A/N: (Edited 6/7/2020) It was pointed out to me by a couple of you that last chapter – First Encounters – and the first chapter where Barry and Oliver have their heart to heart and Barry and Kara get together do not line up. All I can say is that is accurate and completely me not realizing that two years ago, this fic wasn't going in the direction it has taken. It's also one of the drawbacks of jumping around all over the place in the timeline.
That being said, I think I'll take this opportunity and do a little rewrite of the first chapter to help it line up a little more logically. So, for those of you who really like consistency, here you go. To those of you who don't care and just like anything consisting of SuperFlash fluff and Olivarry bromance, here you go - a little bitty retcon of chapter 1.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story - yet.
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Oliver looked over at Barry, seeing the torn look on his friend's face as he stared at the spot where the breach had just closed after Kara had taken off.
"You okay, Barry?"
The speedster sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Every time I have to watch her leave it hurts, Oliver." He laughed humorlessly, a tinge of despair coloring his tone. "Ever since meeting her – which, if you'll remember, involved so much more making out than I'd ever experienced within the first few minutes of meeting someone ever – I haven't been able to get over feeling drawn to her. I never told you this but, the first time we had to leave…I considered staying."
Oliver's eyes widened at his friend's admission. He had only ever known Barry to want to protect Central City – to protect this world. Only hours ago, he had been ready to sacrifice his life for the entire planet and it had taken the combined efforts of their coalition to talk him down. But to simply leave their world?
"Staying? You wanted to stay in Kara's world? What about your life here? Your family? Your friends?" the archer asked, though surprisingly it was said without heat. Oliver wanted to understand where Central City's hero was coming from. He'd certainly had similar thoughts a few times.
"Yeah, crazy, huh?" Barry sighed with a forlorn smile on his face, his eyes glazing over as he continued to stare into the darkening sky. "From the first time she smiled at me something in me just…wanted to be with her. At first it was just being in her presence and being her friend; she was – is – the most positive, outgoing, loving individual that I have ever met!" A ghost of a smile graced his face as he recalled his second adventure with Kara Danvers. "We had a helluva time taking on a couple of metas together. I actually took a page out of your book, Oliver, and I was adamant that we study our opponents before we went after them. Kara…wasn't on the same page and things didn't go so well. We turned the situation around after a couple of days and I just…knew, you know?"
Oliver raised a brow. "I don't, no. Enlighten me."
Barry laughed. "I needed her help to get back here; there was a malfunction with my tachyon emitter, and I wasn't able to get up to speed on my own. So we went out of the city and…said our goodbyes. She smiled at me and her eyes lit up. She gave me a hug and in that moment everything that was going on – all the crazy back home – didn't matter. I wasn't hurting while she held me."
He glanced at Oliver and the archer saw a look of longing in his friend's eyes that he had never seen before and it shook him to his core. "Barry I…"
"Every part of me was screaming to stay," the speedster interrupted, his voice catching. "Kara was able to give me something when I was with her. Something I've been looking for my whole life: peace. I never wanted to let her go, Oliver. But I knew I had to get back: who was going to protect Central City if not the Flash?" The young CSI sniffed, his friend spotting his slowly reddening eyes. "The whole time we were picking up speed, all I could think was that I would never see her again."
"But you did get to see her again. You and Cisco went to recruit her for this crazy team you managed to throw together," Oliver countered, concern for his friend growing by the second. He had never seen Barry so down before – not for something that didn't involve family anyway.
Barry's lip twitched at that. "You know she didn't even blink when I asked for her help? No second thought, no concern for her safety. She just smiled at me – and her smile lights up the room, let me tell you – and said, 'what are we up against?' How amazing is that, man?! And then she got mind-controlled! I brought her here for a fight that wasn't hers and she got her mind hijacked by the Dominators!" He ran his hands through his hair roughly and leaned against the railing in front of them.
"And the only reason that she was here in the first place – that the Dominators were here – was because I couldn't accept that my father was dead. I figured if I had the power to go back in time and stop my mother's death, none of this would have happened. My selfishness nearly got her killed, Oliver! I almost got the woman I lo…the most amazing woman I know killed."
Oliver looked at his friend. His shoulders were hunched in defeat, his face hidden in his hands and the feeling of shame seemed to be radiating off him. "Barry didn't Dig just tell you that you have to forgive yourself? That you can't and don't have to shoulder this all on your own?"
"Yeah, I know, I know. But I did it, you know? I mean…what if my going back in time had done more than just change what it did? What if I had somehow managed to erase our friendship? What if I had never met you, Oliver? Nyssa? Or Dig and Lyla? Felicity? If it wasn't for your tech genius, I would be spending thousands of dollars on counseling by the way." He shook his head. "What if I had never met Kara? I could've erased those memories from my life, Oliver! I'm so stupid! So fucking stupid!"
The Green Arrow placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder turning him to look into his eyes. "But you didn't, Barry. Yeah, going back in time was an ill-advised decision but I told you before: if I had the ability to, I would've done the same thing. Jax would've done the same thing. Stein, as much as he likes to preach otherwise, would've done the same thing!" He rested his other hand on Barry's free shoulder. "What matters is where you go from here, Barry. Use this opportunity to learn and grow; never take things for granted, especially in our business. You love Supergirl, so tell her." He grinned at the blush staining the speedster's cheeks. "Now the way I understand it, you've got a genius on your team who literally handed Kara a way to get back and forth between worlds. Don't you think he might be able to help you out?"
"But…"
"Barry, I know I told you that guys like us don't get the girl; that we're destined to lead dangerous lives and die alone. I was wrong. Nyssa showed me that and I don't want you to wander through some of the toughest times in your life on your own like I did. You might think that you don't deserve happiness, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The only thing holding you back…is you," Oliver said as he moved back toward the railing. "So, go get her, Barry."
A small smile graced the Scarlet Speedster's face. "Thanks, Oliver, I needed that."
"Anytime, Barry, anytime."
With that, Barry vanished in a flash of red leaving Oliver alone to smile toward the moonlight.
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Kara was getting ready for bed as she ran a brush through her wet hair, having just finished in the shower. She was dressed in her pajamas – an oversized red shirt which depicted a cartoon Flash and the words 'By the time you finish reading this, I'll have run around the world…twice,' and a pair of bizarrely comfortable boxers that matched and were decorated with little yellow lightning bolts. She stared forlornly into the mirror on her dresser, thinking about everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
The Dominator invasion, Barry coming to her world to recruit her, making new friends, being mind-controlled, saving the day with her new friends…Barry.
She had long since admitted to herself that she held more than just friendly feelings for the hero of Central City, but was resigned to the fact that, being from two different worlds, a relationship outside casual friendship would be impossible.
It was strange to accept at first: Kara had never really been one to crush on sight (she really didn't like to count the Red-K incident even if that was technically their first interaction) but when Barry Allen had arrived in her world in all his crimson spandex magnificence (the second time sans Oliver) and saved her (which he constantly reminded her of much to her chagrin), something had pulled her toward him. When he had needed her help getting back to his world, she had been tempted to intentionally botch the whole thing just to keep him around a little while longer. The thought of the archer – after an in- depth conversation with Barry about his friend – potentially storming her Earth looking for his friend had quelled that desire decisively.
As she had witnessed many times throughout the last day, Oliver Queen did not need superpowers to get the job done.
Seeing Barry again, even if it was only for a few hours, had brought all those feelings rushing back to the surface. His willingness to sacrifice himself for the world had made her heart stop and she had realized just what Alex had felt when she had almost done the same fighting Non. In that moment she realized she loved him. If Oliver hadn't've spoken up, Kara would have – and she wouldn't have been as polite about it either! She had planned on tying the speedster down or maybe freezing him in place until after the conflict had ended.
"Stupid noble superhero," she murmured to herself, well aware of the irony of her statement. She sighed again; her thoughts turning to the breach device that Cisco had gifted her just before she left. It wasn't that she was ungrateful. In fact, if she had managed to make herself tell Barry how she felt before leaving, it would have been the best going away present she had ever gotten. "But I wasn't strong enough to tell him."
Suddenly, tremors began to shake her apartment, the objects in her room beginning to vibrate. She shot to her feet and into her living room, which was bathed in the bright blue light of what she recognized as a dimensional breach. If what she had learned from Barry was true, this was potentially an enemy trying to come through to her world.
She would be damned if she let them get the upper hand.
Looking into the light, she saw an outline of a person beginning to manifest and sank into a fighter's stance, her bare feet shifting as she balanced herself and her knees bending slightly. Her eyes lit up as she prepared a blast of heat vision. As the figure came into being, a bright white light filled the apartment, temporarily blinding her. When her vision came back, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
Standing in the middle of her living room was none other than Barry Allen. His eyes caught hers as he strode toward her.
"Barry what is it? Is everything okay? I—"
She was cut off as his lips, warm and soft, caught hers in a kiss. There was a fraction of a second where she considered demanding to know what the hell was going on, but then it passed and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her body and going with it.
Why would she want to stop a good thing?
Finally, she pulled away, her eyes half-lidded in pleasure, though their lips were a hair's breadth from each other. She looked up, her blue eyes meeting his green, and couldn't stop herself from giving him another soft kiss. It was tender and innocent, not as passionate as the initial kiss, but expressed just as much.
This time it was Barry who pulled away, but the look in his eyes took Kara's breath away. She wanted to figure out just what was going on.
"Barry…" she whispered before he interrupted.
"When I saw you leaving today…again…I couldn't take it. I couldn't believe I was letting you walk out of my life again! Since the first time I met you, I knew you were special, but I didn't realize it was because you were special to me! Every time we met up I either wanted you to stay or I wanted to stay with you," Barry's voice broke slightly, his eyes looking deep into hers. "And I'm sick and tired of it! I want to be with you, Kara, and if I have to hop dimensions or break time laws then I will because I love you!"
Kara's eyes were wide as she listened to him confess his feelings and she felt a flutter in her stomach; she hadn't dared to hope that Barry might feel the same way she did. She had always thought that being from two different worlds would keep them apart, though Cisco's gift had rekindled some of that hope. But now…
"Kara? Say something, please," Barry whispered somewhat fearfully, her silence not doing anything for his confidence.
She looked at him, her eyes shining, and pulled him down to her lips instead of answering. She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to get closer to him, to feel his body against hers. She wanted to be with him so badly and if this kiss didn't prove it to him, she didn't know what would.
Kara pulled away slightly, their noses brushing, her breath mingling with his. "I love you too, Barry. Rao I've wanted to say that for so long!" She smiled at him and then hugged him, snuggling her face into his neck.
"K-Kara!" Barry wheezed as he felt his ribs protest at the blonde's unintended assault. "I think…my r-ribs are…!"
"Wah! Barry I'm so sorry!" she cried as she jumped off of him, her motions frantic as she tried to assess any damage she may have inflicted on the speedster. "I wasn't trying to kill you, I swear! I want to be with you, I really really do! Oh, please don't be dead!"
Barry's laughter, albeit weak, eased her worries. "It's okay, Kara, I'm fine. You just have one hell of a grip, that's all." He kissed her again, softly, and she melted against him. When they pulled apart, he laughed again. "Also, I am digging the pajamas. Where – when – did you get them?"
The Kryptonian blushed a bright red and ducked her head, "I…may have taken an extended bathroom break during our little victory party back on Earth-1. And I may have gone to a clothing store that was open late. And…" her voice fell to a whisper before she continued. "these boxers are ridiculously comfortable."
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A/N: There you go! As you can see, the changes here are pretty minimal but now fall in line with the rest of the stuff...I think. I'll try and get another chapter out soon and get this story moving again. Lord knows I've got the time.
That being said, I know the world is a crazy place right now - in particular the good old U.S. of A. - and that to some of you, reading or writing fanfiction is an escape from what's going on. I know it is for me. Just remember to love each other whenever you can, speak out against injustice when you see it, and take care of yourselves.
Stay safe out there - please.
-HakushoRurouni