myheadisaprison | (no subject)

Barry groans, giving him a thumbs up from the very comfortable ground. “Yeah, I’m okay.” You know, depending on your definition of the term. “What about you?”

He struggles to stand, but he manages it. Then he realizes there’s a crowd around them, cheering. He gives them a sheepish wave, still not really used to the praise. He spots Ralph and Cisco, all suited up, and gives them a nod.

“I’ll race you back to STAR Labs,” he says to Tony with a grin, before taking off again.

Relief floods over Tony as the other man gives him a thumbs up. It's possibly the dorkiest thing he's ever seen, and he works with Steve Rogers. The crowd, which had gathered at their landing and is rubber necking to see if their hero is okay, erupts in cheers.

Tony only has time to give a small, exasperated sigh before shooting off in the wake of the speedster. He's pretty sure he only has a quarter of the suit's power left after pushing it to it's limit and beyond, but he plans on using what's left to make a good show of keeping up.

He lands at Star labs, tapping his chest and retracting the suit as he makes his way into the lab. "Well, that was fun. Anything else you need blown up?"

Barry laughs, shaking his head. “Not immediately. The other satellites will need to be dealt with, but I don’t think they were programmed to self-destruct like that one. Thank you for your help, though, I’d be in a lot worse shape without it.”

Not that he’s in great shape now. Caitlin cones in to dither at him though (and Tony, she’s impressed but not intimidated), and the team filters in too. There’s lots of excited chatter and introductions (and flailing, especially from Cisco) before Caitlin shoos them all out, giving Barry and Tony time to talk.

“Speaking of introductions,” Barry says, carefully removing his mask and gloves, offering Tony a hand to shake. “Barry Allen. It’s an honor to meet you.”

"It's definitely been my most eventful trip to Central City," Tony says, brushing off his thanks. "We should do it again sometime." He's introduced to Caitlin, impressive in her own right, and as she checks the Flash out, he can't help but wonder if she's the team's version of Bruce. The rest of the team are excited and their grins are contagious. He finally meets the mysterious Mr. Cisco and despite the fact that he's visibly a little starstruck - that's okay, Tony's used to it - he immediately decides he likes him. He has the kind of sarcastic wit that only someone equally as sarcastic can appreciate.

"Likewise," Tony says, taking the offered hand and taking in the kid in front of him. He's not really a kid, but he looks younger than what Tony had been expecting. Maybe it's the kindness in his face that makes him look younger. The name sets off something at the back of his mind, but he can't quite put his finger on it. "Allen. Have we met before?"

“I sure hope we don’t have to do it again, but we’ll definitely call if we need your help. Or you can call us if you need help.”

Barry would protest being called a kid. He’s a ripe old age of 29, thank you very much. He blinks at the recognition, though. “Not that I can remember, and I definitely would have remembered. You might have heard my name in the news lately? I actually went to jail for a little bit. For a murder I didn’t commit. I used to work for the CCPD.”

"That's actually one of the things I wanted to talk to you about," Tony says, picking up a random pill bottle from a counter top and squinting at it. He glances over at Barry. "I definitely think we can help each other out."

"You went to jail?" Tony asks, looking him over again. With a face that sweet, he can't help but think that he would've been eaten alive. Still, there's more to Barry than what meets the eye. He's a Speedster for one, and if his tenacity in getting Tony here as quickly as possible says anything, he's tougher than he looks.

Tony nods, pointing the pill bottle at him. "That's it. I've read your reports on metahumans. Barry Allen, Forensics. Some riveting reading, really. You give Tom Clancy a run for his money."

"How'd that whole being accused of murder thing work out for your career?"

Barry is not really sure which of these points to address first, and just kind of gapes at him for a minute. "You've read my reports? And you want my help? Wow."

He shakes his head at the questions. "Didn't work out so well for my career. Singh is trying to get me back to work, but there are people higher than him who still need to be convinced, I guess. And even if I did go back, I'd have to earn a lot of people's trust again. But yeah, I went to jail. The same way my dad did...they even put me in his cell," he says, with a wry smile. He suspects Joe had something to do with that. "I actually broke a bunch of metas out when we were going to be sold on the metahuman black market, but DeVoe took their powers and killed them all."

Just one of the many horrors he's witnessed.

"They're not actually related, though if I had known this," he gestures to Barry's suit. "They might have been."

Tony can't help but wonder if Barry always talks this fast. Not that it's difficult to follow, but there is a lot of information packed into those couple of sentences. Information that he is filing away for later and will definitely be following up on at some point or another. "Central City has a black market?"

It's his very poor attempt at humor and he moves to shove it under the rug as quickly as possible, setting down the pill bottle and squaring up his shoulders as he crosses his arms. "I know people can be judgmental about ex-convicts, but I don't consider myself to be one of them. Especially, since you were framed. The truth is, I'd like to offer you a job. I just need you to answer one question first."

He takes a deep breath and looks Barry over as if he's measuring him up. "Why? Why did you become him?""

There is also a lot to unpack in Tony's response, but the question at the end of it makes him pause. Only for a moment, though. "I became the Flash the same reason I became a CSI. I want to help protect people. It's just who I am. When I was in prison, the thing that tormented me the most wasn't that I was alone, or scared, or hungry. It was that I couldn't help anyone. My friends, my family, the people of Central City. So I found someone to help inside the walls, someone who I knew was innocent like me, and I helped give him hope again."

Tony has to fight the urge to slow clap, not because Barry's answer deserves any kind of ridicule, but because there's no mistaking the earnest realness of it. This used to make him uncomfortable, before he knew Steve. Before he met Peter.

As it is, he presses his lips together and nods. That, as it turns out, is exactly what he needed to hear. After all, it's not as if he asks just anyone to be an Avenger, even if that was the exactly question Rhodey had asked him after he'd offered a spot to a fifteen year old.

"Based on that crowd out there, I'd say they feel protected," Tony says, giving him a small smile. He clears his throat. "Here's the thing, Barry. The Avengers are looking for new members. People like you that want to protect people."

Barry stares at him. “I’m sorry, did my brain just stop working for a second or did you just ask me to be an Avenger?”

Probably the latter, but boy is that a lot to process all at once. “I’m...wow. I’m a huge fan of all of you, I never thought I’d be in your league. But..I can’t leave my team. My family.”

It’s a difficult decision, because he does truly want to help them. “Central City still needs me too. Could I...just help out sometimes? When you really need me?”

"You're not having a stroke," Tony says, grinning at him. "I promise."

He's used to people being fans of the Avengers, even if there are now an equal amount that aren't because of their more recent missteps. But that was the reason that he'd put the Accords in place. He needed people that wanted to protect others and would take accountability for their actions. People like Barry.

Which is why he's disappointed when he says no. He blinks at him, his grin waning.

"You'd stay in this city, after they accused you of murder?"

Barry gives him a small smile. "They still like the Flash, even if Barry Allen isn't so popular. Besides, I've still helped them even when the Flash wasn't in favor. It's not a popularity contest."

He reaches out, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. "Like I said. I still want to help. I help the Arrow out in Star City sometimes, and it's 600 miles away. Speedster, remember? I could...consult?"

Tony stares at him for a long moment before taking a deep breath and shaking his head. "You're actually the second person who's turned me down in order to take care of their home turf." Not that he hadn't been proud of Peter for doing that, or that he could blame Barry for not wanting to leave his team. He'd seen the way they'd gathered around him afterwards. Remembers when he'd been part of a team like that. "This better not be a pattern."

"I'd offer your friend Cisco a job as well, but something tells me he'd have the same answer you do." He doesn't exactly look that put out by that. Barry has his team and his city. Tony has his own. "But I'm not going to turn down the opportunity to consult with either of you as needed."

He holds out his hand. "Deal."

Barry laughs at that, though he's relieved Tony isn't hurt. "You should ask Cisco anyway, he'd be even more stunned than me. Everyone on Team Flash will help however they can."

Then when Tony offers his hand to shake, Barry grins. "Deal," he replies, taking that offered hand and simply tugging him into a tight hug.

"I'd rather you accept, but I understand that you've got your own team here. Maybe I'll try the Archer in Star City. Our own Legolas is retired. Or at least, that's what he claims."

Tony isn't expecting the hug and Barry is stronger than he looks, which means that Tony's in a hug lock before he realizes what's happening. "Wow. This is really happening."

He pats Barry on the back awkwardly before pulling back. "It's a good thing you don't work for me, that could've been considered sexual harassment." He smiles faintly, to let Barry know he's only joking. He glances around the lab. "You've got a decent set up here, but some of your equipment could use an upgrade. If we're going to be working together I need to know that you're working with he best resources. How offended would you be if I offered you some side work in exchange for some upgrades?"

"The Arrow," Barry corrects automatically. "He's my mentor, you can't have him. I mean, I'm pretty sure his team needs him too, but also I need him."

He laughs at the crack about the hug, and pulls back after a good squeeze. "If you're helping out Team Flash, you're going to have to get used to hugs. And trust me when I say I really wouldn't be offended at all. I've been trying to manage this place on my own, with Cisco and Caitlin, and occasionally Harry as my only actual employees. We'll do all the side work you want."

Tony raises his eyebrows at Barry's claim that he can't have The Arrow. Though, he probably isn't wrong about him having his own team. Apparently Tony has waited too long. These superheroes have teams - people - that rely on them and vice versa. Tony remembers what that feels like. He knows it's not something that is easy to walk away from. Well, unless you're Steve Rogers.

"Great. I'll have legal send you some contracts to look over." He shrugs. "Well, I guess that's it for now. I'll let you know if we can use your help. In the meantime, keep it up, Flash. Central City is lucky to have you."

Barry ducks his head a little, embarrassed. "I'll do my best. Hey, before you go...can you help me with one more thing? A friend of mine was locked up in a jail in your city before this mess started. Leonard Snart, also known as Captain Cold. You might have heard of him. Can you just make sure he's okay? He might have escaped during the power outage, but if he's not in jail he's either at a bar or an art museum. Just...try not to punch him. You'll probably want to."