AN: So Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney princess movie and Belle is my favorite princess and bless the 2017 live-action version because I love Emma and the whole cast is beautiful and I'm ranting. :) Thank you.
Oliver Queen wasn't a brat at all. He was more of a shell of a broken man who always tried to fill the void of his emptiness that seemed to grow by the day. When he was a lad, his mother died. When he was a strapping young boy, he'd discovered he liked boys just as much as he liked girls; his father did not like that one bit. When he was a teenager, his sister died. When he was at the cusp of manhood, his father died.
Not only was he surrounded by death and despair, he was also surrounded by the need to fulfill what his father had always told their subjects... what his father had beat into him. He wasn't supposed to like boys, just girls. So every day, he put out this show... that he only liked girls. He did this by taxing his people higher than normal so he could afford to host parties every night, only for the most beautiful and lavish women across the land.
For a brief moment, he thought Princess Laurel of Starling would be the one for him, his life partner, his everything...
If only he'd met her first...
If only this were another lifetime...
"You okay, Ollie? You're... You seem really tense. Do you... Should I tell Felicity to cancel tonight's party?"
Oliver shook his head. "No, honey, I'm fine. Just thinking. Are you okay?"
"Me? Oh, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? I'm fine, I'm perfectly okay. You, on the other hand good sir, are perfect. More than perfect, in fact. Which I don't even know how is possible and I have no idea how the topic just completely changed to your perfectness—"
There was just the ghost of a smile playing on his lips; he found himself smiling more nowadays. "Sweetheart."
"Right. Rambling. Um..." There was a pause. "You know, I should get back to my duties..."
Oliver was having none of it. It was only the break of dawn, the day hadn't started yet so there was no need to start on the party preparations until at least the sun was at its highest. He held onto the arm that wound around his waist. "Don't you dare. You're staying here."
"B-But—"
"King's orders, Barry."
His manservant, the love of his life since they'd been lads, blushed but burrowed himself deeper in the covers and buried his face into Oliver's neck. "Well, if my king bid it..."
Damn his father and what he thought. He loved Barry; he was everything to him. He just wished he were brave enough to be brave. His love for Barry should have been strong enough to knock some sense into him, but every time he thought he could introduce the world to the man that meant everything to him, he'd hear his father in his head and back out at the last minute.
Oliver kissed the top of Barry's head.
"I love you, Barry Allen."
"And I you, Oliver Queen."
The old woman was sprawled out on the floor before him, weak and shivering from the cold. He wasn't heartless; he could see the fatigue and desperation in the woman's quivering form as she offered him the bright rose, the only thing she could give in exchange for shelter from the raging storm.
At the sight of the flower, something deep within him broke.
Thea... she had loved roses, red roses especially. He remembered how she'd always ask him to pick out the reddest rose for her since she couldn't because of the thorns.
He collected the rose and crushed it in his hands, thorns digging into his palm like how a glimpse of the flower had pricked its way into his chest. He couldn't show weakness, not right now in front of everyone.
He made sure to hide all traces of emotion by making his voice low and rough. "Get. Out."
The old woman's face turned defiant. "You shouldn't have done that, boy."
Slowly, her face morphed, melting into a beauty he'd only imagined possible: long raven black hair, blood red lips and a calculated outraged glint in her green eyes. In that moment, he realizes she's not just some random sorceress; he'd heard stories about her from his father, King Malcolm and King Quentin.
"Morgana."
"That was never my name. It's Lena."
She doesn't realize someone has decided to block her way until her book crashes into her face when she collides into someone's torso.
"Kara! Good morning!" Mon-El declares proudly, hands on hips to puff out his chest.
She doesn't want to be polite, but she has to be. "Good morning, Mon-El," she says, not bothering to look at him and instead opts to stare at the words in front of her.
Mon-El, undeterred, walks around her and snatches the book from her hands. She doesn't find this surprising nor amusing — he does that every time they meet.
"Mon-El, can I please have my book back?" She tries to hide the anger. She'd just gotten the book from James, who so kindly gave it to her after having borrowed it a total of four times; she doesn't need him ruining it.
Mon-El inspects the book before shutting it. "I just don't understand why you just won't say yes to me, Kara." He waggles the book in her face. "It's because you keep reading these kinds of nonsense, filling your head up with ideas." He tosses the book away and gets down on one knee whilst taking her left hand. "Please. Just take me as your husband. You need to get your head of out of those books and have a real man to show you how it's done."
It takes all of Kara's strength not to kick him in the mouth. First he's just thrown her book away and now—
"I have a real man, thank you." She pulls back her hand. "And right now, I have to get home to him."
Mon-El gets up, making a face. "That's another thing I don't understand. Of all the men in the village, you just had to choose Barry Allen as your husband-to-be. You chose him over me!"
Kara turns away from him and picks up her book. A corner of the hardbound front cover is bent, but it doesn't seem like it has sustained more damage. Before she has the chance to retort (or insult) back, Winn's already talking.
"Yeah! How do you pick that crazy loon over the greatest hunter in the world?"
Kara whips around so quickly, the air around her makes a sound. She directs her glare at Mon-El's lackey. "Don't you dare talk about Barry that way. He's a brilliant man with a brilliant mind." She then looks at Mon-El, slowly stepping further away towards her cottage. "Mon-El, I'm sure you'll find some other girl for you. It's just never going to be me."
As soon as she's said her piece (one that she swears she ends up saying one way or another every time he proposes to her), she takes off to her home when she hears an explosion, right in the direction she's heading.
There's thick smoke everywhere, too much that she's forced to open all the windows. She finds Barry on the floor, dazed and covered in soot but otherwise okay.
He doesn't notice her in his workshop until he is practically picked up Kara, who helps him to his desk.
"It's the hydrazine," Barry mutters as a sort of explanation; Kara isn't too sure if it's meant for her or him. "Shouldn't have been next to the nitric acid..."
"You okay, Bar?" She asks, tugging the goggles from his eyes and letting them dangle around his neck. The smoke from the explosion makes a mark on his face where his goggles were, his brown hair is blown back into a spiky greasy mess, and it's these moments she finds her husband-to-be most handsome.
He blinks rapidly for a few moments as he takes in his surroundings. His eyes finally meet her and his entire face lights up, smile spreading across his face as he wraps his arms around her waist, twirling her around in modest excitement. Her laughter blends in seamlessly with his, marking this another moment she's going to savor for the rest of forever.
"It works!" He proclaims as he spins her around for the third time before needing to put her down before they both end up on the floor. His hands caress her face. He whispers,"It works! Look!"
He swipes at his beaker, throws Kara a ridiculously dopey grin and, before she can stop him or even comprehend what his intentions are, he takes a swig of whatever red concoction he'd made.
Her only response is to stare at him in disbelief. The words 'have you gone insane?' is hanging on the tip of her tongue, but can't bring herself to say them, eyes sharp as she watches him for any ill effects. He puts down the glass beaker and brings a hand up. Kara isn't even absolutely sure what's going on anymore, but what she's sure of is that his hand is moving back and forth in a speed that shouldn't be possible.
His hand is vibrating; the tips of his fingers seem to be emitting some sort of yellow electricity. Before she can truly appreciate her husband-to-be's genius, Barry brings his hand down before literally disappearing into a blur of yellow lightning across the room, blasting wind and a perceptive smell of ozone. Then suddenly, he is somehow in front of her, eyes wide in spectacled fervent elation.
In lieu of words, she kisses him to convey her excitement. He tastes like coffee, cherries and burnt toast, exactly what home tastes like to her nowadays.
"You know," Barry says after Kara had told him how her morning went, swallowing the last bit of the porridge Kara had made for them, "one of these days, I may actually kill Mon-El."
Kara rolls her eyes as she takes a sip of her water. "He's obnoxious, I'll give you that, but he's harmless."
"He keeps hurling your books around!" He waves his arms around in exasperation. She giggles a little at the sight of his spectacles sliding down his nose. She finds it perfectly endearing that Barry knows just how precious books are to her. "Take one of his rifles, chuck it around carelessly and let's see what happens."
She pictures it in her head, how Mon-El would knock the person out should they ever try that. "I know."
He angrily picks up a baguette and takes a bite. "Why aren't you more upset?" His eyes are wide with sincere wonder.
She shrugs. "I'm used to it."
He grimaces. "You shouldn't have to be."
"I'll be fine, Barry. I've had to deal with his antics since we were kids."
Which is true. Mon-El has always... fancied her ever since they first met in the market the week after she moved into town with her older cousin, Kal, who later died in battle years later. She'd been flattered at first and flustered at best, but even in their first meeting, he'd shown his notorious narcissism and brash views of women. He's easy on the eyes, she can't deny that, but she can't spend the rest of her life waiting on a man to come home, cook him dinner and rub his feet. She knows she's meant for greater things, and Barry recognizes that about her.
"If I'd known you then, I'd probably still be the lovesick fool I am now." He smiles, but she can see the uncertainty clouding in his eyes.
This is one of the rare occasions he talks about anything remotely connected to the past, and that's because he can't remember it. Five years ago, he'd arrived in town with a bag full of his belongings but unintentionally having left his memories behind. All she truly knows about his feelings of his unknown past is that he feels... incomplete, no matter how many time he says he isn't.
Kara banishes the thought from her head and decides to change the subject for his comfort. "Don't you have a fair to get to by daybreak tomorrow?"
Barry's chair scratches the wooden floorboards as he is scrambling to his feet, rapidly finishing off the rest of his coffee and baguette.
"I have a fair to get to by daybreak tomorrow." He crosses the space between them and plants a hasty kiss on the top of her head before rushing off to his workshop.
"I love you, Kara Zor-El."
"And I you, Barry Allen."
Barry's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before crinkling at the sides as he smiles.
"I'll be back by evening tomorrow!" He adjusts his glasses as he gets on his horse.
"You better come back with that potion patented!"
"Okay, first of all, it's called the Speed Force. Second, of course I will. Third, take care of yourself while I'm gone, and feel free to punch any guy who flirts with you and flings your book halfway across town!"
"We're lost, aren't we?" Barry says to his horse, his voice shaking. He likes to convince himself it's because he's cold.
The mist that thickens around him isn't helping his nerves at all. He should've brought Kara with her since she's always been the better one at reading maps.
He's about to give up and turn back around to head home when he hears the distinct growling and heavy padding behind him.
"Oh no." The howling gets closer and he has no choice: he can't go back now so he's forced to move forward. "Let's go, Wally!"
The horse whinnies as it darts ahead in agitation. However, in its effort to get them to safety, it rears with no such warning, causing Barry to get slide of its back and painfully land on his tailbone. He groans and can only watch as Wally gallops away. When he finally registers that his satchel is still attached to him and that his creation is actually still with him, he hastily opens the bag, only to find broken test tubes and the spilled red liquid.
Great. So much for a patent, he thinks. Maybe next he adds begrudgingly, Again.
As he slowly gets to his feet, he can just make out the snarling behind him through the haze of his growing adrenaline.
Without so much as assessing the situation, he takes off in a direction that'll take him to god-knows-where. He doesn't know why, but he feels like he knows where he's going and that he can outrun a bunch of wolves. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he can hear an unmistakeable male voice cheering him on, bellowing voice proclaiming he's the fastest man alive.
He's not remotely close to being out of breath, and he knows this isn't even his top speed. He pushes his legs harder, a feat that isn't too hard to achieve since his life is on the line; adrenaline is magical, sure, but he just wishes he has the Speed Force but of course the test tubes just had to break.
Just up ahead, he can see a giant iron gate and he can't help but feel like he's been here before. He pushes at the gate.
"Of course it's locked!" He cries out. Howling closing in, he knows he has a few precious moments before he becomes a meal.
As if triggered by muscle memory, he reaches inside the gate and dislodges the lock by pulling on it while giving the gate a swift kick. The gate squeaks opens. Just as the wolves are about to feast on his bones, he kicks at the gate and watches in deep relief when it closes and the locks engages. He laughs hysterically as he exhales, head falling backwards into the snow. The adrenaline wears off and the fatigue of the situation plus weeks of working on the Speed Force gets registered by his body.
Just as he gets pulled into unconsciousness, he can see a large horned figure descend on him. He's positive his mind imagines it when he hears his name.
After Mon-El just rudely invades her home in another wild attempt to get her to leave Barry (as if) and marry him instead (she threw a punch right onto his nose when he gets handsy), she decides to run off into the hills where her and Barry often have picnics to clear her mind.
It doesn't take long when her tranquility is broken by the clicking of hooves and urgent whinnying from a horse she'd know anywhere. "Barry?" She grins, getting up to greet her husband-to-be... only he isn't there.
She runs to the horse. "What— No. Where... Wally, where's Barry? Where's Barry?! Take me to him!"
She gets on and the horse takes off immediately.
She's worried, so worried that it makes tears flow freely down her cheeks. She doesn't often cry, but when she does it's mostly because of frustration. Right now, she's nowhere near frustrated. She's scared, scared out of her mind that something awful has happened to Barry. She cannot begin to imagine life without him; she can't imagine living alone in a village that already thinks her to be odd, her and Barry alike: her for her reading and him for his chemistry.
The horse eventually stops in front of a castle, one that she has no idea even existed so close to the village. She gets off and tries to open the gate. It doesn't budge open. She shakes at the gate with her fists and it still doesn't open. Letting her frustration finally bleed through, she kicks the gate and it screeches open. She walks inside and just five steps in, she sees Barry's brown leather satchel.
She hurries to it and when she picks it up, the flap falls open, spilling broken shards of his test tubes and its red liquid onto the ground. Her heart splits a little at the thought of all of his hard work just being shot to hell.
She dashes to the castle. She feels rattled at the eerie vibes she's picking up from the castle, but she has to get to Barry.
"Hello?" She says cautiously. "Anyone here? Barry?"
She's pretty sure she's trespassing and that she can get thrown to the stocks or, even worse, jail, if she's caught. But Barry... she has to find him.
She wanders deeper into the castle, calling out Barry's name once in a while. She somehow ends up in one of the towers. "Is anyone here?" She asks.
"K-Kara?"
"Barry!" Relief slams into her like a mountain of bricks. She quickly makes her way to the cell. Barry's hands shoot out between the bars and Kara takes them immediately. "Barry, your hands are like ice." Just barely having said that, Barry's coughs wetly. "We're getting you out of here."
Barry's hold on her hands tighten, refusing to let her punch her way in. "No, no, Kara. Y-You have to l-l-leave."
"What? Are you insane? I'm not leaving you here! Not when you're about to develop pneumonia!"
"K-Kara, listen to me. There's n-no time to explain. Get out of here right now. P-Please!"
"I won't leave—"
"What are you doing in this place?!" Someone with a rough voice demands from behind her, yanking her by the collar of her coat and before she knows it, she's tossed aside, about a few meters from Barry's cell.
She's barely able to contain her gasp as her eyes widen at the sight of the... creature, the beast. He has horns that curl like a ram's but not quite, the build and fur of a bear, mane of a lion she's only seen in books... everything about him is animalistic; he towers over her easy and he has this immediate air around him that demands fear... but his eyes resemble that of a human's: they're an easy baby blue, clouded with so much torment and anger, she can see that he's gone through so much.
"Who—" She stops before taking in a deep breath to gather herself. She remembers what her cousin had once told her: never let them see you rattled. "I'm here to get Barry back."
"Well, Barry here is a trespasser. And so are you!" He stalks closer to her and, once again, picks her up by the collar.
"I was s-s-seeking refuge from wolves dammit!" Barry complains.
"No excuse," the beast replies as he opens up the cell and throws Kara in. He locks them both up, giving them both a glare. "I received eternal damnation. You may as well be thankful I'm merely locking you up forever."
Neither one is able to say anything. Barry's too cold to think of anything to say, Kara's too busy warming him up. The beast leaves with a growl rumbling deep in his chest.
As Kara rubs her hands against his biceps to let friction do its thing in a poor attempt to warm him up, she says, "You know, I punched Mon-El in the nose. I think I broke it."
Barry laughs despite everything that has just transpired. "D-Did I mention I love you?"
Oliver has been pacing in his quarters for the better part of a long while.
He can't believe it.
Barry's back.
But he's betrothed to another.
To a woman.
He knows this by keeping tabs on Barry over the years with his magic mirror that allows him to see anyone.
He can't take it anymore. He goes to his only portrait of Barry and tears it apart with his claws.
Kara doesn't know how long she and Barry have been holding each other. It isn't supposed to matter how long since it seems they'd be spending the rest of eternity in this godforsaken cell with no means to escape when the door suddenly opens.
It startles the pair so badly: Barry jumps to his feet and Kara squeaks.
"Oh, I'm sorry for startling you guys," a female voice says. "I didn't mean it, I'm sorry. I'm just here to take you to your rooms."
Kara grabs the stool Barry's been sitting on while Barry protectively steps in front of Kara, even though they both know Kara is the one more capable in a fight.
"Our rooms?" Kara asks dubiously.
"Yeah, rooms. I know, I know; he said 'I'm merely locking you up forever' but he didn't mean that. He's all dark and broody, but I swear, he didn't mean it. People just likes to say things in anger, know what I mean?"
"Uh, sure?" Barry says as he and Kara slowly advance toward the door.
"Great! Okay, so if you'll just follow me—"
Kara gasps and Barry freezes. They haven't been talking to a woman, at least not in the traditional sense. They've been talking to—
How in the world are you supposed to—
They've been talking to an object.
Kara does what she does when scared or unnerved: she acts on instinct. She brings the stool down at the object, stool falling apart as it crashed into it.
They both go rigid and watch in morbid fascination as the room goes dim. It's not a few moments later before the object moves again, her candles lighting up again.
"Damn, girl. You got some muscles on you. That's great!" The object says.
"You're... You're a candelabrum," Barry says quietly in awe.
"And you, good sir, are wonderfully observant! But if you would, I actually prefer Felicity."
"How can you talk exactly, Felicity?" He continues. He's slightly astounded by how her name rolls off his tongue seamlessly, as if he's had it so many times before.
"The question should be 'can she shut up?'" Another voice says, male this time. They both turn around and find an antique clock walking towards them. Walking. Right, because that makes sense. Is every object in this castle capable of moving?
"Ah, Dig, you're no fun. Why aren't you having fun?"
"Maybe it's because every time you do something, I am the one who gets in trouble."
"Trouble's fun!" Felicity jumps up to — can't be feet, she's not human — an upright position. "C'mon, Mister Observant and Miss Muscles! We're off to your rooms! I mean, unless you guys wanna freeze here to death. Which you are totally welcome to do! It's just, you know, some of us prefer that you... don't."
Without waiting for a response, Felicity and the clock, Dig, head off. Barry and Kara only have time to look at each other briefly, as if to ask if this is a good idea, before following the inanimate animate objects.
"Cait! Cait!" Cisco yells excitedly, moving as fast as he possibly can to his best friend, an endeavor slightly difficult to achieve due to him being a common literal tool.
Caitlin turns around. "What? Can't you see I'm busy?"
Cisco rolls his... never mind. Busy, she's always busy, but when one has been cursed to be a quill, what else are you supposed to do but write?
"Did you hear?" He asks.
"I hear a lot of things, Cisco, you'll have to narrow it down." There's a hint of playfulness in her voice.
"Barry's back!"
Caitlin stops her scribbling and stares at Cisco. "It sounded like you just said Barry's back, which I am praying I heard correctly."
Cisco grins. "Yep! We're in business, baby! We gon' be human again!"
Caitlin smiles, much more sincerely than before. "Human again."
The room is... underwhelming, to say the least. But judging by the quick and sharp intake of breath Kara makes, he knows she's feeling the opposite. He understands the room is magnificent, no doubt about that but...
He doesn't know how or why but he's seen this room before in exact detail. He's seen the beautiful sky painting on the ceiling, he's seen the elegant king-sized poster bed, he's seen the checkered marble floor...
But he's positive he's never even been here before!
"It's beautiful..." Kara says, breathless.
"Damn right it is! Master wanted you guys to have nothing but the best!" Felicity says. She jumps onto the bed, causing dust to arise from the mattress. "Oh dear god," Felicity coughs, "Yeah, it's great, but we weren't exactly exacting anyone, let alone two."
"Don't worry!" A new voice says. Barry turns at the sound of one more familiar voice and finds a feather duster floating into the room. "I'll have this room spick and span in a flash." The feather duster drifts to the mirror and has it sparkling before he can wrap his head around this new character. "Name's Iris."
Iris then proceeds to join Felicity on the bed. Making sure the couple don't hear her, she whispers to Felicity, "Are you sure this plan is gonna work? Barry obviously doesn't remember us." Her eyes glances once at the woman's engagement ring before quickly averting her gaze.
Felicity snorts at her best friend. "Where's your girl power? This'll work, okay? You'll get your loving oaf of a brother back. Trust me. Ollie's always been a softie, even though he tries his damnedest to show that he isn't."
"I hope you're right."
"When am I not?"
"Literally every time."
"Ouch." Felicity cocks her head in the direction of the couple and says out loud, "So yeah, this'll be the lovely lady's room, and for the gent, it'll be next door! Unless, you know, you wanna be roomies?"
"Uh..." They both say as they look at each other.
"Oh just stay together," Iris suggests as she floats away to continue her cleaning. "It'll be easier to deal with everything that's just happened."
"Right. What she said." Felicity hops off the bed and joins Dig by the doorway. "So, dinner'll be ready by sundown. See ya!"
The door closes as Dig and Felicity walk towards the main hall to the kitchen.
"You're gonna get us killed," Dig comments.
"No, good sir. Just you."
Oliver sits down at his usual spot for meals. As per usual, all the plates and bowls and utensils are laid out for him. He knows the food will be out any moment now. He looks up and finds two sets of plates and bowls and utensils prepared at the opposite end.
And just like that, he's reminded of the fact that Barry has all but forgotten him. That he's engaged to someone else.
That he loves someone else.
He roars in despair as he swipes at his dishes.
He stomps his way to the kitchen, where he knows Felicity and Dig are.
"You're making them dinner?" He demands.
"No," Dig denies all too quickly.
"Of course we are!" Felicity retorts back, elbowing at Dig's cowardice. "I don't know about you Oliver, but I'd sleep better at night knowing the guests you decided to keep here forever won't die off in the next week from starvation!"
"You don't sleep!"
"For the record, I just want you to know that I think it's an awful idea," Dig interjects.
"That's not the point, and you know it!" Felicity argues, ignoring Dig completely. "Barry may not remember us, but we remember him! He was our friend, we miss him too! Granted not as much as you do, but still!"
Oliver is quiet for some time. "He's with that woman now..."
"I know, Ollie..." Felicity sighs. "But that doesn't mean you can't try. Deep down, I know he still loves you. What you and Barry had, it was magic." Felicity steps closer. "Just try, Ollie."
Oliver rubs at his face in aggravation. "Fine!"
Felicity squeals and jumps off the counter. "There we go! Hey, Ronnie! Replace the plates the King just destroyed! Oliver, go up and invite those two to dinner! I've already informed them beforehand, so they should be ready by now."
"You just have to plan everything to the dot?"
Felicity looks up as she nods, grinning so widely. "Yep, I'm a planner."
Oliver soon finds himself walking to the East Wing, an action he'd never had to do in the last five years. There hasn't been a point to it. He just usually stays in the West Wing, where his quarters are and where a majority of his memories of him and Barry reside anyway. He remembers only having to go to the East Wing when he wants to surprise Barry, who regularly maintains the pristine of the rooms there.
His intention is to knock delicately, but that doesn't go according to plan. Five years and Barry's here, but he isn't his Barry anymore.
"You're to join me for dinner!" He thunders.
Thanks to his superhuman hearing, he is able to hear shuffling from the other side of the room, so he knows they're awake. Their lack of response angers him further.
"I said you're to join me for dinner!"
"I'm not hungry!" The woman says defiantly.
"Speak for yourself," Barry says under his breath. If he hadn't been granted with enhanced hearing, there would be no way he'd be able to hear that.
"You can't stay in there forever!" He argues, gearing it more at the woman for denying Barry food.
"Ha! Try me!"
"Wait, are we really not going to eat?!"
Oliver is on his last thread of patience. "If you two don't come out this second, I'll break down this damn door!"
Barry snorts. "Temper."
His heart quickens. Barry always said that. Wait does... Does this mean Barry remembers? Perhaps not, seeing as he doesn't remember where he is, but... maybe he still has his memories! That they're just buried, not erased.
"Please." He's surprised at his tone of desperation. "Join me for dinner. We have... chocolate pecan pie?" He knows it's a long shot but maybe Barry's favorite will push them.
"Are you kidding me?" The woman mutters under her breath. "They just happen to have our favorite?"
A stomach growls.
Barry snickers. "Looks like I'm not the only one hungry. Let's just go, okay?"
The woman sighs begrudgingly. "Fine!" She says loudly.
Oliver doesn't understand the grin. It should feel foreign on his facial muscles since he hasn't smiled in literal years, but it doesn't; the smile is almost like a long lost friend.
The dinner goes relatively well.
Of course not perfectly. Kara and the beast argue at every opportunity presented and Barry mostly acts as a buffer between the two.
Being there, Barry almost feels like he's home, even though he's basically a prisoner along with his betrothed. But it does feel like home! He finds himself warming up quickly to the objects that he encounters such as Felicity, Iris, Ronnie (who's a coat rack), Ray (a hammer), Cisco (a wrench) and Caitlin (a quill).
And for some unknown unexplained reason, he knows how to get around, able to spot passages he shouldn't know about.
He knows where things goes. He knows... practically everything about this castle.
This should be impossible; again, he's never been here before!
One too often, he gets lost into those familiar crystal blue orbs of the beast and he realizes they're the same shade as Kara's.
Barry falls asleep faster than she'd anticipated. She quietly slips out of the room and makes her way to the West Wing, the exact place Dig had warned her earlier not to venture into. Barry had agreed all too easily not to go there, but Kara is stubborn; she has to know what's in there.
The deeper she gets, the more tattered the place becomes. Statues become shattered, pantings are ripped, furniture is destroyed...
She has a strong feeling why she'd been warned not to go here. It's not about being stubborn anymore, it's about being curious. She's never been in a castle before so she wants to see as much of this one as she can; it's in a horrible state of disrepair but behind the crumbling walls, she can still see the magic within them.
She walks through the entry of a room that's obviously used as someone's private chambers. Right there in the middle of the dilapidated room glows a soft red. She's... drawn to it. She advances towards the glow and discovers it's a rose, but it's no rose she's ever seen before. It's glowing, first of all, and it's encased in glass where it appears to be floating. She removes the glass and she's captivated.
The rose, it's beautiful. Words can't begin to describe how beautiful it is. She brings a hand up to touch it—
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?" The beast drops down from... where the hell did he come from? He quickly puts the glass back, protectively putting his arms around it. "What did you do it?!"
"N-Nothing," comes Kara's stuttered reply, stepping back. She knows she's crossed a line so she doesn't argue.
"Do you know what you could have done?" He asks in a dangerously low tone. "You could have damn it all! Get out!" He bellows. "GET OUT!"
She doesn't need to be told twice. She runs out of there. She's not thinking, she doesn't know what she's doing. She can vaguely hear voices urgently telling her to stop but she doesn't. She grabs her coat and before she knows it, she's out in the snow. She's sprinting to who knows where; all she knows is that a monstrous beast told her to get out so she's doing just that.
With no warning whatsoever, her heel is nipped and her face meets ice. Former training from both her cousin and sister kick in and she immediately gets up. She realizes she's up against a pack of wolves. Hope gets deflated. She only knows how to handle people, not animals and certainly not wolves.
One poises to attack. She scans her immediate vicinity for any weapon available and all she can find is a thick enough branch that looks like it can hold its own. She makes a grab for it and swings at the wolf that launches at her.
Another one pounces and she times it just right to hit its muzzle. Just as she's ready to swing again, another wolf takes the branch in its mouth and yanks it out of her grasp.
This is it.
This is where she dies, where she selfishly decides to take off and not even think of Barry in the heat of the moment.
She closes her eyes and thinks she deserves this.
"I'm sorry, Barry," she says quietly.
She can hear the wolves' growling quickly approaching her before a heavy thump announces another arrival. She opens her eyes and finds the beast, right there, letting himself be a barrier between her and the predators.
He's protecting her, she realizes, even though he's made it very clear he dislikes her.
The beast roars mightily. Some wolves recognize the potential peril they are in and flee. A handful stay behind to challenge this newcomer. He handles it all almost perfectly, as if he's done this one too many times. But then, one new wolf comes out of nowhere and sinks its teeth into the beast's back. Another wolf takes the beast's disorientation to its advantage and takes a chunk from the beast's leg. He hollers in pain and hurls the wolf into a boulder. He then faces the rest of the wolves and howls again, louder and meaner. The wolves, this time, gets the hint and all scurry off.
The beast turns around. For a second, she thinks he'll run off back into the castle, that he'll be fine, but then she notices just how much injuries he's sustained from the scuffle. His eyes meets hers, fatigue swimming in those blue orbs, before the beast promptly collapses into the snow.
She doesn't think twice. She rushes forward and rolls him onto his side to prevent him from doing any more damage to his back. She takes off her coat and thrusts it on the open wound to control the bleeding. She isn't as good as Barry when it comes to injuries but she knows enough. His eyes are closed but he's breathing. She knows she's not supposed to but she shakes his shoulder to rouse him back to consciousness. The beast slowly opens his eyes.
"You have to help me," she says. "You have to stand."
"All of this happened while I was asleep?" Barry asks dubiously, gently dabbing away the blood. "It's not even dawn yet!" He clicks his tongue twice at the critical state of the beast's lesions; he's going to need stitches.
"What can I say?" Kara says, sitting by the edge of the bed. "I have a knack for danger."
"Why do I have a feeling you're a magnet for trouble too?" Barry asks, directing at the beast.
The beast is grinding his teeth together, no doubt trying not to cry out in pain as Barry disinfects the wounds.
"Can you maybe try not squirming as much?" Kara says.
The beasts squints at her in annoyance. "If you hadn't run away, we wouldn't have to be in this situation, would we, Kara?"
"If you hadn't gone crazy on me, I wouldn't have run away, Oliver."
"Well you shouldn't have been in the West Wing!"
"And maybe you should learn to control your temper!"
They scowl at each other, but Barry can tell the intensity is nowhere near as bad as dinner. Kara is sitting closer than she would have, and the bea— Oliver is a lot less tense.
Barry's looking at the both of them, slack-jawed. "You... What? How do you—"
"He told me his name as we were heading back." Kara looks at Oliver. "Thank you... for saving me."
Oliver looks flustered for a moment. Barry can tell this doesn't happen often; heck, it probably doesn't happen at all. Oliver looks at Kara solemnly and says, "You're welcome."
From the doorway, Felicity and Iris squeals internally, Cisco and Ray are headbutting in lieu of fistbumps (since they don't exactly have arms), Caitlin is smiling from her place on one of Ronnie's hooks, and Dig just looks on, proud of the idiot.
After that, things started to get better. Granted, Kara is still stubborn, Oliver is still short-tempered and Barry is just trying to keep the both of them not kill each other. Words get thrown, feelings get hurt, but then apologies become frequent.
Until they start to lessen.
They know now. They know which topics to avoid, they know which ones to exploit, they know which stories to exchange.
There's this one time where they all end up falling asleep in Oliver's bed after talking about just anything they could think of. Oliver wakes up the next day to his arm linked to Barry's and Kara's head leaning on his shoulder.
He doesn't dare move until they both wake.
Sooner rather than later, they find themselves in the West Wing almost every night than in their own designated room in the East Wing.
Oliver isn't too sure what compels him to do it, but he takes the two out to the courtyard. It has stopped snowing, but the blanket it left behind is the wonderland Barry has always loved.
As Barry's busy running around, fitted with a new pair of spectacles Oliver had given him (once he'd swapped out his old black frame for a gold one, Kara had said the latter fit him much better than the old spectacles ever did), he makes it his mission to create as many snowmen as he is able, all while rambling on and on about the possibility of human flight and the aerodynamics behind it. Kara is on a bench, poised, reciting out loud.
"... Yon light is not day-light, I know it," she's reciting, which highly impresses Oliver. "I: It is some meteor that the sun exhales, To be to thee this night a torch-bearer, And light thee on thy way to Mantua: Therefore stay yet; thou need'st not to be gone."
The side of Oliver's lips quirk upwards. He makes his way to the bench she's on and starts to say, "Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death;" He takes pleasure in her widened shocked eyes. She scoots over to make room for him to sit. He does so and continues, "I am content, so thou wilt have it so. I'll say yon grey is not the morning's eye, 'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow; Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat. The vaulty heaven so high above our heads: I have more care to stay than will to go: Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so. How is't, my soul? let's talk; it is not day."
Kara puts down her book and faces her body to him, almost like she's challenging him. "It is, it is: hie hence, be gone, away! It is the lark that sings so out of tune, Straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps."
He smirks. He knows this play by heart by how many times his tutor made him read it, by how many times Felicity makes him recite it all because it's her favorite. "Some say the lark makes sweet division; This doth not so, for she divideth us: Some say the lark and loathed toad change eyes, O, now I would they had changed voices too!"
Kara cuts him off. "Since arm from arm that voice doth us affray, Hunting thee hence with hunt's-up to the day, O, now be gone; more light and light it grows."
"More light and light;" Barry continues, having abandoned his small army of snowmen, "more dark and dark our woes!"
All three are silent for a while, just silently staring at each other. It's Kara that breaks it. "You know Shakespeare?"
Oliver scoffs. "I have an expensive education."
Barry snickers, almost like they're sharing a private joke. The confused look he gives Oliver a moment later is enough to stab his heart.
"Romeo and Juliet's her absolute favorite," Barry says, looking pointedly at Kara.
Oliver makes a face. "Why is that not a surprise? You know, there's better things to read than just tragic love and Shakespeare."
Kara looks at him, expression unreadable. "Like what?"
If he wasn't so sure why he took the two out to the snow, then he's got a good grasp on why he gives Kara his enormous library, and Barry the study that doubles as a lab, the latter being a gift he'd intended to give Barry a week after Lena placed the curse on him.
Kara jumps around as she squeals her thanks over and over again.
Barry actually throws his arms around him.
He's sure and he knows he's so screwed.
Cisco and Ray quickly become two of Barry's favorites. Not only do they help out with Barry's computations, but they also help make random test tube racks for him whenever he runs out and create other random inventions he'd need.
("We'll help however we can with your alchemy, Barry."
"Chemistry, Ray! Not alchemy."
"Right, I knew that.")
Caitlin, too, integrates to Barry's list of favorites fairly swiftly too. Being a quill and a physician, she is actually more help, especially when it comes to chemical equations; she's able to spot any errors made and correct them. What's better is that she isn't smug about it, unlike Harry (another coat rack like Ronnie) who usually brags about his intellect. Her inner mother hen also tends to show whenever Barry forgets to eat, doesn't sleep enough or gets a cut he doesn't realize.
Kara warms up to Felicity and Iris quickly. Not having any girl friend back in the village, she savors every conversation she has with the two. Felicity loves Romeo and Juliet, and Iris loves Wuthering Heights. Felicity fills her in with little tidbits about Oliver (e.g. favorite color: emerald green, favorite activity: archery), and Iris tells her stories about her lost brother. Kara, more than once, mentions her brother is a lot like Barry and it's a shame they can't meet. Iris agrees, but inwardly snickers.
Felicity is there when Oliver comes to one morning, much to his annoyance.
"You're too chipper this morning," Oliver huffs, unable to not notice the all too wide grin on her face that makes it look like she knows everything. "And why are you here?"
Felicity shrugs playfully. "Oh you know, the birds are singing, the sun is shining... the usual things that make me happy. Oh! And there's something else."
"Really? Pray tell me what?"
"You like Kara."
That gets Oliver in a sitting position faster than he has time to regret it. "What? I love Barry!"
"I didn't say you don't. And I didn't say you love Kara. Well, not right now at least." She squints at him. "Or your lying to me."
He lies back down gently. "That's preposterous and a tad insane." It sounds weak, even to his ears.
"Maybe, but we're not judging! In fact, Iris and I find it adorable, and totally doable—"
He makes a face at her choice of word. "It wouldn't work, Felicity."
"Why not?"
Oliver frowns. "Barry loves her and she loves him. He's always loved science... Always one potion away from giving me a heart attack given how many times he's blown himself up in Harry's apothecary."
Felicity laughs fondly. "I remember he lost his eyebrows that one time he was trying out a new potion to increase healing capabilities."
"And Kara. She loves to read, devour every bit of knowledge every single page has to offer. She loves Shakespeare and Wuthering Heights. Face it, Felicity, I don't exactly belong in their already perfect equation."
Felicity shakes her head. "You're so in too deep that the great Oliver Queen is now an idiot. I wanna be impressed by how stupid you've become, but I can't even be bothered."
"For the record," Dig says as he enters the room and jumps on to the bed, joining Felicity. "He's always been this stupid." Felicity sends Dig a grin; she's getting the real Dig back, not the cowardly one they'd gotten in the last half decade who keeps living in fear of Oliver.
"Why must you antagonize your King?" Oliver says, resigned.
"Because our King is an idiot!" They both say at the same time. Oliver just groans.
He thought he could woo Barry back to him, but no... he just had to up and fall in love with his betrothed too. He can see why Barry loves her: she's exquisite, refined, witty, funny, strong — damn she's strong, don't let that petite figure fool you — and... she is so devoted to Barry and his wellbeing that it makes him faller for her even harder.
He's definitely screwed.
Barry has Kara in his arms, neither one able to fall asleep. Barry's too busy trying to memorize the pattern of the dimly-lit sky on the ceiling and Kara's too occupied drawing her own patterns on Barry's bare chest.
"Kara... you know I truly do love you"
"And I love you."
"But..."
"I know, Barry, I know... Me, too."
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" Felicity keeps chanting, standing in front of the screen. She wants to hold something— no, scratch that, she wants to hug Iris! But she can't 'cause fire and feathers don't mix well on Iris' part. "This is great! Wait! Who asked who?"
Oliver is spitting out water and lightly glares at Harry, who's having too much fun at his wet misery. "Well, Kara admitted she can't dance and Barry then says he can't either and the moment... I don't know, it felt right so I said I'd teach them. I didn't think they'd both say yes!" Actually no, their actual answer had been hell yes but that's not the point of the issue right now.
Felicity sort of does this jog in place as she squeals. "Ah, this is so cute! Just saying, I one hundred percent ship you three. Hey, Iris! Come here! Fangirl with me!"
Iris floats down from dusting the chandelier. "With pleasure. Ah!"
"Ladies," he says as he wipes his face from another water assault, wincing from their high pitched squealing. "Please."
"Oh come on! It's been a while since we've had real gossip around the house. Let us have this moment!"
"Uh, not to add any more pressure on you or anything, Oliver," Cisco says meekly, "but... you do need to up the romance just a little bit. There's like five petals left—"
"Four, actually," Caitlin interrupts.
"Four? Ay dios mio. Dude, Oliver, you my King and all, you know? You the boss! But it's been a long five years, and no one's outright said it... but we really wanna be human again."
Oliver may be abrasive with his attitude, but if anything, Oliver never turns his back on his friends. It's his fault they're in this mess with him. He'll fix this, no matter how confusing it is when it comes to Barry and Kara.
They're not at all sure how this whole dance is going to work with three people. Oliver briefly thinks they'd have to take turns, but that wouldn't seem right at all.
It's Kara who solves this dilemma. The music starts, Cisco starts singing, and Oliver has one hand intertwined with Barry's while his other arm snakes around Kara's waist, Barry and Kara hold each other's hands. They all sway to the music, completely unsure yet absolutely certain. They all look at each other, happy but so confused.
At the end of their crude yet lovely dance, they're all out of breath but they're laughing.
"Good job, Kara," Oliver says in a teasing voice. "You only stepped on my toes twice!"
"Ha!" Barry joins in.
Oliver rolls his eyes. "Barry, you stepped on me and Kara a total of fifteen times."
Barry crosses his arms. "I did mention I wasn't any good."
Oliver notices immediately Kara's quiet demeanor and is about to ask why, but Barry is already answering his unvoiced question.
"It's Kal's death anniversary today," he says grimly. "It's just... it's the first year she hasn't..."
"Hasn't visited his resting place," Oliver finishes, slightly horrified he'd forgotten that today, of all days, is Kara's cousin's death anniversary. She knows how close she'd been with her cousin; she talks about him whenever the opportunity presents itself. Kal-El stood as her father figure and she loved him as such.
He doesn't hesitate. "Then you must go to him. Both of you."
Kara looks up. Behind the despair in her eyes that's plain to see, there's hope and gratitude. "What did you say?"
"You must go to him," he repeats firmly. "Kara, I know how you feel, remember?"
"Thea..." she whispers
"Right. So go. Should you..." His throat tightens. He knows there's only three petals left. "Should you want to come back, I'm here." He grasps at his magic mirror and shoves it into Barry's hands. "If not... here's so you can remember me. I've already shown you how it works so feel free to— oof!"
Kara shoots forward and embraces as much of his large frame as she is capable. Her lips wobble against his dress shirt, so her thank you is slightly distorted, but Oliver gets the message. Barry allows his wife-to-be this private moment and stands there.
When she finally lets go and steps back, Barry takes his turn to embrace Oliver. Barry mutters against his shirt, "Thank you for doing this."
"Of course. Anything for the both of you."
Oliver just barely sits on his bed — now empty without Kara reading the newest chapter from her latest book or Barry telling them theories — when Felicity comes bursting in.
"So, just to let you know, I've already prepared wedding plans. I mean, I've had them pretty much since I caught you and Barry were making out in the library nine years ago, which was slightly horrifying by the way, you've literally mentally scarred me, sometimes, I still get nightmares and that's totally not the point right now! I've just tweaked the plans a little bit so it'll fit all three of you. So I'm think we're definitely going to have to go old school, but with like, just a bit of—"
"I let them go," Oliver interrupts. He can't have Felicity talk about that can't happen now (but really, did he actually have a chance before?).
The words don't register in Felicity's head until a few moments have passed. "You... you..."
"He let them go," Dig says as he enters the room along with Cisco, Caitlin and Ronnie.
"What? How could you?" Cisco cries out.
"He loves them," Caitlin says sadly, but understands the lengths people who are in love go through for the people they love.
"If he really does love them then how the hell are we not human?" Cisco argues.
"They don't love him," Caitlin answers, but everyone can hear her uncertainty.
"No," Felicity says. "No way. You saw how Kara looks at him! And Barry clearly is still in love with him!"
"They didn't say they do," Ronnie realizes, to which Oliver just nods in desolation. "They have to say it out loud that they love him... And now it's too late."
"I let them go, okay?" Oliver says, unable to look anyone in the way. "I set them free, and now I can't do the same for you. I'm sorry."
Cisco wants to be mad at him, but he can't bring himself to be when his King did it for noble reasons. They all file out in silence.
Oliver doesn't miss Felicity saying under her breath, "I still believe in them and I still believe in you."
"Hey, Kal."
Silence.
"I know, I'm late. Sorry. There's just... a lot that's been going on, you know?"
Silence.
"A lot's changed since the last time I was here. And most of it just transpired a few moons ago."
Silence.
"It's Barry's fault really—"
"Hey!"
"Hush. All he had to do was get his Speed Force potion patented and he just had to up and get himself lost in the woods. He sort of trespassed into this abandoned castle and was kinda given a life sentence. I didn't know until the next evening when Wally came back sans Barry."
Silence.
"Wally took me to the castle and I saw Barry's bag on the courtyard and I just broke in. Oh my god, did I just—"
"Leave our horse right there alone? Yes, you did. Don't worry though, he's in the stable. It's Joe who mostly looks after him."
"The broomstick?"
"No, that's Jax. Joe's the harpsichord."
"Oh. So anyway, yeah. We both get imprisoned by this beast. And I mean beast, like with the horns and everything."
Silence.
"He isn't as bad as we thought he was. He's... actually really sweet and thoughtful. He gave me a library and Barry a lab in his castle. How many people would do that?"
Silence.
"He told us that he is the way he is because an enchantress cursed him for having no heart. How does that even make sense? He's... Kal, he's wonderful. If anything, he has the biggest heart compared to anyone here in Star."
Silence.
"It's a horrible injustice. We... We tried finding out what could break the curse and he keeps saying he doesn't know, but we know he knows! He just doesn't wanna tell us."
Silence.
"Our other friends... they're cursed too. They don't tell us how to reverse the curse, but they did tell us about the flower. When the last petal falls, they're all doomed to stay as what they are for the rest of their lives."
Silence.
"We can't... We want to do something about it but we don't know how to help!"
Silence.
"I hope you'll meet him one... Wait— Oh wait, I forgot he gave us his magic mirror! Watch this, Kal. Show me Oliver. This is him."
From behind them, there's a rustle of leaves and a twig snapping. Mon-El rushes off into the village.
"Did he—"
"Oh my god, he saw."
"Oh no. Kal, I'll talk you later! Barry, let's go!"
Barry and Kara are too late and too stupid.
They run right into the village where Mon-El has already persuaded the entire village to attack a beast they'd never even seen before. What's worse is that Barry is holding the mirror in his hands where Winn is able to snatch it to give it to Mon-El. Mon-El just says the right words ("Show us the beast") and it's more than enough to completely gain everyone's spirits to kill the beast before it kills them.
Mon-El has them locked up, where Mon-El tells Kara how he can't believe he fell for a girl too stupid enough to love an alchemist and care for a beast.
Barry and Kara are too late and too stupid.
Until—
"Give me your hair clip."
"What?"
"Give me your hair clip."
"Why do you need— Oh."
Barry is able to break them out not a moment later. They rush off to James, who willingly gives them his horse.
Before they get on, Barry pulls Kara close to him and captures her lips in a heated kiss that relays all of his worries and nerves but that he knows it will all be all right as long as they stick together.
"You know I love you," Barry says.
"And I love you."
Later, as the horse approaches the castle, Barry is sending her a half-smile she's never seen on him before. "Let's go save our Ollie."
"Oliver!" Dig says urgently as he hurries to Oliver's side. "They're breaking down the doors!"
Oliver shakes his head as he looks on at the mob forcing their way in to his home. "Doesn't matter now, Dig. Let them come."
The pair arrives to complete chaos. The townsfolk have already broken down the doors to the castle and are in a full-blown war with the castle's occupants.
They can't pass through the main entrance without someone targeting them.
Barry grabs Kara's hand and before she can comprehend it, she's on his back and he's running.
"I know another way."
She doesn't complain; she knows with him running, they'd be a lot faster.
She wishes they have the Speed Force with them so Barry can ingest it. All she can do now is just pray for him to be fast enough.
The man has that kind of evil smirk only Oliver's seen in cruel kings he'd encountered before. He thrusts his pistol in his direction, aimed at his chest.
"I'm Mon-El. Kara sent me."
Oliver knows he's lying; Kara would never let this man kill him, and even if she did, Barry wouldn't allow it... but there's this painful twinge in his heart that believes this man is telling the truth.
He is, after all, a monster.
Mon-El pulls the trigger and it hurts. He remembers the first time he's shot in war, but he'd been shot in the leg; this is much more painful. He tumbles off the edge and collapses onto a ledge below. In a hopeless attempt to seek relief, he jumps onto a different terrace, far away from Mon-El.
"Oliver!"
There's a strength that surges through his veins when he hears his name being yelled in absolute desperation.
"Barry? Kara?" He turns his head to where his name came from. He sees them, right there on a balcony: Barry, teary-eyed behind those glasses he loves, and Kara, hands shaking at her side. "Kara! Barry! You came back!"
"Of course we did!" Barry yells.
"Ollie... we were already planning on coming back before dawn tomorrow!"
Mon-El jumps to the balcony the couple are. He cocks the gun in Barry's face and growls. "I'm killing this useless tool. Then I'm killing that beast, whose head I'm going to hang on my wall. You will marry me, Kara, and the first thing I'm doing with you is teaching you how to behave like the woman you are."
Oliver sees nothing but red. Mon-El has the gall to threaten Barry's life and think he has some sort of claim on Kara. He pounces onto the balcony they're on and claws at the pistol. It drops, along with a shriek from Mon-El, who tenderly holds his now bleeding hand close to his chest.
He wants nothing more than to tear him apart, limb from limb. But he doesn't.
"I'm. Not. A beast." He shoves at Mon-El. "Go."
Mon-El scrambles away.
Oliver, weak and most likely dying, opens his arms in invitation and the two hurriedly take either side. They don't see Mon-El come back stealthily, dagger in hand. The blade plunges into Oliver's back, and Oliver can feel it puncture one of his lungs. He roars in pain as he gets down on his knees before collapsing forward.
Neither one of the couple has time to scream. Barry shoots forward to roll Oliver to his side to try and control the bleeding from his gunshot wound in his chest and the stab wound on his back, but even he knows there's only so much he can do.
Kara stands and throws a fist into Mon-El's stupidly smug face. The impact of her punch makes Mon-El stumble backward, where he loses his footing and rolls off the edge where he plummets to his demise. Kara doesn't even have the heart to feel bad; he's caused her too much grief.
"Kara! I can't—" The rest of Barry's words die in his throat.
Kara runs back to her place next to Oliver. She runs her hand through the top of his head, openly letting the tears flow. "Oliver, c'mon, stay with us."
"I'm sorry," Oliver rasps. "But I think it's my turn to leave now."
"No!" Barry says. "We're here now. We won't leave you again."
"Don't be ridiculous..."
Barry and Kara share a look of sheer terror. Oliver's eyes remain open and unblinking; his chest stops moving, his hands go slack in theirs.
Kara's voice is barely above a whisper. "Oliver?" She lightly paws at his shoulder.
Barry bawls, "Oliver, wake up!"
From Oliver's room, the last petal of the rose falls. It dies as it its glow dims to nothing, melting into the darkness.
"No, no, no. Not again!" Kara cries out, voice raw. "I can't lose anyone else, Barry! Not again..." She leans down and kisses his forehead, as if it would bring Oliver back.
Barry curls into a ball, rocking on his heels; he's crying. "No, no, no, no, no... Ollie... we love you. Come back, please."
As soon as the words leave his lips, a bright beam of light erupts from the center of Oliver's chest, right where his injury is. Another blinds them from his shoulder. More and more spring forth as he is slowly lifted into the air by what seems like magic.
As the brilliant luminescence from Oliver intensifies, Barry's head is all but about to split open. He clutches at his head in his hands as he stumbles backward, wailing in pain. Kara has to tear her eyes away from the radiant magic that explodes from Oliver to tend to Barry.
"Barry!" She says in a panic. "Barry, what's going on?!"
Barry's reply comes in the form of a pained scream. His attempt to squeeze his head in a desperate attempt for relief proves futile. The pain worsens by the second and he almost passes out from the sheer agony.
Kara's talking, he knows it, but he can't make sense of her words.
Just when he thinks he can't take anymore, the thundering pain sharply dips and completely vanishes, as if it was never even there in the first place.
His eyes open to their widest; he's hunched over with his palms pressed firmly against his head. He straightens himself out and stares at a bearded man in tattered clothing with cropped hair, a heavy and well-built body... but those eyes: they hold that same clouded misery he's been carrying since they were teenagers, holding that identical shade of blue as Kara.
"Who are you?" Kara demands, tightly holding onto Barry's shoulder.
Barry doesn't mean to but he ignores her. He steps forward to close the space between them. Bringing a hand up to rest against his stubble, his eyes water as he says, "I remember everything."
Oliver only has time to gasp a bit before Barry captures his mouth into a passionate kiss. One arm wraps around Barry's back and brings him closer so every line of their bodies are connected, the other tangles into Barry's coifed locks. Teeth against teeth, tongues battle for dominance, hands roaming everywhere; if Oliver is a forest, Barry's the gasoline.
They have to pull away at some point to breathe, but they don't want to. They've been robbed of five years; they can have this.
When they do eventually pull away, they don't dare move their bodies. They press their foreheads together, looking deep into each other's eyes. Oliver doesn't care that he's crying, Barry remembers who he is!
"I love you, Oliver Queen."
"And I you, Barry Allen."
"Ol-Ollie?" Kara asks meekly, her tone implying she's so scared of breaking their moment together.
Oliver grins at Barry and both make the decision to finally break apart. His grin goes wider as he takes in Kara's utterly confused expression. He takes confidence strides to the blonde, who seems frozen in place. He caresses her cheek as he just gazes at her, trying to convey the message that it's truly him.
She's staring, there's no mistaking it: only Oliver would have those blue eyes that seem to be both content yet dismal, fearful yet brave, loving yet confused.
"It is you," Kara says, voice breaking as she kisses him in earnest desperation.
Oliver can taste Kara's worry at the tip of her tongue and he answers back his reassurance: that it's truly him and that he's not dead. It's when they're gasping hard for air that they need to pull back is when Oliver realizes just how much he loves Kara.
Oliver's the forest, Barry's the gasoline, and Kara's the match that lights them all up.
"Wait, so why exactly were you cursed?"
"I pissed off an enchantress, who knew about us and thought I didn't deserve you, not after the way I treated her."
"Ah."
Oliver takes Felicity, who is back to her bespectacled and blonde self, into an embrace, glad that he's able to make physical contact with his best friend again.
"For the record, I never stopped believing."
Oliver grins against her hair. "I know."
Barry hugs both Ray and Cisco, gives Caitlin a chaste kiss on the cheek and bumps fists with Ronnie.
"I take it you finally remember us?" Ray asks cautiously.
Barry cocks his head to one side. "Uh, what are you talking about?"
Ray looks horrified. "I— Uh, I—"
"Relax, Palmer. I'm kidding."
Cisco cackles as he slaps a hand on Barry's shoulder (Barry tries to hide his wince but fails miserably). "Oh man, thank god for you! Being a wrench was dope for like the first five minutes but five years? Dude, I can't wait to build stuff again!"
"Just don't go making things explode again," Caitlin orders without any true malice.
"Hey, Barry makes things go ka-boom twice as much as I do!"
"But you three and Harry together?" Ronnie says, smirking. "You'd blow this whole kingdom to smithereens."
"And I don't want to patch Barry up every time he's to break something," Caitlin adds.
"Wow, no care for me?" Cisco gasps in mock hurt.
"And don't you like being a doctor?" Ray adds.
"Not so soon when we just got him back!" Caitlin replies.
Barry's attention gets diverted when he spots Joe walking towards him.
"Joe!" He yells as he runs to them.
Joe laughs as he gathers the young man into his arms. "Hey there, son. Good to have you back and actually know who I am."
Barry rubs at his face in shame. "Ah, I can't believe I forgot who you are... my family!"
Joe dismisses his thought with a shake of his head. "The important thing is you're back now."
Barry can't help it; he says, "You make a mean harpsichord."
Iris doesn't need to give Kara the shovel talk; it'd already been heavily implied when she was still a feather duster. But she knows Kara wouldn't break Barry's heart nor Oliver's; she's endured almost as much pain as Oliver to know she doesn't want to inflict the same affliction upon others.
"C'mon," Iris says as she tugs on Kara's hand. "We're going to add the finishing touches to your wedding plans! Felicity and I've been planning it for a long time. Just puttin' that out there."
"Wait wha—whoa 'kay!"
The wedding never happens, much to Iris and Felicity's disappointment.
It wouldn't bode well for the kingdom of Star (whose subjects now remember their King and now see him in a new and much more pleasant light) in jeopardy: alliances would be broken because of rulers with narrow minds, kingdoms declaring war against them due to a divergence in beliefs...
To Barry, Oliver and Kara, it doesn't really matter. Kara has her engagement ring from Barry, Barry has his promise ring Oliver had intended to give him five years ago, and Oliver has a thick steel band Kara had gifted him (it was the collective effort from Ray and Ronnie, who she didn't have to beg for help).
Kara and Oliver are already in bed, the former reading Paradise Lost out loud and the latter listening eagerly. Barry comes barging in much later, dragging his feet and looking utterly exhausted before collapsing on the bed. It takes both Oliver and Kara to pull him up and position him in between them.
Kara stretches over Barry and gives Oliver a quick kiss on the lips before settling back to her comfortable position, picking up where she last was. Oliver strokes Barry's tangled curls and watches Kara as she goes on reading.
Barry, not wanting to give away that he isn't asleep, smiles inwardly at their lives now and their lives ahead.
"Oh my god, please tell me we didn't just—"
"Redo the plot of Beauty and the Beast? Yeah, we did, Barry."
"How the hell did he make it seem like we were actually there for years? We didn't even know we were basically acting out a movie!"
"I'm slightly terrified to find out what else he has in store for us..."
"By the way, you looked hot in those glasses."
"Really? 'Cause he looked more adorable to me."
"Oh ha ha, thanks."
AN: So Kara's a lot more... OOC in this, I know. I actually intended her to be more like her Supergirl persona. She didn't grow up in the same living standards as Kara did in National City because everyone in her village treats her bad. She had to learn to stand up for herself; only Kal treated her the way she deserves until his timely death. I intended Alex to be written here, but because of time constraints, I didn't. Sorry.
ALSO CAN I JUST SAY EARTH 2 BARRY IS JUST ADORABLE? Basically Barry here is modeled after Earth 2 Barry heh.
Originally, I wanted Barry to be Belle. Like just him. And Kara was supposed to be the enchantress. But I liked this idea where Barry would be the science dork part of Belle and Kara's this bookworm part.
Thank you for reading. Feel free to review. They're always greatly appreciated. Like seriously, I've been working on this for TWO weeks, I'm kind of committed and proud.
