If You Can't Be With the One You Love

Best Part of Me

"Now."

The tone in Barry's voice screamed urgency despite being low in resonance. He glared into Oliver's eyes as if there was no one else in the world but the two of them-- and his mind, nothing else mattered but Oliver. Nothing else mattered other than Barry being able to conjoin his life with the man who was his life. For months, the only thing he saw was a mission of vengeance, a fiery facade of justice crippled his mind and he could not see past it. Yet, at this moment, the only thing he could see was Oliver and him standing before their loved ones-- giving their lives to one another.

The tenacity in Barry's request sent Oliver's heart flying down to the pits of his stomach. He could feel a void beginning to form as he realized exactly why Barry was so adamant on getting married now. He was going to turn himself in. He was going to lose him again.

"No," Oliver feels a lump constrict his airways as he interjects. He shakes his head slightly before resting his hands at the top of neck. He bites his lip before chokingly restating, "No."

"You don't want to marry me?" Barry asks, trying to deflect from the inevitable revelation of his plan to admit to his crimes.

"I don't want you to go to prison, Barry!" Despair seeps through the pain in Oliver's scream. His hands moved off of his neck as he had thrown them in Barry's direction for emphasis. Liquid slowly build in his eye lids and he immediately tries to fight them by clenching the muscles in his cheeks.

Barry softens his gaze on Oliver, although feeling every eye in the room on the two of them, he kept his sights set on the man who was staring intensely into his soul. An apologetic smile begins to shine through the tension and he walks towards him. He takes his trembling hand into his own. "I don't have a choice in that. But the one thing that I can choose who I want to spend my life with. And that's you."

"What's the point, Barry?" Oliver wears his broken heart on his sleeve as he begins to plead. "What's the point of getting married if you're going away to prison for God-knows how long?"

Barry caresses his chiseled cheeks into the palm of his hands in an attempt to calm him down. The skin of his face was saturated from the tears that had been falling. It tore away at his heart to see Oliver, once again, so broken because of him. He wanted to pick up the pieces like he did at the beginning of their relationship.

But he couldn't. He was stuck in the repercussions of his vendetta and Oliver was paying the price. So he chose to try to be strong for him. Be an anchor as he slowly fell into the deep, lonely waters that awaited him in his life with Barry in prison. It was the last thing he could ever do for him.

"Because knowing that I'll have you, for the rest of my life," his lip quivers as he continues, his palms adding more pressure to Oliver's face. "That will give me the strength to push forward. So please, marry me now."

Oliver bites his lip as he shakes his head. A sparkle glimmered slightly in his eyes as he slowly began to smile. "How could I say no?"

Barry pulls Oliver in for a quick kiss. He began to prepare himself to face the room of people staring at him, knowing that they would have the same interjections as Oliver did. He takes Oliver's hand as he slowly turns to face them physically. Iris' face was stained by trails of tears cried for Barry. Joe had an arm around her shoulders as he pulled her in for solace. Both Laurel and John stood in the corner of the room, arms crossed with glassy eyes as they felt empathy for their friends.