Barry was lying on the couch is his/Joe's living room, watching Les Miserables for the hundredth time, obviously singing along perfectly to every song. He remembered back when the Warblers used to have musical marathons every 3rd Friday of the month. They were a big deal back in Dalton, and pretty soon, Barry was able to convince his friends at New Directions to join them.
He was just getting to one of his favorite songs, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, when his phone began to ring.
Annoyed that his musical marathon was being interrupted, he paused the movie, and answered the phone with a barking tone that his alter ego Sebastian would be quite proud of, "What!"
"Geez Barry, what's got you all wound up?" He heard Oliver ask.
Groaning, he replied, "Nothing. What's up Ollie?"
He could practically hear Oliver roll his eyes at the use of his nickname, "I need your help. How fast can you get down to Starling City?"
"Do you even have to ask?"
"Don't get smarmy with me kid. Just hurry up."
"Sir yes sir!" And with that, Barry hung up the phone, and sped towards Star Labs to inform his team about their new mission in Starling.
After making Caitlyn and Cisco promise to not get into too much trouble while he was away, Barry changed into his Flash uniform, and sped towards the Arrow Cave. In 2 minutes, Barry arrived, along with a plate of sushi.
"What is it with you and sushi?" Diggle asked as soon as he noticed Barry's presence.
"I like sushi." Barry stated, shrugging.
"You sure took your time getting here." Oliver pointed out, jumping from his spot on the salmon ladder.
"I got off the phone with you 3 minutes ago." Barry reminded him.
"Yeah, but I thought you were faster than that. Huh, turns out I was wrong." Oliver teased his friend.
Resisting the urge to attack Oliver, or even worse, unleash upon him Sebastian, Barry plopped down on Felicity's usual seat, and finished eating his sushi.
Hearing the familiar click of heels, Barry looked up to see Felicity approaching the rest of the team, "Hey Barry! What are you doing here?"
"I'm not sure myself." Barry admitted, looking towards Oliver, who began to explain the reason he phoned Barry.
"A few days ago, an old acquaintance of mine from my pre-island days, Gabe Tucker, stole a priceless painting from Starling Museum. It's our job to get it back."
Barry looked quite skeptical as he asked, "Since when does the Arrow recover stolen paintings?"
Oliver looked irritated as he answered, " Gabe is an old rival, and Starling Museum was largely funded by the Queen's. This is personal."
"Alright, art thief, sounds fun! But why do you need me?" Barry questioned.
"Gabe is having his yearly charity gala tonight at his house. I'm pretty sure he's keeping the painting in his office. The problem is, he has too many guards outside his home, so the best chance we have is if we attend the party itself as guests. Usually, I could do this sort of mission alone, but the thing is, I'm not fast enough to find the painting, and get out of the household without alerting the guards. Plus, Gabe and I didn't end on the best of terms, so I doubt I would be allowed anywhere near that party. This has to be a stealth mission, if Gabe has any suspicions that someone is on to him, he'll move the painting and hide. We can't have that. You're the only one that could do it fast enough." Oliver explained.
"So, let me make sure I got this right. I have to attend the party as a guest, sneak into his office, find the painting and get out before anyone realizes what happened?" Barry clarifies.
"Pretty much." Oliver confirms.
"Sounds fun. But how would I get on the guest list?"
Felicity then interrupts, "I presume that's where I come in. Most guest lists are made digitally, so that the host can make sure all the front guards have a copy. All I have to do is hack in."
"Felicity is right. But that's not the hardest part." Oliver said.
"Then what is?" Barry asked.
"The hardest part is looking like you belong at a charity gala with a bunch of billionaires." Oliver explained.
Barry scoffed, "Trust me, that won't be a problem for me."
"Why wouldn't it be a problem for you?" Felicity questioned.
"I don't think you understand Barry, these people sniff out the difference between the upper and lower classes like a shark in a pool of blood. You're really going to have to act the part convincingly." Oliver stated.
"And like I said, it won't be a problem." Barry assured.
"Barry is way too nice to pull this off." Diggle stated.
"Geez! Do you people have no faith in me? Relax, I'll be fine." Barry told them.
"If you're sure." Oliver said skeptically.
"I am. Now, when does this party start?" Barry asked.
"It's not a party, it's a gala. And that's exactly the kind of thing that's going to make people question you're appearance!" Oliver pointed out.
"Whatever. When does this gala start?" Barry asked, stressing the word 'gala'.
"Eight." Oliver answered.
"Well, I better go get ready. Meet you guys back here in an hour." And before anyone could get another word in, Barry sped away.
"We're absolutely screwed." Oliver stated.
An hour later, as promised, Barry sped back into the Arrow Cave. This time, he wore an expensive Armani black suit, along with a gold watch that cost more than his yearly paycheck at CCPD. His hair was jelled up, similar to the way he wore it in his junior year of High School.
"Looking good Barry!" Felicity exclaimed after giving him a quick once over.
"Why thank you." Barry replied with a smirk, as he fixed his tie.
"Seriously Barry, you look hot, like really good, like super good, like all types of sexy..." Felicity rambled, soaking in Barry's appearance.
"He get's it Felicity." Oliver interrupted with a growl.
"Not bad kid, you clean up nice." Diggle complimented.
"Thanks Digg."
"How'd you afford that outfit?" Felicity asked.
"I told you guys earlier, fitting in with these people isn't going to be a new experience." And with that mysterious comment from Barry, Oliver sighed and made his way towards him.
"I hate that I have to leave this to you, but what'd done is done. Here's your earpiece, do not, under any circumstance, take it out. I'm going to try to give you tips on dealing with everyone from here." Oliver said, handing over the earpiece.
Placing the piece in his ear, Barry replied, "Wow man, you really have no faith in me. Whatever, you'll see later on that I'll be fine without your unnecessary babying."
Sighing, Oliver turned his attention towards Felicity, "Did you add him to the guest list yet?"
"I knew I forgot something! One second." Felicity realized, before grabbing her tablet, and hacking into the database.
"Hey Felicity, can you do me a favor?" Barry asked.
"Sure, what do you need?" Felicity replied.
"Put my name as Sebastian Smythe."
"Why?" Felicity asked.
"I don't want anyone to look me up as Barry Allen, and finding out that I really didn't belong at the party. There could be ugly repercussions." He explained.
"You do realize that they check ID, right?" Diggle told him.
"Yes, I do." Barry said cryptically. Mumbling something about "Plausible deniability", Felicity added the name Sebastian Smythe to the guest list.
"Remember the trick is to act charming, but smarmy. Nice, but with a biting undertone. Humble, yet obviously snobby." Oliver informed his friend.
"You're full of oxymoron's today, aren't you?" Barry teased.
"Barry, this is serious!" Oliver cried out exasperated.
Barry just laughed in response.
"You're officially on the guest list, or should I say, Sebastian Smythe is." Felicity informed him, looking up from her tablet.
"Thanks Felicity. Well, I better head out. It's a long drive." Barry said.
"Drive?" Oliver questioned.
"What, you think showing up on foot to a charity gala is a better idea?" Barry asked sarcastically.
Oliver kept his mouth shut, realizing his mistake.
"Well, later guys. Try not to distract me too much." And with a final cheeky smile, Barry sped away towards the car he just purchased. It was the most expensive and impressive he could find on such sort notice.
"Thank you trust fund." Barry said under his breath as he got into the car.
"Did you say something Barry?" He heard Felicity ask through the Comms.
"Nope, nothing at all." Barry lied.
"Hurry up Barry, you have the tendency to be late, even with your super speed." Oliver reminded him.
"Shut it Ollie, at least I don't shoot my friends in the back."
"Are you still not over that?" Oliver said incredulously.
"How about I shoot you twice in the back with arrows, and we can see how fast you'll get over it?" Barry suggested maliciously.
"Barry, just drive." Diggle reminded his younger friend.
"Spoilsport." Barry grumbled.
Arriving at the Tucker Mansion, Barry parked his car, and approached the front door.
Reaching the first security guard, Barry slipped on his smirk before stating his name, "Sebastian Smythe."
"ID?" The guard asked.
Once the guard checked the validity of Barry's French ID, he patted him down, and let him through to the party.
"Central City's Scarlet Speedster has a fake ID. How heroic." He heard Diggle state.
Barry smirked in response. He absolutely love taking advantage of his dual citizenship, and his families influence. In America, for all legal purposes, his full name was Bartholomew Sebastian Smythe Allen. But in France, it was only Sebastian Smythe, allowing him to have a completely legal and government issued French ID. He didn't tell the team this of course.
"Remember Barry, avoid Gabe Tucker at all costs. If he sees you, he'll know something is up. He personally wrote the guest list." Oliver reminded him.
As he walked into the gala, he noticed it was in full swing. Multiple people dressed in only the most expensive of clothes and jewels were conversing in mild, yet condescending tones. Many people around him were talking about "How great of a cause this charity is." But Barry soon realized that no one really did know what the cause was. Barry scoffed, these people would do anything to show their friends that they had more money, including donating an obscene amount of money to an unknown cause.
In an effort to not look completely out of place, Barry grabbed a glass of wine from a waiter, and approached a random group of older gentlemen.
"I am telling all of you, it is impossible to decide where to go on the annual family vacation. No one seems to agree on one place. The children say Hawaii, the wife says Fiji." A man in a navy blue suit says to his friends.
"I say, forgo all of those ideas and go to Vegas. That's where the real fun is." A man wearing a gray suit replies.
"This is a family vacation Thomas, not a bachelor party." The man in navy blue reminds his friend in gray, who Barry now knew as Thomas.
"Charlie has a point. I for one think Athens would be more practical." The third man, in a red overcoat tells them.
"I for one used to winter in Bali, along with one of my closest friends. It's the perfect vacation spot." Barry, or now Sebastian, tells them.
"That's actually not a bad idea." The one in navy blue, Charlie, says to Sebastian.
"You wintered in Bali?" Questioned Thomas.
"Yes, my friend Jesse and I were impartial to the cold winters in New York, so we joined his parents in Bali instead." Sebastian explained.
"What a load of bull." He hears Diggle mutter through his earpiece. He takes a sip of wine to stifle his laughter. If only he knew how truthful he was actually being.
"You're a New Yorker then? How come I haven't seen you in any of the parties up there?" Thomas assumed.
"That must be due to the fact that I only attended college in New York. I'm actually Parisian."
"A Frenchman then. You certainly have the confidence of one." Charlie admitted.
Sebastian smirked, "Alas, I do not know if my over confidence is due to the fact of growing up in a city such as Paris, or if it due to the fact that my parents have subjected me to these very galas my entire life."
"Well these galas certainly have the tendency to change people, whether it is for better or worse, I have yet to decide." Thomas stated with a smile.
"You are a trust fund kid then?" The one in the red overcoat asked.
"In a way. However most of my fund goes towards charities such as these, or are invested in stocks." Sebastian revealed.
"Not bad kid. You sound both rich and humble." Oliver said through the comms.
"A smart plan." Charlie complemented.
"I'm sorry, we didn't catch your name." Thomas said.
"Sebastian Smythe." He introduces with a smirk and a firm handshake.
"Charlie." The one in navy blue says.
"Thomas." Says the one in gray.
"Douglas." The one in the red overcoat introduces.
It was then a woman interrupts them, putting her hand on Douglas's arm, "Douglas darling, who is your new friend?"
"Darling, this is Sebastian Smythe, a fellow philanthropist. Sebastian, meet my wife Mary." Douglas says introducing the two.
Bringing her hand towards his lips, and kissing it, Sebastian says charmingly with his usual smirk in place, "Lovely to meet you Mary. May I say, you look absolutely stunning. The dress is an original Hummel, is it not?"
Mary blushed slightly, "Why thank you Mr. Smythe, you flatter me. And yes it is, you have an eye for fashion I see."
"It's nothing like that. I just recognize the dress." He says.
Wearing a confused look, Mary questions, "How is that possible? This dress hasn't come out yet, I made sure to order it weeks before it was released to the general public."
Sebastian laughed before explaining, "You see, despite what he lets the world believe, Kurt is extremely self conscience, especially about his designs. So without fail, he sends it to me for approval before releasing it, knowing that I have experience with design."
"You are friends with Kurt Hummel?" Mary asked shocked.
"Yes, Kurt and I are old friends from High School. We met through his now husband, Blaine Anderson." Sebastian revealed, smirk still in place.
"A Billionaire French Philanthropist who happens to be friends with Hollywood's biggest gay couple. My my, aren't you the cultured one?" Charlie stated.
"They're seriously buying this bull?" Diggle asked incredulously.
Ignoring Diggle completely, Sebastian replied, "Well when you put it like that, you only serve to add to my ever growing ego."
"Oh hush! You're the most humble man here!" Mary assured him.
"One may only hope." Sebastian joked.
"Not to mention the most attractive bachelor here. If my daughter were here, I would be busy trying to convince you to take her out on a date. You definitely bring a new meaning to the word 'sexy'." Mary added.
"Oh stop, you're making me blush." Replied Sebastian with a cocky smirk.
"And here they go adding to Barry's already inflated ego." Oliver mumbled.
"It's not like she's wrong." Felicity stated absentmindedly.
"Felicity!" Oliver exclaimed.
"What? I give credit when credit is due. And Barry's charming ways and over all sexiness definitely deserves credit." Felicity pointed out.
Sebastian's smirk only grew as he heard Felicity compliment him. He could practically hear Oliver's annoyance and jealousy, which amused him greatly.
It was then that he noticed Gabe Tucker's recent appearance to the gala. This was the perfect moment to complete his mission.
Reaching over to grab another cup of wine from a passing waiter, he 'accidently' tipped the cup, spilling the drink all over his suit.
"My, I'm such a klutz. If you all would excuse me." Sebastian said to the group.
"Of course, please." Mary replied.
With one last smile, Sebastian made his way towards the bathroom, which was conveniently placed near the stairs leading up to the office. Making sure no one was looking, Barry sped up the stairs.
Hacking the security system, Felicity informed him that he had only 30 seconds to get the painting and get out, before the alarm was back on.
It took 24 seconds for him to find the painting, which was hidden behind a less conspicuous painting. He sped out of the office, and down the stairs, with only 3 seconds to spare.
He then snuck out of the back door, and departed the gala, but not before anonymously donating a check to the charity, which he later found out was for orphanages across America.
Dropping his new car at a random garage, Barry sped to the Arrow Cave once more.
"One stolen painting, retrieved!" Barry announced, painting in hand.
"Great job kid." Diggle stated.
"Yeah Barry! You charmed the pants off of those snobs. And when I say you charmed the 'pants off them' I don't mean literally, obviously." Felicity rambled.
"Obviously. So, you think I'm sexy?" Barry asked with a smirk.
"Hey, credit when credit is due." Felicity says with her hands raised, releasing herself from all implications.
"How'd you know how to handle them? It took me years of being dragged to these types of galas to learn how to charm the upper class." Oliver asked.
"Didn't you hear? I'm a French Billionaire Philanthropist with a lot of famous friends, and great vacation spots." Barry teased, knowing that Oliver won't believe him, despite telling the truth.
"Fine, whatever. Don't tell me." Oliver said, rolling his eyes.
The next day, the painting was returned to Starling Museum, Gabe Tucker was arrested for grand robbery after a multitude of evidence implicating him turned up mysteriously, and all traces of Sebastian Smythe ever being at the gala was erased.