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Saints and Sinners didn't hit the same way it did that night. Usually, it would be a great place to let go of everything for a moment; play a few rounds of pool, get some food for a cheap price, or maybe even pick up someone to spend the night with. Usually. But not that night.
Len left the bar at half past midnight with his head feeling more like it had gone through a washing machine than anything. Ever since he had returned from the Waverider â the whole "being-dead-and-coming-back-to-life" situation. called for a break â he had struggled to find himself fully content again. Pulling a heist the previous week had helped, but not enough. He needed something else. Too bad Lisa was out of town.
The streets on this side of the city were so familiar he could have walked back home blindfolded; he therefore spent as little brain activity focusing on the road as possible. That was also why he managed to be caught off guard by a sudden blitz of yellow lightening. A nanosecond later, Len was knocked to the ground in an alleyway, along with a certain Scarlet Speedster.
"What the hell, Scarlet," he said, getting up and dusting off his jeans, a hand instantly flying to his Cold Gun. "As far as I'm concerned, I haven't done anything requiring a visit today." He was going to say more, but stopped when he finally got a good look at the other man.
Barry was still on the ground, looking disoriented. Not only that, he wasn't... entirely himself. Even in the darkness of the alleyway, his pupils looked just a bit too dilated, his movements a bit too sluggish.
Len hoped he was wrong â he couldn't deal with this headache right now â but still took a hold of his gun to prove his suspicions.
Barry finally said something at the sight of Len pulling the gun out of its holster. "What're you..."
The Cold Gun awoke with a whir, pale and bright blue light emitting from it. Len put it directly in front of Barry's eyes, brows furrowing when it took a whopping 3 seconds to get a reaction. Waiting 3 seconds to blink was like a decade for Barry. Besides, now that Len finally got a good look due to the light, the flush in Flash's cheeks plus the disheveled hair was proof enough.
"Scarlet. Are you drunk?"
Len distinctively recalled Barry once telling him alcohol was ineffective for a speedster, his system processing it way too quickly. He also recalled his own disappointment at the fact. Seeing the Boy Scout let loose a little would be amusing.
Seems like the time had finally come.
Barry pulled his eyes away from the light, rubbing them with a frown. "Nooo... 'm not."
"Of course," Len replied, placing the gun back in the holster. "And I'm the captain of CCPD. How did you even manage this?"
"I didn't take much, only... Wait..." Barry seemed to be deep in thought. "...a few drinks, I think? Can't rem'ber a number... Caitlin gave me somethin' to put in them." His words were slow and mumbled.
So the good doctor had provided a certain something strong enough to make Barry drunk. Must have been strong enough to kill ten elephants to gain this reaction.
"And where was your precious team while you were apparently getting hammered by yourself?" If Team Flash had given Barry super-alcohol and then left him alone, they all clearly needed a lesson in how the world worked. Len would know. Criminal or not, the abuse of alcohol was something to steer away from. "Because I do happen to have some opinions on that."
"They don' know..." Barry slumped his head against the brick wall. "I stole it. Our security sucks anyway."
Len smirked. At least they were self aware. "What could have made you want to steal anything? Going rogue in your young age? My team could have used a speedster."
"Cisco's not talkin' to me."
Inner conflicts amongst the angels? Cute. "And why not?"
"...'cause I killed his brother."
Now that made Len freeze.
Surely he was mistaken. He had heard wrong, must've. All the way back in 2014 â and didn't that feel like a lifetime or two ago â Barry was the one to turn Len away from the road of killings. Surely the kid was mixing it up with something else. He carefully crouched down, head tilting. "Not sure I believe you, Scarlet."
Barry tucked his knees up to his chest. "I did. I messed everything up. I just wanted my mom back, and I did everything wrong..."
From there, the kid erupted into a muffled mess, Len only able to pick up stray words such as "Zoom", "timeline", "parents", "restoring", "Dante" and "dead". It was not until Len heard the word "Flashpoint" that he was able to piece it together. Oh.
After getting spat back out of the time stream (and wasn't that an experience), the team had briefed him with all that had happened before dropping him off in Central. It had slightly hurt when Mick decided to stay on board. But, then again, maybe there was a future for Len on the Waverider too, if he ever decided to return. The point was that they had told him about what he'd missed; including Flashpoint. Apparently, the Scarlet Speedster had messed with the timeline one too many times, leading to repercussions for many. It seemed Cisco's brother had gotten caught in the crossfire as well.
Len couldn't help but find a drop of sympathy for the kid. Lord knows what he would do if Lisa's life ever got erased from the present. Best not to think such thoughts.
"So Cisco is angry with you tonight?"
Barry nodded, eyes focused on the dirty ground. "It's Dante's birthday. I thought we'd moved past it, but... He didn' want to- to see me today."
That explained why Barry had turned to the bar instead. Not the best coping mechanism, perhaps, but an explanation. It hit Len how absurd this whole circumstance was. Here he was, listening to The Flash's sob story instead of tinkering with the Cold Gun at home. And yet, he couldn't find it in him to move. Not yet.
A sniffle caught his attention, and he focused back on the man in front of him.
Fuck, Barry was on the verge of tears now. Len didn't need to have a billion degrees to know Scarlet wouldn't have let any of this slip if not for his intoxicated state. He sighed. "Look, kid. You should go home. The streets ain't a place for you to be when you're like this."
For some reason, that seemed to immediately turn off the waterworks. Instead, Barry â clumsily â got up on his two feet, stumbling towards Len and pressing a hand on his chest. Len got so taken aback he couldn't even make a move to remove the touch. Barry looked at him with what was clearly an attempt to smirk.
"Tha's why I seeked you out. Knew you'd be around here, knew you'd be the one to go to."
Len raised his brows. "Go to for what?"
The smirk turned seductive. "To forget."
Now, it would be a direct lie to say Len hadn't allowed himself to fantasize about Barry before. You could only go up against a man dressed in tight red leather so many times before your mind got the best of you. That being said, their current situation wasn't very ideal.
"C'mon Len..." Barry whispered, so close to his face now. He reeked of alcohol. "I missed you so much while you were gone, so much, missed your voice. You died, left me, but now you're here. You're here, an' I need you..."
Len placed a hand on top of Barry's, pushing it away. "While I normally wouldn't be opposed, that's not going to happen."
Barry's entire expression shattered. His eyes turned glassy again as he took a step backwards. "Why... Why not?"
"I don't sleep with anyone who's drunk," Len sighed. "No matter who it is. For the last time; get home, Scarlet."
"No, I- I can't," Barry leaned against the wall again. "Can't do it now."
And when Len thought about it, Barry was right. He was far too drunk for it to be safe to get home on his own, and Len was not about to walk into Detective West's house to deliver his son. Barry running at his superspeed would be a horrible idea too, his coordination seemed awful. It was a miracle he had managed to get to Len without harming himself or anyone else. There was no way Barry Allen was getting home tonight.
However, the closest place nearby was... Len's apartment.
Closing his eyes for a few seconds, Leonard Snart exhaled in frustration before making a move to place the kid's arm around his shoulder.
His night had just gotten so much longer.
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