I've Got Soul but I'm Not a Soldier

Of Guilt and Love

Barry eats a lot, but no one questions it at the restaurant, so that's good. They probably assume the rest of them are helping him eat it. Len does steal some of his food, but he's a criminal – that's his job.

They let go of each other's hands through the meal, but that's okay because to fit all of them at a table, they're so crammed together anyway that at least there's still physical contact. Len's not sure when physical contact became so vital. Detective West tosses him odd glances across the table but he adeptly ignores him for the duration of the meal. He is unimportant.

"So how long have you two been a thing?" the detective asks after Barry seems to be done eating, sitting back with a contented sigh.

The easy line of Barry's back straightens. "Not now, Joe."

"I'm just curious," Joe West says. "This isn't an interrogation."

"You make everything seem like an interrogation," Iris says offhandedly, munching on a piece of bacon. "No offence."

"I'm just curious to know how long my son has been dating a criminal."

Barry sighs heavily. "A few months."

"And how serious is it?"

Len glares at the man, but the detective is also adept at ignoring such looks.

"It..." Here Barry stops and looks at Len, indecisive, and Len's not sure what to tell him. Things between them have always been both easy and complicated. Spending time together is easy; explaining it is another matter entirely. Finally Barry sighs and looks back across the table at the detective. "It's serious enough. He's my boyfriend."

West's face looks like he drank some bad coffee. "You do realize he kidnapped both of your friends, right?"

"They're cool with it," Barry says.

"We're cool with it," Cisco agrees. "When he took me he was nice to me. I thought it was strange, but it makes sense now."

"I can't really say the same, but he's been nice lately," Caitlin says.

When Len and Mick took her to get the Flash's attention, Len wasn't ever mean to her; he kept Mick in line and everything. But he could have been nicer, he knows. At the time he had no reason to believe he'd get so close to the Flash, so why be friendly to his enemy's companions?

"We went to eat once," Iris says. "He was nice."

Len has never been called 'nice' so many times in a row. It's dizzying.

"I know you don't approve," Barry says softly, and the table falls silent. "And you don't have to. Just know I'm okay, and Len's okay, and we're... okay."

West's eyes swivel to focus on Len. "And do you care about my son, or are you using him?"

It's not a good topic of discussion to have around a dinner table, but it was bound to happen eventually. Nevertheless, Len scowls. "Barry's an adult and he made his own choices. I didn't force him into anything, if that's what you're asking," he says coldly, pushing his empty plate of food away from him. If he was on the edge of the table he and Barry would leave, but since he's near the middle, he stays put.

"Enough of this," Barry says. "Let's just have a nice meal."

"He's tried to kill you before," West says. "What makes you think he won't turn on you in your sleep?"

"Because I've slept with him a bunch of times, and I'm clearly still alive," Barry snaps. "He didn't force me into anything and he has nothing to gain by using me, as you say. He hasn't influenced me in any way."