.] Sam. He won't sleep unless he can pull your hair out and hit you in the face.

Oliver: I was almost sad I missed William's baby years. Hahaha.

Barry: I don't think you really need anything else for William though. You're doing a good job.

Oliver: Thanks. Lunch tomorrow?

Barry: Dinner? No idea if I'll be awake at lunch.

Oliver: Sure, 6?

Barry: Yeah. Meet you at BBB.