Would You Love Me Less? > Arrow / Flash x Reader

Chapter 16

After healing completely, Barry got released within the day to go home, where you met up with him.

"How are you feeling?" Barry asked me. I simply smiled in amusement, "Shouldn't that be my question for you? I wasn't the one who was turned into an almost-popsicle."

"I just... I couldn't find you before I went to stop Cold. I wanted to make sure nothing happened." He explained. I thought about how admitting I went to Starling City to spy on Oliver probably wouldn't sound too great right now. "I was in Starling visiting Felicity for the night. I came back as soon as I got the call."

Barry nodded, then got up to pour us both a glass of wine in the kitchen. He joined me on the sofa in front of the fireplace. "To us." He chirped, holding up his glass to yours. "To us?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at how cheesy his toast was.

"Um... I... Shut up."

I giggled at his answer, then clinked my wine glass with his. I had heard his words and I even giggled, but he sounded like he was hiding something....

I took one solid sip of wine before I placed it on the coffee table. "You might not need any, but I should get some sleep before the sun comes back out."

I gave Barry a kiss, then headed to his bedroom. What could Barry be hiding from me?

When the morning sun woke me, Barry was already missing from his side of the bed. 'Funny... To think I have a side of a bed with someone.'

I got dressed as fast as I could- but I am no speedster. After arriving at S.T.A.R. Labs, I went straight to the training room since it had become somewhat of a home to me.

"Well, hello there my gorgeous girlfriend." Barry purred, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind. I smiled and picked up my bow, "Mm... of how pleased I am to have your arms around me- we agreed no PDA where Dr. Wells can find us."

"Oh, come on!" He groaned, then I saw a light go off in his head, "How abooout...."

Barry sped away then came back in an instant, this time wearing his suit that he knew I loved seeing him in- hood off, of course. He grinned, "Now?"

I responded with a lighthearted laugh, "That doesn't seem fair." My arms wrapped naturally around his neck. Pleased that he has won, Barry gave me the anticipated kiss.

"Should I come back, or-?"

Of course. I would be lying to say I didn't expect the interruption.

"No, Cisco." I giggled, stepping away from Barry and gathering my arrows. Cisco hesitantly strolled over to you and Barry. "Barry... I need to talk to you."

"Sure, what's up?" Barry asked.

I distanced myself from them, but secretly listened in on their conversation.

"It's about yesterday." Cisco told him.

"Star labs built the cold gun."

From the corner of my eye I saw Barry's face completely drop. "What?" He asked.

'Wait... the cold gun Barry got shot with?' I asked in my head.

"Dr. Wells, Y/N, and Caitlin had nothing to do with it... I built the gun."

"You did? Why?"

Cisco took a steady breath so he could try to explain it to Barry, who was quickly getting upset. "Because... speed and cold are opposites. Temperature is measured by how quickly the atoms of something are oscillating- the faster they are the hotter it is; when things are cold they're slower on the atomic level. When there's no movement at all its called-"

"Absolute zero." Barry concluded.

"Yeah. I designed a compact cryo engine to achieve absolute zero... I built it to stop you." Cisco admitted.

He quickly defended himself after seeing Barry getting angrier, "I- I didn't know who you were then, Barry... I mean what if you turned out to be some psycho like Martin or Nimbus-"

"But I didn't, did I?!" Barry shouted.

I kept my distance, but now my attention is completely focused on the conversation to monitor how much it escalates.

"Everything we built here was to help people and it blew up. Don't you understand that I had to be prepared for the worst?"

"I can understand that. But what I can't understand is why you didn't tell me what you did!" Barry's voice was angry, but not explosive. How did he keep his cool like that?

Barry's voice continued, "After all weve been through? I thought you trusted me... I thought we were friends!"

Cisco quietly whimpered, "We are friends-"

Almost instantly after Cisco finished his sentence, Barry responded- almost like he cut Cisco off, "I mean if you could have just told me I could have been prepared but instead someone died."

Wait, what?

'Someone died yesterday because Barry got shot? Is this what he was hiding from me?'

"And I have to live with that..." Cisco's voice was feint in the back of my mind, but the last words Barry said to him were clear, "No, Cisco... we all do."

Barry attempted to storm out of the room, but Cisco halted him with suddenly agitated words, "I'm not the only one who made a mistake, y'know...."

Barry stopped to entertain his attention for another moment. "How about you and Malia, hmm? There is a reason you haven't had many dates since you were struck by that lightning bolt- Well, besides being in a coma for almost a year. You were distracted last night worried about her... So maybe you should ask who you are really mad at regarding that man's death."

'Um, rude?' I thought to myself, 'I'm standing right here."

"Barry, she's going to go back to Starling City eventually. She works with the Arrow and they need her. Do I need to remind you that she's only here to be sure no side effects arise?"

He put his finger up before Barry said anything else, "Sure, you are the fastest man alive." Cisco began with air quotes. "So, yes, it is very possible to see her when she leaves... maybe... but what happens when we need you? How many more lives could die while you're running back from Starling?"

Yikes.

Cisco stormed out past Barry, who just huffed and walked out of the room as well.