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Oliver enters the bunker, followed by Diggle, Thea, and Laurel, after getting back from stopping an armored car robbery. It was a relatively easy mission, and they were all still on that high of adrenaline that comes with their line of work.
He's about to ask Felicity if there's anything else going on that needs their attention when his phone rings. Caitlin's calling. He tries not to spiral as he stares at his phone, his friends now growing concerned faces as they notice his stiff posture. He takes a deep breath in, then out, then answers.
"Caitlin? Is everything okay?"
The other end of the line sounds frantic before Caitlin finally answers. "No, it's Zoom. Oliver, it's bad. He, um, he–" she chokes on a sob before continuing, "I can't say it. I'm sending you the video. Just, we wanted you to know." Then the line cuts out, followed by a text from Caitlin with a video file.
"Felicity," he calls, basically running back over towards the group. "I need you to pull this video up on one of the screens."
"Sure thing, but what is it? What happened?" she asks, pulling up the file already.
Oliver just shakes his head and motions her to play it, with all of his teammates surrounding the screen to watch.
She presses play, and they all watch as Barry fights Zoom, taking punches and barely able to dish any out. Then, Oliver's hands start shaking as Zoom breaks Barry's back, the sickening crunch echoing throughout the room. Then it continues, with Zoom dragging Barry all around Central City and parading him like a doll, like he's worthless. Oliver clenches his jaw as he watches Zoom stab Barry by phasing his hand into his stomach and drops him to the floor before rushing out.
Silence fills the room as the video stops, no one knowing what to say or do after that. Slowly, Oliver unclenches his jaw, though his hands are still shaking. "I need to go to Central," he says, his voice somehow steady despite how wrecked he's feeling on the inside.
Then, he's running to get changed into his normal clothes. He's almost made it to his bike before his entire team stops him. "Get out of my way," he grits through his teeth. He needs to get to Central City now .
Felicity steps forward. "Oliver, you can't drive in this state. What's going on with you? We're all worried about Barry, but he'll pull through like he always does."
Oliver shakes his head. "You don't get it, Felicity. I need to get to Central City, and now ."
She takes another step forward while the rest of the team watches, waiting for an opportunity to step in if needed. "I understand that Barry is a friend, and you're worried about him. Hell, I'm worried about him too, you know I am! We all are, but there's nothing we can do. So tell me, Oliver," she says, her voice rising while she's been talking, " why are you acting like this?"
"Because I love him!" he blurts out, unable to stop himself, and needing to get it through to them that he is needed by Barry's side.
The bunker is filled with silence by his admission. He waits a few moments, and when no one makes a move, he asks, "Can I go now?"
"No," Diggle butts in. He steps up to be beside Felicity now. "You're not driving in this state." Then, he gives a pointed look towards the blonde next to him.
Felicity gives a small smile. "Well, I am the CEO of a tech company that owns a private jet. I'll make it happen, and you can pack a bag."
Oliver shakes his head. "No need, I have everything I need at Barry's place." She nods and steps away to make the preparations, though she's clearly still processing his outburst. Slowly, he turns towards the rest of the team, where they're looking at him and waiting for his next order. He's definitely not in the right headspace to be leading, but he needs to do this before leaving. "Dig, Thea, Laurel, you need to stay here." All three start to protest before Oliver puts up a hand and continues, "I don't know how long I'll be gone, and this city needs protecting. I'm trusting you three to keep it safe." Then he looks all three in the eyes before adding, "Please."
They're silent for a long moment before Dig says, "Don't worry, we'll protect your city." Thea and Laurel nod in agreement.
Thea pulls him into a hug, one he desperately needed though he'd rather be tortured than admit it out loud. "Go save your man," she says gently before pulling away.
Laurel steps up next for her hug, which Oliver reciprocates readily. As they pull away, Laurel keeps her hands on Oliver's shoulders as she says, "Keep us updated on our speedster, Ollie."
"We seriously have to have a talk about how you kept that secret from me," Diggle says, pulling him into a hug. "Seriously though," he continues, "if he makes you happy, I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, Dig, really," Oliver says, pulling away after another moment.
Felicity walks back over to them with two duffel bags and announces the jet is ready.
He nods at his three teammates they're leaving behind before walking over to Felicity. "What's in the bags?" he asks, picking up the one offered to him automatically.
"Well," she begins, "one is for me, seeing as how I don't have a stash of belongings in Central City, and that one is your special suit. Just in case." Oliver quirks his lips into a smile at her obvious attempts at distracting him. It only works for a second before he remembers why they're going to Central City again.
Hang in there, Barry , he thinks, I'll be there soon .
The flight takes far too long for Oliver's liking, but it's definitely faster than taking the train. He also has the time to tell Felicity not to mention his relationship to anyone at STAR Labs. Not even Joe and Iris know they've been dating for close to a year. Once the plane touches down, they take a cab directly from the airport to STAR Labs.
Oliver doesn't wait for Felicity as he sprints in the building and towards the medical area, where he knows Barry is. His heart is racing, not knowing what he's going to see when he gets there is the worst part.
When he enters the cortex, he sees a lot of people, and he knows they're all staring at him, but he doesn't care. He scans the room before landing in Caitlin. "Where is he?" Oliver asks, voice slightly shaky from all the pent-up emotions he hasn't had time to process yet.
Caitlin gestures for him to follow her. "He's still unconscious. I can take you to him." He nods and follows her down the hallway. "You know," she begins, "we weren't expecting you to come all the way to Central City to check on a friend. Surely you're needed in Star City, aren't you?"
Oliver just shrugs, trying to play down his emotions. "My team can handle me being away for a few days. Barry's a good friend of mine. I needed to see him in person."
Once they reach the doorway, Caitlin stays outside and motions for Oliver to go in alone. He hears her retreating footsteps shortly after. As he steps inside the doorway, he sees him and freezes. Barry looks so… delicate. He's lying in the hospital bed, asleep, with the covers past his waist. He has a neck brace on and bandages around his midsection, no doubt to help his back heal correctly.
Slowly, Oliver approaches the bed and sits down in the chair next to it. He gently reaches out to hold Barry's hand, and it feels cold to the touch. It feels wrong. "Hey, Barry," he whispers. "I'm here for you. Please wake up, Barr. It hurts to see you like this." He doesn't bother holding back his tears when he's alone with his Barry, letting a few fall freely down his face as he holds his boyfriend's hand in both of his own.
A knock from the doorway startles him, and he wipes the tears away with the back of his hand, though he doesn't turn around. Footsteps approach, and he knows immediately that it's Felicity. She places a hand on his shoulder before moving to rub it up and down his back in a soothing manner.
"Hey," she says, drawing his attention to look at her. She's looking over Barry's body, a sad look in her eyes, before she meets Oliver's gaze. "You should eat. Caitlin says he probably won't wake up for another hour."
Oliver's already shaking his head before she finishes speaking. "I can't leave him, Felicity. I need to be here when he wakes up."
She looks at him for a long moment. "When he wakes up, he's going to need you to be strong. And to be strong, you need to eat. And I know, for a fact, mister, that you haven't eaten in at least twelve hours. Come on," she says, dragging him up by the arm. "Pizza just got here. Have a couple slices, then you can come back. Deal?"
He lets himself be pulled up and nods reluctantly. "Okay, fine. Deal." Before she can pull him out of the room, though, he leans down and brushes his lips against Barry's forehead. "I'll be back soon, love," he whispers against his skin.
Oliver stands back up right and allows Felicity to drag him out of the medbay and back to the cortex, her hand holding onto his arm to ensure he doesn't slip away.
When they finally reach the cortex, Oliver actually looks around the room at all the people that are there. At everyone who's there for his Barry. Cisco and Caitlin are eating a slice each while looking at something on one of the monitors. Harry is standing in front of a whiteboard, dry-erase marker in hand. Iris and Joe are sitting off to the side, pizza in front of them as they quietly talk to each other.
Everyone looks up as Oliver and Felicity enter the room. If anyone notices his red eyes and tear-stained face, no one says anything, but that doesn't mean they're not giving him weird looks at how he's been acting since arriving.
Oliver is usually so closed off, never showing his true emotions. This Oliver is a whole different person than the one they're used to seeing. This Oliver is reserved for Barry's eyes only, well, that was until Zoom broke Barry's back.
Without letting go of his arm, Felicity leads him over to the boxes of pizza. She grabs a slice and hands it to Oliver, who starts eating it as if he's on autopilot, then picks up her own slice.
Oliver ends up eating three pieces of the pizza without realizing it. Just as he's about to go back to Barry, his phone rings. Sighing, he digs it out of his pocket and sees his sister is calling. He shows the screen to Felicity, and she nods, urging him to answer.
He walks away until he's out of earshot from everyone and answers the call. "Hey, Speedy."
Thea groans on the other end from the nickname but doesn't comment on it. Gently, she asks, "How's Barry doing? We haven't heard anything from you or Felicity yet, and we're getting worried."
Oliver sighs. "He's still not awake, but it looks bad. And he's–he's cold, Thea." He takes a deep breath before continuing, "He looks broken." His voice cracks on the last word, and he can see the glances the others are throwing at him, though he's almost certain they shouldn't be able to hear him.
"He'll be okay, Ollie. He always is. It'll just take a bit longer this time before he is, and you'll be with him every step of the way. Don't even worry about us over here. Just focus on getting Barry back up to speed." Of course she had to end her little speech with a joke.
Oliver smiles, a tear threatening to spill over, but he doesn't let it with the others in the room. "Since when did my baby sister get to be so wise?"
Her laugh can be heard through the phone. "I learned from the best. Now go, but keep us updated! Let us know when he wakes up."
He hangs up and walks back over to Felicity, a soft smile on his face. When he reaches her, he hands her his phone. At her confused look, he explains, "I'm going back to be with Barry. You're in charge of this now." He places the phone in her open hands and walks out of the room, towards the medbay.
Caitlin walks over to Felicity and offers a gentle smile. "I didn't realize they were so close. I've never seen him like this before. Is he going to be okay?" The others in the room not-so-subtlety get closer to hear the exchange.
Felicity gives a tight-lipped smile and hopes Oliver doesn't kill her for her next words. "Oliver, he doesn't have many close friends. So when one of them is hurting, it's like he's feeling the same pain. He can't focus on anything else until he knows his friend will be okay again."
Caitlin nods in understanding and gives Felicity a short hug before stepping back. "I'm going to check on his vitals again. There might be an indicator on when he'll wake up this time," she says, already walking towards the doorway.
As she approaches the medbay, she pauses just outside at the sound of someone talking in the other room. She peeks around the corner and sees Barry, still unconscious, laying in the bed, and Oliver, who's sitting beside Barry's bed, holding his hand, and softly talking to him. It sounds like he's talking about the recent mission he went on with his team.
Caitlin smiles to herself before she walks into the room, making her presence known so she doesn't spook the archer. He stops talking when he hears her footsteps approaching, but he keeps holding Barry's hand in both of his own.
Silently, she checks on Barry's vitals and compare them to the previous recordings. She's lost in thought that she jumps when Oliver speaks up.
"Do you know when he'll wake up?" he asks quietly, still not looking up from Barry's sleeping form.
Caitlin studies her findings for another second before responding. "His vitals are showing an obvious improvement from earlier. He should be waking up at any moment."
Oliver nods and adjusts his hold on Barry's hand. Gingerly, he presses his lips to the speedster's hand in a delicate kiss. He's fully aware that Caitlin is staring. He just doesn't care about keeping his relationship secret right now. The only thing that matters is currently laying right in front of him. "Please wake up, Barr, please," he whispers, begging, against Barry's hand.
A groan sounded, causing both Oliver and Caitlin to whip their heads up to look at Barry. They both wait on bated breaths, neither daring to move too much while Barry finally wakes up. Slowly, his green eyes blink open blearily and look right at the man still holding his hand. "O-Oliver?" he asks, voice hoarse from sleep and his injuries.
Oliver smiles, genuinely, and nods his head. "I'm here, Barr, everything's going to be okay."
Barry nods slowly, or tries his best to nod with the neck brace on, before looking at Caitlin. "How bad is it?"
Caitlin goes over the injuries Zoom gave Barry in their last fight, and Oliver has to control himself enough to not go out there and kill the guy himself. At least not right now, not while Barry needs him the most.
While still holding onto Barry's hand, Oliver moves his other hand to gently pat Barry's leg, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb. He looks up when he notices Barry has gone quiet, staring wide-eyed and… fearful? at the hand on his leg.
Then, ever so quietly, he says, "I can't feel my legs." He looks back and forth between Oliver and Caitlin frantically, panic starting to set in. "I-I can't feel my legs!"
Oliver has to think of something to calm the other man down, or he'll only do more harm than good to his already fragile body. "Barry, look at me." When Barry's breathing starts coming in faster, Oliver stands up and places both of his hands on Barry's face, gently making the speedster look him in the eyes. "Barry, it'll be okay. Breathe for me. Your body just needs time to heal, and you'll be on your feet in no time."
Barry still looks so helpless and lost, so Oliver pulls out the big guns. He leans in close to his boyfriend so their faces are only inches apart, and whispers, "Do you trust me, Barr?"
"With every cell in my body," Barry replies immediately.
Oliver smiles at him and says, "Then trust me on this. Everything will be okay. Just give it time." Barry nods, and Oliver leans down the rest of the way to give him a gentle kiss. It doesn't last longer than a second, but long enough to seal the deal.
A cough from the doorway finally makes Oliver pull away and sit back down in the chair. He's not even sorry he just revealed their relationship to everyone; it was the best chance he had at stopping Barry from having a panic attack.
"Now, I don't know if I should be happier that you're awake Barr, or angrier you didn't tell me you're apparently dating this crazy man," Joe says, stepping into the room fully with Iris by his side. Felicity walks in and stands on the other side of where Oliver is sitting, near the end of the bed Barry's occupying. Cisco and Harry enter the room last, but keep closer to the door to not crowd Barry's bed.
Oliver leans back in his chair, letting Barry's family hug him and fuss over him and his health, but he still keeps a hand resting on Barry's ankle. Despite Barry not being able to feel his legs, Oliver needs to feel Barry to know he's going to be okay.
"I just want everyone to know that I called it," Cisco pipes up, drawing everyone's eyes to him. "Also," he adds, awkwardly, "glad you're awake, man. Good to have you back."
"Thanks, man," Barry says, and yawns right after. He accepts the water Caitlin brings up to his mouth, though his eyes are struggling to stay open the longer he's awake and surrounded by so many people. He tries to get more comfortable, but it's hard to do with the neck brace. "Hey, Caitlin, can this thing come off yet?" he asks, pointing at the brace.
Joe and Iris back away from the bed so Caitlin can check how his neck has healed up. She contemplates for a minute before nodding. "Sure, I can take it off for you. But you have to promise not to move your neck too much while your spine is still healing. Got it?" She waits for Barry's nod of affirmation before removing the brace. "We should all let you rest some more."
Everyone files out of the room, leaving Caitlin, Barry, and Oliver left. She gives a pointed look to Oliver to also leave, so he stands up. Just as he's about to walk away, a hand softly grabs hold of his finger. He stops and sees Barry looking at Caitlin. "Can Oliver stay with me, Caitlin?"
Caitlin looks between the two of them, and at Barry's hand still holding onto Oliver weakly, before she relents. "Fine, he can stay. On one condition." They both nod, and she walks up to Oliver, pointing a finger at his chest. "You're in charge of making sure Barry gets sleep without hurting himself anymore."
Oliver smiles at her, relieved he's allowed to stay by his boyfriend's side. "I think I can manage that," he says, glancing at Barry. Once Caitlin has left the medbay, Oliver turns towards Barry again. "I need to talk with Felicity for a minute, but I'll be right back. Will you be okay?"
Barry nods, and finally lets go of his grasp on Oliver's hand. "Hurry back, Ollie," he says, a soft smile playing at his lips.
Oliver bends down and kisses him gently before walking out of the door and into the cortex. He walks up to Felicity, who's talking with Iris about something, and she looks up as he approaches. "Hey, you, I thought you were staying with Barry tonight?"
"I am," Oliver says. "But I need you to do me a favor." He grabs his wallet from his pocket, opens it, and takes out a key before handing it to the blonde. "I need you to go to Barry's apartment and get me a change of clothes. My clothes are in the dresser on the right, sweatpants in the third drawer and shirts in the second drawer." At her 'look', he sighs and adds, "Please."
She smiles brightly and takes the key from his hand. "Sure thing, loverboy. Just one problem: I don't know where Barry lives."
Before Oliver can give her the address, Iris speaks up, "I can take you there, Felicity. But, Oliver? I didn't realize you had a key to Barry's apartment."
Oliver rubs the back of his neck. "He has a key to my place too."
She nods, but steps closer to Oliver. "Don't think that any of this gets you out of a very pointed conversation later."
Oliver smiles. "Barry warned me this might happen if we revealed our relationship. Can't wait, Iris."
Iris laughs and steps out of his personal space. "Now go and be with Barry. We'll be back in a flash." She winks and pulls Felicity out of the cortex.
Oliver makes his way back to Barry, and finds him staring at his legs, deep in thought. "Barry?" he asks quietly, slowly walking towards the bedridden speedster. No response, so he calls out his name slightly louder, which does get his attention, bringing his eyes up to meet the archer's.
"Sorry, Ollie, I just–" he sighs, dropping his gaze back to his still legs. "I can move my toes now. It's exhausting to do, but it's progress, right? I'm getting better?"
Oliver nods and sits down on the bed next to Barry's legs. "Yeah, Barr, you are getting better. Injuries need time to heal fully." He pauses slightly, and he can feel his eyes getting watery again. "You almost died, Barry. I saw the video. I–" he chokes on the words, a tear falling down his cheek, "I don't know what I'd do if you died."
Barry leans forward and takes Oliver's hand in his own. "I'm sorry I scared you, Ollie," before the archer can protest about him apologizing, Barry continues, "But I'm still here. It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me." Then, softer, he adds, "I won't leave you, Ollie. I promise."
Oliver smiles, another tear falling from his eyes. Slowly, he leans forward and captures Barry's lips in a slow kiss, salty from the tears running down both their faces. After a few seconds, he pulls back enough to rest his forehead against Barry's. "I love you," he whispers.
Barry smiles, and brings his hands up to wipe the tears off of Oliver's face gently. "I love you too, Ollie."
They stay like that for a while, foreheads pressed together, until Oliver hears approaching footsteps in the hallway. Reluctantly, he pulls away and sits upright again, letting Barry's hand fall to rest atop his own just as Iris and Felicity enter the room.
Felicity walks up to Oliver and places a duffel bag at his feet. "I got what you asked for. It should all be in there."
Oliver nods and holds out his hand with a knowing smirk. "Can I have the key back, Felicity?"
She huffs, but pulls the key out and places it in his waiting palm. She turns her attention to Barry. "How are you feeling, Barr? Oliver isn't lecturing you about all your life choices, is he?"
Oliver lets a 'Hey!' in protest, but Barry chuckles so he can't stay mad. "He's been perfect, Felicity. And hey, I'm fine. Just tired."
"And that is our cue to get out of here," Iris interjects. "Come on, let's leave the two loverboys for their beauty sleep."
Felicity and Iris leave them alone, both laughing at the indignant noises Oliver and Barry make at being called 'loverboys'.
Oliver quickly changes into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt that Felicity got him from Barry's apartment. Thankfully, they fit so that means they look in the right dresser. While still standing, he grabs the remote for the bed and lowers it so Barry's laying down comfortably.
As he's about to sit down in the chair again to let Barry sleep, the speedster asks, "Will you... sleep with me?"
Oliver blinks at him twice, before he flashes a soft smile. He lays down beside his boyfriend on the bed, careful not to cause Barry any pain.
Oliver has to lay on his side to fit comfortably with Barry on the bed, and he wraps both arms around the smaller man. Barry leans his head against Oliver's chest, and the archer presses a kiss to the top of his head before resting his cheek against the speedster's hair. "Goodnight, Barry."
Barry hugs Oliver's arm against him and sighs happily. "Goodnight, Ollie."
In the cortex, Felicity and Iris are getting ready to leave STAR Labs for the night when the blonde notices one of the monitor's is playing a live feed of the medbay. Curiously, she walks over and takes a peek.
On the screen, Barry and Oliver have fallen asleep, wrapped up in each other. Iris walks over to see what caught Felicity's attention and immediately takes out her phone to snap a picture. "Blackmail material," she explains, pocketing her phone.
"I like the way you think, Iris West," Felicity says, taking out her own phone to take a picture of the scene. "We should definitely go before we cross over into creep territory though," she adds as an afterthought.
Iris laughs, but starts walking towards the exit regardless, with Felicity right beside her. "They really are perfect for each other, aren't they?"