'so you say i'm complicated that i must be outta my mind but you've had me underrated'

Barry had reached the end of his tether with all 'The Flash' business being hurtled around him. Joe had been trying to shield him from the news by hiding newspapers and turning the news channel over if Barry walked into the room, but the last time Barry checked he'd still had ears and could still hear people's conversations around the precinct or waiting in line to get coffee or even just sitting on the bus.

"I thought he was meant to be the good guy,"

Barry shook his head lightly to shake out all the overheard snippets.

Punch.

Punch, punch, punch.

The punch bag swung side to side ever so slightly.

"Why would he abandon us?"

"Good Barry," a trainer called out to him "keep that focus!"

Barry didn't like the feeling of being babied by Joe so it was worse when Caitlin and Cisco had started to do it as well. He was an adult. Punch. He was sweating, slightly out of breath.

Punch, punch, punch.

"He's probably in over his head,"

Iris had listened to Barry but he'd seen how much pain she was still going through with Eddie's passing. In that moment he'd felt personally responsible for Eddie's brave decision, it suffocated him. Punch. No one should have ever lost their life because of him. Punch, punch.

"I don't blame you Barry,"

Punch, punch, punch.

I blame me.

Punch, punch, punch.

The punch bag shook slightly but Barry was all out of energy to continue as he heaved oxygen down into his lungs.

It was cathartic to an extent but he still had to go home and go through the motions that lead him standing here taking his anger out on a punch bag. Barry had no energy left in him to fight with Joe, they fought about most things such as Joe trying to shield Barry from ridiculous forces like the media, Barry wanting to move out, Joe being too overprotective and Barry's mood swings.

"I've got amnesia Joe; I'm not eleven years old anymore! I am perfectly capable of living by myself!"

"You think you're fully equipped to live all by yourself again?"

"I've done it before,"

"And look at how that panned out,"

"Well you've not exactly been forthcoming about why I moved back!"

Joe cared and Barry knew that but it was just a constant battle between the two of them recently and it was leaving Barry exhausted. Barry had joined a gym to work through his building anger as well as wanting to maintain his abs because c'mon lightning gave him abs! All Barry wanted was to move past this and get on with his life.

"I don't like him," Lisa said with a grumpy look directed towards Leonard "do we really require his services on this?" she asked.

Leonard tried his best to suppress rolling his eyes because of her "That's only because he has an odd relationship with Ramon," he pointed out as he put all the plans he'd made for a previous job aside "Rathaway is the only person skilled enough to carry this out unless you'd try your luck with technology?" he asked knowing how terrible Lisa could be with technology.

Mick looked up from the couch "I don't like him either, he's a pretty boy. I don't like pretty boys." He said.

Leonard glanced between Lisa and Mick "I'm sorry Mick," Leonard said sarcastically "I didn't realise you had a hidden affinity for technology, how would you like to carry this job out?"

Mick's silence had been enough for him to gather the answer as being a 'no'. Lisa fixed Leonard with a scowl "Why did you take this job on?" she asked "the guy that wants this computer is a badge, have you ever thought that this could be a trap? What does he want with this computer specifically?"

Leonard filed the papers away and locked the drawer before placing the key in his jeans pocket "I don't know nor do I care," he said as he leant against a counter "all I know is that this gives us an advantage, we can cash in whatever favour we need or want and this badge doesn't have a choice because we'll know what he's done." He pointed out.

"Could come in handy," Mick said.

Lisa looked at him with an intense glare "I hope you know what you're doing," she said "because if this backfires then it's on you." She added before storming out of the room.

Leonard released a sigh "She does have a flare for dramatics doesn't she," he commented to Mick.

Lisa had a tendency to worry whenever a badge was involved and Leonard couldn't blame her, in his experience badges were to never be trusted with the power that comes in the form of their job title.

"Still don't like this Rathaway kid though," Mick grumbled from the couch.

Barry moved his head to the left slightly so his vision was obscured by a bit of his pillow before he closed his eyes and exhaled trying to lessen the feeling of guilt building in his stomach as he scrolled through a list of available apartments for sale in Central City. He needed to get back on his own two feet. The silence from his phone had been slowly driving him insane; he'd gotten this urge to talk to Len but other than the coffee shop and the café, Barry wasn't too sure on how to find him and was starting to regret not asking to swap numbers.

There were two soft knocks on his door before it opened ever so slightly "Hey Bear, what you doing?" Iris asked as she poked her head around the door. Barry gestured for Iris to come into his room, he watched as she stepped in and closed the door before moving to sit on the edge of his bed.

"I'm looking at apartments," Barry admitted "I think it's time to stand on my own feet again and living with Joe isn't really convenient for my love life."

Iris laughed softly "Who knew living with parents is such a turn off to some people?"

"I know," Barry said smiling "I think I've found one I like; it's more downtown than Joe would be comfortable with but the overall neighbourhood seems to be pretty decent. It's not overly far from STAR labs or work so my time keeping could improve as well." He added as he turned the laptop round to show Iris.

She scrolled up and down the page a couple of times and clicked through the picture album before she shrugged "You should lead with that when you break it to dad," Iris suggested playfully "Hey uh Joe I've found a place that's downtown but it'll cure my chronic tardiness." She said in a deep voice as she imitated Barry.

Barry scoffed feeling partially offended "I do not sound like that!" he said as he considered throwing a pillow at her head.

"Perhaps not," she admitted "it looks like a nice place; you should go for it if that's what you want. Dad will understand I know he can be overbearing but it's just because he cares."

Barry looked up at his ceiling as he sighed "I know," he murmured "sometimes it feels like it's too much though."

Leonard leaned against the counter as he studied Hartley Rathaway while the young man looked over Leonard's plan for the job. He'd nod his head every so often whether that was if he was agreeing or just simply taking the information in, Leonard wasn't too sure.

"And what's the back-up plan?" Rathaway asked as he moved his gaze from the papers on the table and to Leonard. Mick was right about Hartley- he had a pretty face.

"You stick to the plan and you won't need one," Leonard said simply.

Rathaway's eyes widened slightly and his mouth sort of fell open forming an 'o'. "You're kidding," he said "you must have a back-up plan."

Leonard resisted the urge to smirk at him. "It's hardly necessary," he said "The Flash is unlikely to make an appearance, you should be in and out before the police arrive, you'll have two other men aiding you and the nice detective was kind enough to mail these in case you encounter any… obstacles." He said as he dropped a pair of handcuffs onto the wooden table. Rathaway's eyes watched the cuffs fall on top of the papers.

"I didn't realise I was working with a mad man," Rathaway said looking incredulous.

Leonard shrugged "You want a back-up plan, here's a back-up plan for you then. Mick and I will be a couple blocks away and if you feel like you need us to babysit you and hold your hand then sure, give us a call." He said with a smirk. He was slightly disappointed in Hartley Rathaway's little faith surrounding the plan Leonard had put together so effortlessly.

Rathaway looked slightly pissed at the mention of being babysat. "I don't need to be babysat, just tell me where I'm dropping this computer off." He said.

"Leave that part to Mick," Leonard said "as you'll see in the plan you'll meet Mick, dump the thing into his car and then you all go your separate ways and that's that."

'I can't get over you, you left your mark on me, I want your high love and emotion endlessly' another cover of a song blasted through Barry's headphones as he turned the corner and continued his run, he had wanted to burn off some of his anxiety before he told Joe that he planned to move out. He liked running at 7:30pm because the streets weren't too busy and they weren't completely empty either.

His thoughts returned to Len again as he wondered what the man was doing and if he was maybe thinking about Barry as much as Barry was thinking about him (stop that thought! Joe would kill you both.)

Barry wondered if someone was fucking with him because after he ran down a couple more blocks he quickly got his answer to his earlier question, Len was standing beside a car on Barry's side of the road and- eye contact has been made. Len moved away from the car as Barry approached. He supposed it would be a bit rude to carry on as if he hadn't spotted the man. As he slowed to a walking pace before he stopped in front of Len in a sweaty mess and trying to regain his breathing to a normal rate, he took an earphone out. "I swear you magically appear when I think about you," Barry breathed out and only realised what he'd said after the words had left his mouth.

"You were thinking about me?" Len asked looking a cross between amused and interested.

Barry was glad his face was already red from the running otherwise Len would have easily seen the extent of Barry's embarrassment. "I have no filter today apparently," he said.

Len quirked his lips upwards "I was thinking about you too," he said.

"…you were?" Barry asked.

Len nodded his head slowly as he produced a pen from his coat pocket "I was thinking that the next time I saw you I would give you my number," he said in the voice which was a mix between gravel and velvet and uncapped the pen lid, taking hold of Barry's arm and starting to write his number up his forearm. The coldness of the pen against Barry's warm skin made him gasp softly "and here you are." He added as he released Barry's arm.

"Thanks," Barry said as he gestured to his arm.

Len's lips stayed turned upwards in a smile "Don't keep me waiting Barry," he said as he stepped away to allow Barry to continue with his run.

Leonard was drying his hands on the hand towel after washing up when Lisa appeared in the doorway with a serious look on her face, she was worried.

"Just tell me what this badge wants with this computer," Lisa said as she moved to sit at the table in the middle of the kitchen.

Leonard pulled out a chair to sit opposite his sister "He wouldn't go into specifics, just some evidence of something incriminating that he wanted to personally destroy himself. I figured we get Rathaway to do the job; we split the cash and have a badge in our pocket for when we need favours. It's a fairly simple job Lisa, shouldn't attract too much attention." He explained hoping to ease some of her worries.

Lisa nodded her head "You'd better hope so," she said "I have a bad feeling about Rathaway and you know how the media are when it comes to any sort of disturbance. They're on the scene as soon as possible. And as for badges in pockets…"

"Don't go there," Leonard said wanting to avoid the upcoming conversation.

Lisa raised her eyebrows at him with a smirk of her own "Because from what I saw it looked like-" Lisa said when Leonard interrupted her.

"Lisa-" he said however his sister carried on as if he hadn't spoken at all.

"- you are interested in him aren't you," she commented with a look of wonder on her face "before you were just casing him but you, Leonard Snart, actually like him don't you."

"I'm not having this conversation with you Lisa," Leonard said.

Lisa raised an eyebrow at her "Sure you're not," she said "but just so you know, if you follow through with Barry then you'll be seeing a lot more of Cisco." She added before she got up from her seat and walked out of the room.