bruno14: In that case, I'm really happy I was wrong XD. And it pleases me that I'm still capable of making twists in this story. Tommy is such an unfortunate character in this story because I wanted to make him like this right from the start XD. Poor Gideon indeed. And Malcolm is definitely not going to stop there, sadly XD. And I'm glad you loved that! I wish I could say there are more moments coming, but seems like I can't find my muse anywhere and this story also hates me. But I hope you'll enjoy anyway.

Hey, guys! It's been more than a month since my last update. I'm truly sorry for that but my life has never been more hectic. And this chapter is definitely not one of my finest, but it'll have to do because I need to post at least something. So please do forgive me if this is too sappy. It's not so easy to write these days, let alone write well. But try to enjoy this anyway!

And yet something happened right the next day. Something changed. Oliver knew that much as soon as he spotted Barry sipping his coffee in the kitchen. The surprised look that appeared on his face just for a split of seconds was too hard for Oliver to miss. He wasn't used to it after all. Barry had never used it on him. He wanted to sneak out.

"Hey, what's up?" Barry greeted and dedicated him a smile.

Oliver couldn't find it within him to reciprocate it. When Barry saw it, the corners of his mouth lowered slightly just as his head did too. "I didn't want to wake you up. Yesterday must've been tough for you."

Oliver narrowed his eyes at that. It was no surprise Barry was just trying to distract himself from his own problems. He wasn't doing it for the first time after all. For Oliver, it was no trouble to see the pattern really. But to comprehend it completely? That was something different entirely.

"It must have been tough for you too."

Barry ran a hand through his hair and downed his coffee. But he was still refusing to meet Oliver's eyes no matter what. "I'm fine, though."

For Oliver, however, it was enough to spot two essential things. Barry had circles under his eyes, which were blooded more than he'd ever seen them. Oliver didn't really need to be told that Barry was obviously having nightmares. As much as he hated the fact, he knew what kind of damage nightmares could do so well that knowing the difference in someone's behavior and the look was just yet more reason for him to show off.

But that was the problem. He didn't want to show off. He didn't want to mock his lover at how the roles had just reversed even though he could still remember how Barry had kept convincing him to do something about the nightmares. And now when it was Oliver's turn, there was this anxiety again. That made it nearly impossible for him to find the right words.

"Barry..."

"Don't Barry me, Oliver. I'm fine, seriously. Or I will be, eventually."

Oliver dared to enter Barry's personal space, scared beyond imagination. His hand trembled as he placed it gently on Barry's forearm. God, he was so afraid that the man before him would rebuff it and leave.

But that didn't happen. Not yet anyway. Barry stood perfectly still.

"Then why don't you let me help you with that?" Oliver questioned but with this tone, it sounded more like a plea. As pathetic and naive as it could get. Yet Oliver didn't care. Barry still wasn't looking at him and Oliver hated that he didn't know why.

And then even that boundary had been crossed. Barry finally looked at him, but it was nowhere close to sincere or sorrowful. He glared at him. Not in a playful way. It was in an annoyed way. And before Oliver could put it all together, Barry shook off his hand. That left Oliver totally stunned.

"You tell me. Why don't we talk about Thea for example," Barry countered and crossed arms over his chest.

Oliver slowly blinked and gulped. As much as it was a low blow, Barry had a point. And Oliver was being a hypocrite. Again. Sometimes he really did hate himself beyond anything else.

But as much as he wished he could, he couldn't beat it. He couldn't start talking about his feelings about Thea and whatnot. His mouth had just never felt drier. He could open it, but it would be pointless because nothing would come out. He wasn't ready.

"I'm working on it," Oliver claimed, but it was him now who was rather facing the ground than those beautiful hazel green eyes. And Barry noticed right away.

His eyebrows were finally put at ease and his look softened. This was too much for him too.

"Look, I don't want to fight, Ollie."

Oliver might've lifted his head after that, but Barry's eyes were a no-go destination for him again.

Barry's hesitance preserved only for a split of seconds as he tenderly cupped Oliver's cheeks and forced the latter to face him properly.

"Which is why I ask you to leave my problems up to me. And I swear that one day, I'll explain everything to you, but for now... please."

"But what if you lose yourself like you did when you met..."

"Mardon? That's pretty possible," Barry deadpanned and chuckled slightly when he noticed Oliver's subtle smile.

"This isn't funny," Oliver remarked, but the smile on his face was still undeniable much to his dismay.

Yet after a few more seconds, the silence returned and they both lost their carefree laughter. Barry's hands were now pressed against Oliver's chest. He was so close, he could feel the heat radiating from the man before him. The best kind of comfort there was.

"You should know that even with that pain which seeing Mardon caused me, I'm still glad that day happened exactly the way it did. And if I could go back and change something, I wouldn't."

Oliver's heart fluttered, but before he could say anything back, Barry's slender arms wrapped around his neck lovingly. And after that, Oliver felt too weak to fight back.

"I realized a lot of things that day," Barry murmured into his ear and kept the embrace tight. "And even though it was far from perfect, I'm thankful for all that, for each memory. Nothing will ever change that."

Oliver relished in how good it felt to hear those words. This assurance. And maybe, just maybe, with more time like this, seconds would be enough, entangled in this embrace would actually make all his worries disappear. But Barry ended it too soon. Or the buzzing of his phone did. And when Barry pulled back and checked his screen, he was gone again. Even though Oliver could see him and actually touch him, he was still not quite there. Not completely. And it hurt. Especially when it resembled no one else than him. Barry's behavior was not an unknown aspect to him. He used to be like this too. But Barry had cured him of that. Slowly, but still had. And if Oliver hadn't accomplished the same by now, what were his chances now? Were there any?

It hurt to think like this. Then he remembered Thea and his whole world crumbled even more. Just like when he'd left her. Now she was here within his reach and it all felt like leaving over again. He was fed up with it. No more.

The only way how to solve that was through rectifying what could be rectified. Slowly. With time. And Thea deserved to be the first finally. Just like how it used to be when she'd been his whole world. She still was that. He just needed to remind himself of that.

Barry left after that quite quickly. Oliver didn't even care to remember what excuse he had for that. It was a lie for sure so the meaning behind it was equal to zero in Oliver's perspective anyway so he might just save himself the trouble altogether and just put it all to the back of his head. That way the pain of it wasn't so unbearable.

However, this wasn't the end of his problems. He might've made the decision to try with Thea again, but that didn't mean he knew what to say to her to fix all this. He didn't even know where to begin. That was just something his brain would never help him with.

Barry would. But a thought of that caused him to shut his eyes tight in frustration right away. As if it already hadn't been bad enough.

Little did he know that Barry had helped him tremendously that day even with the lack of interaction they'd recently have. If she can't handle seeing you, make her listen like I and Gideon did. He'd said this right before he'd left the apartment. Thanks to these words, an idea indeed popped up in Oliver's mind. It was so unlike him that the anxiety he was already having even doubled. But that still didn't cloud his judgment enough. He knew that this was probably the only choice. And one thing was for sure - he needed help. After all, what were friends for?

Thea had decided to go to Jitters. She needed something familiar and this was ideal. Now it was crystal clear why Sara and Barry had chosen Jitters of all places they could've gone to.

Thea, personally, wasn't a fan of coffee, but here she was drinking it anyway. It had taken some time, but eventually, she'd managed to get used to its bitter taste. Something like that wasn't an achievement in this world, it was more like a must-do. If she didn't drink coffee, she would belong to a minority of people, she would blend out. As if she wasn't different enough from people around her already. She needed something normal. If drinking coffee was normal, the bitter taste was no obstacle for her. After all, for her, it would always be easier to find a way how to blend in then blend out everywhere she went.

And yet, when it came to this Jitters, she couldn't help but feel like she didn't belong there. This time the coffee was no sanctuary. People weren't looking at her but she felt like they were staring. Just to let her feel the guilt that had been tearing her apart the whole time before.

But at the same time, she felt like saying all those words to Oliver was the right thing to do, no matter what anyone else thought. He'd hurt her so why couldn't she show him how it had felt and hurt him just as much? Okay, maybe slapping him was too much, but still, why couldn't she?

Before she could find an answer to that, someone broke her out of her trance. A blonde girl in her age and with glasses on came to her with probably the most innocent smile Thea had ever seen.

"Is this seat taken?"

Thea glanced at her with a puzzled look and then her eyes flew over the whole coffee shop. There were free tables and boxes but the person in front of her insisted on sitting here. Thea knew that she wasn't going to like her reasons for that.

"I know that there is a plenty of space for me to sit, but would you mind if I sat with you? I'm avoiding someone and if he sees me sitting with someone, he will probably leave me alone. So pretty please," the blonde pleaded, pressing her palms against one another and entangling her fingers.

Thea couldn't say no to that. That would be rude. Even for her. And besides, she seemed okay. What could possibly go wrong?

"I'm Felicity, by the way," the blonde pointed out with a thankful smile after Thea had motioned for her to sit down.

Thea magically managed to reciprocate that smile. "Thea."

After Felicity pulled out the tablet from her purse and started tapping her fingers at it, it seemed like the end of their talk. Little did Thea know that this was merely the beginning.

"You're not a regular here, are you?" Felicity asked, only briefly glancing away from the screen to look at the brunette before her.

"My first time here, actually. I mean, I used to live in Central City, but not anymore."

"I'm not from around here either."

Thea furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head slightly to one side. "So what's keeping you in Central?"

"My friends and thanks to my best friend I have a dream job in STAR Labs. I'll be forever grateful for that. We actually met here for the first time. He was sitting right at this table which is why in fact, it's my favorite."

Thea pouted knowingly. After those words, it really couldn't be clearer because the person in front of her wasn't there accidentally at all. It was part of the plan. And Thea felt only a little bit annoyed. She'd been annoyed and angry for the better part of her life. She could tell when it was different without any problem. And today was that day.

"You're Oliver's best friend."

Felicity actually smiled, pleased by that one sentence, and put her tablet aside. Now her eyes and all her attention were Thea's. "And you're his sister. Seems to me like the apple doesn't fall far from a tree when it comes to your intellect."

"Oliver would say it's just common sense. Even people in Central can't be that nice that they would sit with random strangers."

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like something he would say," Felicity agreed and giggled. "Don't tell me he was like this when he was just a child too."

"Pretty much," Thea nodded, but in reality, her inner thoughts differed. In reality, she could barely remember what Oliver had been like. She remembered bits and pieces but she'd been too small to know what exactly he used to be like. She'd just spent the whole time they'd been separated imagining what he might be like. It was like an eternity in her point of view. And now it seemed like her imaginations weren't so far from the truth as she'd always believed. And although she would hardly confess to it, she felt sad that she hadn't figured that out with Oliver by herself.

"You want to leave?" Felicity suddenly asked when she'd noticed the trance Thea was in.

Thea had to blink a few times to fully escape it. "Excuse me?"

Felicity managed to cast an understanding smile on her face. "Oliver told me what had happened."

Thea sighed and smiled weakly. "Shocker."

But Felicity ignored that and continued. "He didn't do the selfish thing that day."

Thea couldn't help but scoff. Everyone around Oliver was so damn loyal to him and she couldn't understand why. He had so much, but did he really deserve all of that?

"I would know," Felicity confirmed firmly like her life depended on it and leaned slightly forward. "Trust me, I would. Because when I first met him here he was anything but nice. All he cared about was himself and he never dared to miss an opportunity to make me feel like I was a lesser creature. I had to put up with this ass-behavior of his for months so I know exactly what it means to be numb, careless and selfish in his book. What he did for you can't possibly be farther from all that."

Thea lifted her gaze and glanced at Felicity. Suddenly it felt easier. Maybe it was because the blonde's head lowered. Thea couldn't face her properly anymore but at the same time, she couldn't blame her for that either. Because never in her life had she imagined that she would hear those things about Oliver.

Her brother had always been perfect. A treasure that needed to be protected at all cost because outside their family circle and Tommy, Oliver had had no one. As a child, Thea had never thought about it so much. She'd just accepted it right at the beginning, but she was too young to either mind or understand.

But throughout all these years, she'd had plenty of time to think. Oliver had always been nice to her. Sure, there were times when he would mess with her shamelessly, but he'd never been mean. To her, to Tommy, to anyone. Or at least that was what she'd always believed in. Then he'd slapped her and everything had gone to hell.

And although she was angry, part of her still hoped that he'd never stopped being so goddamn perfect as she remembered him. Because if you don't know, that's the only thing you can do, honestly. Just hope. Accepting the hard truth he might've changed completely somewhere along the way is worse anyway. Especially when you're not there to witness it yourself.

But now after what she'd heard from Barry and Felicity, she couldn't live in denial anymore. Oliver had been bullied by those assholes in the orphanage long enough to become a bully himself. In his own damn way. And for what it was worth, it made her realize that the two of them weren't so different after all. Because she wasn't exactly the nicest person to be around either. What would you expect from a person who had been abandoned by the most important people in her life anyway? Growing up thinking it was all her fault had to leave some scars on her too.

And she'd known that Oliver must've had some scars as well. She'd just never imagined that he had more of them than her.

And maybe he didn't have more of them. Maybe they were just easier to open and bleed again as strongly as before. Because of his damn perfect memory. It was funny. When Thea had been just a kid, she'd always envied him he could remember everything. She would've done anything to have a brain like his back in the day. Now she was grateful every day for being normal at least in this. That brain was as much a burden as it was a privilege. And probably the only thing that could help was to find people who would make it easier to bear.

Thea's perspective changed so radically after this that she found herself smiling just ever so slightly. But she erased that smile quickly so Felicity wouldn't see it. There was one thing she still didn't understand after all.

"Then why did you stay? If you can work for STAR Labs, you can work anywhere you like so why stay? Why would you put up with him?"

Felicity wasn't caught off guard by that question at all. She merely smiled and remembered the first time Oliver had smiled at her too. At some point, it had felt magical to her. Because she remembered that moment almost perfectly. Which was the most heartwarming thing about it. That some people mean so much to you that thanks to them you have an eidetic memory of your own. Sure, you can't possibly remember every slight detail, but you remember how it felt and what it caused. And that is enough. Thanks to that, such moments stay with you forever because it would be a crime to let them go.

And this wasn't the only mesmerizing memory she had of Oliver. She had plenty and each of them was a damn privilege to have. Which made all that pain worth it in the end.

"I had my reasons. I definitely didn't want to let him win. At some point, I hated him and I wanted to show him I'm also capable. It was no longer about proving my worth to him, I didn't care for his respect anymore, it was more about making him see that the fact he is so smart doesn't make him perfect or untouchable. It doesn't mean that everyone around him is stupid."

"But there was also another reason for me to stay. Call me naive, but something was telling me he wasn't like this simply because he wanted to. The longer I knew him, the more obvious it was how in fact he was hurting. Back then, I didn't know anything about him. All I know now I learned from him. His eidetic memory, how he'd lost his family. All of it. Doctor Wells told me nothing. Probably because he didn't dare to think I would be so interested to know more."

"But Oliver bullied you, Felicity."

Felicity pursed her lips sadly. "He did. But bullying was only one of the many bad things he'd learned as a child. You may think that the good things don't matter anymore. Or worse that they are no longer there. But I did believe there was something more to him. I couldn't possibly find my way to him. Not as to other people at least. Because his world is special. We all have our worlds and of course, they differ in some things, but his world is significantly different. You need to learn how it works and accept it with all its differences. Eventually, you'll understand it too. And if you do, he will let you show him your world and before you know it, he will accept it too."

Thea closed her eyes slowly and lowered her head. A single tear managed to stream down her face. But it was enough to make the walls she had around her crumble. It was enough to ease her rage and heighten her sorrow. And the need to have Oliver in her life as well. That had been always there. It was just hidden by the anger, but now, she felt different.

She wiped the tear away, lifted her head and looked into Felicity's silver eyes. "But how? I don't even know how to start."

"Well you know Barry already and he is a better part of Oliver's world these days," Felicity joked and stood up. "Why don't you go to STAR Labs with me? Only for how long you want. It might sound silly, but it's a key to his soul. Many things that matter are there. So it's a great start."

Thea glanced towards the exit door of Jitters and delved into her thoughts. Into million possibilities of how it could go if she chose to go with Felicity. And although many of them ended up badly in her head, only one of them mattered in the end. Finally, the will was stronger than the fear and sorrow was stronger than rage. She didn't want to dream about happiness anymore when it was so close to her reach.

So she stood up and nodded. And as they walked out of the coffee shop, it was true that she'd never been more nervous. And yet, she didn't falter. She kept going. Without looking back.

When Thea laid her eyes on the building of STAR Labs, she was slightly taken aback. She'd had no expectations. She'd only known how Mercury Labs looked and now this. And if she had to choose which one looked better, Star Labs would win for sure. Her dad would hopefully never find out.

And when she entered, her amazement even heightened. She would never call herself a sci-fi fan, but only an ignorant would remain cold after seeing this. And it hadn't ended there.

Felicity indeed showed her everything she could. Even each invention Oliver had created. And after she'd been introduced to Cisco, Caitlin, and Gideon, she couldn't possibly be more impressed. And touched as well. Because no one needed to tell her what was obvious. This right there was Oliver's family. And if Oliver had been exactly what Felicity had told her, then those people must've been something special.

At the very end, Felicity took her to Oliver and Barry's place and Thea would lie if she claimed she didn't find the fact that the two of them had their own place rather adorable.

And as she was admiring all the things she had no idea what were for, something happened. The very one thing that blew her mind the most that day.

Gentle tones of guitar started playing throughout the whole lab. They were far too familiar. Then the piano followed and when the voice joined too, Thea didn't need to wonder anymore. The song called Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits was resonating from wall to wall. And although she didn't know the lyrics completely, she remembered bits and pieces. The fact itself was enough to remind her why of all songs this one was so important. It was her mom and dad's favorite song.

Thea had failed to notice when exactly Felicity had left her there alone. But it held no meaning. Because before she even realized it, she started silently humming the melody of the song that had stayed hidden so deeply in the core of her mind. It had cast a smile on her face.

And when it ended, she knew right away she was no longer alone. She slowly turned around and as she laid her eyes on Oliver, the calmness the song had caused vanished and the tension returned.

But then she focused her attention on the smile he was dedicating her. It wasn't wide, but timid and yet warm. She'd approached him after years of not seeing him at all and the only thing she had been capable of doing was shouting and punching him furiously. That had happened merely a day ago. Why was he smiling at her when she deserved anything but that?

"I hoped you'd remember the song."

She bit her nether lip but chuckled regardless. How could she forget? "Oh please, they were listening to it almost every day. I don't need an eidetic memory to remember that."

But her smile disappeared right away. Because it was still bothering her how little she remembered and how much she'd forgotten and missed. The fact itself would never leave her alone. And even after all this time she hadn't gotten used to it at all.

"Could we take a walk?" Oliver asked timidly.

As much as she yearned to say no, she couldn't bring herself to do it. It wasn't what her parents would've wanted. It wasn't what she wanted. And although the song she'd heard just a seconds ago was about two lovers, bits of the lyrics applied to this as well. And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be. All I do is keep the beat, the bad company.

Could that be changed now?

She didn't know, but in the end, she nodded without realizing it and followed Oliver out of the STAR Labs. They were walking and walking and walking but not talking. All Thea could hear was her own heartbeat heightening with each second. She was losing her patience far more quickly than ever. Just because of this stupid silence. If it was making her feel only more furious with each second, why was Oliver okay with it? Why wasn't he saying anything?

Then suddenly she was the one who broke that silence eventually.

"Okay, what's your deal?"

Oliver stopped moving and furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid. You've never been good at that. You made your best friend say all those touching things about you just to get me to STAR Labs, then you played Mom and Dad's favorite song and now you ambush me with silence. Is this really your way of fixing everything?"

Oliver pressed his lips into a thin line and sighed. "Okay, first of all. I'd simply asked Felicity to somehow get you to STAR Labs, but I'd never told her how. She'd figured that out on her own apparently. And second of all... I don't actually think there are words that could accomplish that. That could fix everything."

Thea hugged herself timidly and let her head drop. But deep inside, she couldn't agree more.

"I've already told you everything I had to say, Speedy. Now I can just be there for you."

A bitter scoff escaped Thea's mouth. "Come again? I didn't quite get that, but then again I was never a match for you so please be more clear for my sake."

That was right. She remembered that this was one of the many insults he had dedicated her the day they'd separated. She had no idea how it was possible. She'd been so young back then after all but she did. Every one of them. And someone with an eidetic memory and an intellect like Oliver's must've realized that too at some point even though he barely let it be shown.

Instead, he weakly smiled, which honestly left Thea only more bewildered. "You came to me first. You punched me multiple times, but you still came first. That's a hell of a lot harder than making a phone call, especially when I'd had no idea you would pick it up. I think it's pretty clear you're more than just a match for me."

"Well, I wouldn't know considering you were never there to prove that."

"And I'm gonna have to live with that for the rest of my life. Even if I fixed this, it would still hunt me forever. Which is why I doubt words can do much of a help."

"And what can help, then? Playing songs from our past? Is that your great plan?" Thea spat out, throwing her hands around, frustrated.

But Oliver refused to move. He didn't even flinch. He'd been assaulted far too many times and in far worse ways to actually mind Thea's strikes even though they had hurt. But showing fear now? What would be the point?

So instead he ran a hand through his hair and asked: "Did that song make you smile?"

And a small part of Thea desired nothing else than to just slap him again. Thank God it was only small. "What?"

"When I heard it for the first time after what had happened, I thought I was going to break down once again even though I'd thought I was already over that. But I didn't. I remembered the lyrics, I could still sing it and eventually, I smiled. So... did you smile?"

Thea opened her mouth, then closed it right away. For the first time in a while, she allowed herself to think first and speak second. Or better, she made herself think and remember how it had really felt. And the results were instant. It was the ultimate truth. She just couldn't understand how it was possible Oliver still knew her so well even after all this time. Or maybe she was just way too predictable. But even if that was true, it was something she could live with. Always had been. She'd never desired to be a match for Oliver. She'd never really wanted to beat him in his games, she'd merely enjoyed when she was the one winning without fighting. So if she really was too easy to read, then so be it. She didn't give a damn. What mattered was that Oliver did.

And so she nodded and managed to form a smile right afterward. If that wasn't a progress, she wasn't sure what was. But then again she couldn't doubt it when Oliver reciprocated that smile without any hesitation. And for the first time in a while, she did feel that warmth she would feel anytime her family smiled at her. That proved only one thing - Oliver was still her family. No matter how pathetic that might sound, deep down she still held him as such. If the bond hadn't been already destroyed by all that pain and suffering as she'd thought it had been, was there a way to reach it finally after all this time?

"I missed 15 years of your life. 180 months. Which makes it 5, 475 days. Give or take," Oliver claimed and finally found the courage to take one step closer. Only a meter was now separating them and thanks to that Oliver felt less like a stranger.

Thea scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Show-off."

Oliver grinned, but pursed his lips and returned to a serious state right away. "Not a day goes by that I don't think about it. Not a day goes by that I don't hate myself for it. And although I know 15 years cannot possibly be erased just like that, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make you see past that. By playing old songs for you because I know that will make you smile. That's what brothers do after all, isn't it? Make their sisters smile... occasionally."

Thea didn't comment or laugh. Even after 15 years, her brother still hadn't taught himself how to be funny.

Oliver didn't let himself be bothered by that. His heart was still dominating the situation and he willingly let it. Each time it got easier. "If I've learned something after all the bad things that happened to me, it's that letting go is one of the hardest things. But still, there is something even harder."

"And what might that be?"

"Holding on to the right person. You see, I figured out how to banish everyone around me, how to make them feel contempt while thinking of me, how to keep distance. I figured out all that on my own. Nobody had to show me anything. But holding on is something that cannot be done by me alone. These past few months taught me that. You can't hold onto someone whose only desire is to let go and run away. You need them to stay by their own will. So please don't leave Central City just yet and I swear I will never leave you alone again. This world might be a cruel place, but with right people, it really isn't. Know that whatever happens, I'll listen to everything you have to say. I will always care about how much you're suffering. That is the only way I can remedy everything that's been done. And how to make it okay again."

Thea pressed her lips into a thin line and dropped her head. It was the only way how to hide tears which were trying to get out. But she didn't want to cry. She was so fed up with crying and blaming that she'd forgotten how magical it was only to smile and have hope.

And Oliver was wrong when he'd claimed words could do nothing more to help mend their bond. Words were what had started all this mess in a first place so they could also fix everything. Or at least something. Because it might've been Oliver's cruel insults that had caused her to cry that day, but it was Oliver simply not being by her side what had broken her heart.

And now they were here and Oliver was trying. He was bugging. He simply wouldn't let go. And he knew exactly what to say. He knew that if she remembered one of the insults he'd used that day, she remembered all of them. And Thea really did. That was why the words meant so much to her now. And all that was enough to finally see past that pain. It was enough to find the hope and hold onto it and never let go.

"I'd like that."

They didn't hug after that. The smiles on their faces were the only thing they were capable of giving, but for them, it couldn't be more rewarding. They'd taken a huge step today and they weren't ready to take another. Those 15 years were impossible to ignore. But although they barely knew each other, there was still something that kept their connection strong and still. Now they could make it grow.

And when Oliver returned to STAR Labs, he was still smiling. He didn't even care if someone would see him. But then it happened. His phone buzzed and reminded him how easy it was to stoop to problems once again.

"You do realize that you've never been this late, don't you?"

"It's nice to see you care," Harry replied on the other end.

"It's not like I miss you, it's just... weird. Even for you."

"Yeah, sorry about that. But I'm actually heading out of town for some time. Family problems."

Oliver furrowed his brows and scoffed. "Okay, that was a lie. And here I thought you were better at this. As someone who has been the definition of your family problems for 15 years, it's pretty hard to believe that. So why can't you just tell me what's really going on?" Oliver didn't even know Harry had a family beside him and Tess. Of course, he'd realized somewhere along the way, but he'd never really thought about it more. Harry hadn't talked about it after all.

"You didn't mention Thea at all either."

Oliver slowly blinked and sighed. It was a low blow but true nonetheless. Harry was a real master at that. Always had been. And Oliver hated him for it now more than ever.

But Oliver could bite as well. "And do you really want that sentence to be the only sincere one you told me before you left?"

The line stayed silent. The memories of Oliver's recent happiness vanished and left no trace behind. And Oliver had no idea what had gone wrong.

"How about you handle your family problems and I handle mine? Then we can compare the score," Harry eventually claimed firmly enough for Oliver to let go.

Oliver bit his nether lip. It hurt so much that one of the closest people in his life was now keeping so much distance. Harry had always done that at some point, but never in so much consistency as now. Oliver had witnessed the man stand by his side when no one else would when even Oliver hadn't wanted him to. Now the opposite was true and it was ridiculous how quickly the definition of his family problems was changing.

"Not to mention my Barry-problems."

"Barry is family too. Another sincere sentence from me before I leave," Harry pointed out, but Oliver no longer had the strength to laugh. He just weakly smiled. Thank God no one could see how strained that actually was.

"I wish that was enough, Harry."

More seconds of silence followed. Then a deep sigh could be heard and eventually, words joined too. "Okay, listen, I'm going to be gone for only a couple of days. Weeks, tops, but when I return, I'll let you out of the dark, I promise. Was that sincere enough?"

"Unfortunately, it's not so... you better prove me wrong."

Harry chuckled slightly on the other end of the line. "That's one of my favorite things to do."

Soon after that Oliver hung up, took a deep breath, but it didn't help. He didn't feel any better. Even with all he'd accomplished with Thea that day, he hadn't started feeling better for a long while. And he still had no idea what had gone wrong with both Barry and Harry. That was the most excruciating thing about it all.