⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
ray palmer, the male version of
felicity smoak

⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

IT DIDN'T TAKE long for Team Flash and Scarlet to realize that Juliet and Barry were a thing.

Well, it's not like they were hiding it, or anything. After Barry's confession and their kiss, Juliet and Barry had a long talk. They were dating now — obviously. The two of them couldn't kiss each other like that and not date each other. However, the second they walked into S.T.A.R. Labs together the morning after, Caitlin had said there was something different in their gazes, and everything unfolded.

Also, Iris had positively freaked out. The night of their kiss, Iris had gone outside to retrieve them for dinner, only to find Juliet and Barry wrapped up in each other. Juliet was sure she had never heard Iris scream as loud as she did in that moment.

If she was being honest, Juliet's mind was still kind of spinning from it all. Never in a million years did the think she would end up with Barry Allen, despite her feelings for him. She always just assumed that it would be something she would have to deal with her entire life, but she was wrong.

It was really hard to wipe that dumbstruck smile off of her face when she was around Barry now. And now she embraced the racing heart, the stomach filled with butterflies, and for sure embraced all the hand-holding and kisses that came along with dating Barry.

(He was such a sweetie.)

Also, their super-heroing felt more in sync now that they were together. They worked fluidly side-by-side and victories felt even more sweet. Speaking of that, her and Barry were on speed-dial for Joe and Eddie. Central City was kind of a mess with crime tonight — in fact, when Joe called about the third attempted robbery, they had just found a guy in the park that was indecent.

Juliet teleported into the back of the police car, pushing herself all the way into the door. Barry sped into the middle seat and placed the guy that they had found in the spot next to him.

"Hello," Barry greeted.

Joe turned to look at them. "Eighteenth and Olive."

"Got it."

He then looked at the other guy in the car. "Who's this?"

"Indecent exposure at Powell Park," Juliet answered. "It was at the top of the list of things I didn't want to see tonight."

"That ain't something you should be showing people."

Juliet cleared her throat. "Well, boys, enjoy your chase, I'm off to the Shiny Diamond."

She gave them a two-fingered salute before the familiar tingling feeling spread throughout her body, and she was gone. Juliet teleported into the jewelry store to see two guys breaking the glass cases, holding guns and grabbing jewelry.

Juliet stepped out of the shadows into the light. The two guys stopped in their tracks and both pointed their guns at her. Juliet merely raised an eyebrow and focused in on the two guns, red energy starting to travel around her hands. She flicked her hands to the sides, making the guns fly out of their hands and completely away from them.

One of the guys blinked at her, staring down at his hand in disbelief. "How — how did you—"

"Mind control," Juliet replied, tapping the sides of her head. "Come on, haven't you heard of me?"

She laughed slightly when they didn't respond. Juliet then focused in on the two of them with her hands by her hips, holding them in place as red energy surrounded them as well. She leaned casually against one of the broken glass cases and waited.

After a couple minutes, and Juliet ignoring the slight pounding in her head (she was getting better about the headaches), Joe and Eddie then sprinted in with their guns out. Barry then sped in with his familiar flash of yellow lightning, settling himself next to Juliet.

"Nice," Barry commented. "Let 'em go, Scar."

Juliet smiled slightly at the nickname of Scarlet and dropped her concentration, the red energy disappearing from her hands and around the guys.

"On the ground, on the ground," Eddie urged.

They obeyed, falling to their knees, the glass crunching underneath their weight. Barry held up his hand for a high-five, and Juliet obliged, the two of them laughing brightly with each other.

Barry tore his eyes away from his girlfriend and grinned at Eddie. "Nice work, detective."

The next morning, there was a crime scene of a woman who had unfortunately been murdered outside of Hudson University where she worked. Her name was Lindsay Kang, and her entire body had been covered in small puncture wounds. Juliet and Barry did their normal CSI routine with it, taking samples and whatnot.

"Hey," Barry began, him and Juliet approaching Lindsay's body as Joe and Eddie walked up to it. "So, her whole body's covered in these puncture wounds you see on her face. Bite marks maybe. Whatever it was, she must have gone into anaphylaxis."

Joe looked down at the welts on her face. "Damn."

"I know," Juliet agreed, putting her hands in the pockets of her jacket. "But we took a blood sample, which should tell us everything that we need to know. Barry and I will run tests back at our lab."

"They can do it faster at S.T.A.R. Labs."

Juliet and Barry shared a look. As much as they had to pretend that everything was fine, it was kind of hard to do that when they knew that Dr. Wells was the man who murdered Barry's mother. Also, Juliet was practically itching to tell Cisco and Caitlin.

"Well, yeah, but, I mean, it's just . . ." Barry trailed off.

"It's just what?" Joe asked, walking away from the body, and the couple followed after him.

"It's kind of weird being there right now."

"Barry, Jules, you know we have to play it cool with Wells. If he finds out we suspect him—"

"I know, I get it," Barry interrupted. "I just think we should tell Cisco and Caitlin."

Juliet nodded in agreement. "Yeah. They've been just as brainwashed as us. And you know them, they're really smart. They can help us with this whole thing."

Joe sighed. "The more people who know, the more chance Wells is gonna find out we're onto him. I mean, what if one of them slips up? Or panics? Or what if . . ."

"What?" Barry questioned.

"What if they're not on our side?"

"No, absolutely not. They're not involved in whatever he's planning."

"I mean, Wells is their boss, their mentor," Joe insisted. "They've been with him for a long time. I've seen plenty of people make the wrong choice for loyalty. Please do not include them until we can be sure."

"All right," Barry agreed.

Juliet looked up at Barry's crestfallen face as Joe walked away, squeezing his arm comfortingly. "I know. It's hard, but . . . we can push through."

"Yeah." Barry then wrapped an arm around her waist, tucking her into his side. "At least I have you."

Juliet squinted her eyes at him. "That was incredibly cheesy of you to say." She glanced around for a moment before pressing up onto her toes, planting a kiss on his jaw. "Come on. As much as I hate it, Joe was right about S.T.A.R. Labs processing the blood faster."

The two did eventually go to S.T.A.R. Labs, where Caitlin ran the blood in the medbay. Juliet waited in the cortex with Dr. Wells — Reverse Flash — whoever he was, Cisco, and Barry. Barry's hand was resting on the small of her back, and her skin felt all tingly even though it was covered by a shirt and a jacket. He just had that effect on her.

"Death by apitoxin," Caitlin explained, walking out of the medbay.

"Honeybee venom," Dr. Wells voiced.

"Bees," Cisco said, and Dr. Wells pulled up a video of a bee on a hand on the screen. "Why did it have to be bees? Y'all, I don't do bees. Ain't nobody got time for bees."

"But when a honeybee stings, the stingers are literally torn from their abdomen, and they die."

"But there were no stingers in the body and no dead bees in the car," Barry revealed.

"A honeybee can only deposit point-one milligrams of apitoxin when it releases its stinger," Caitlin stated.

"And yet, Ms. Kang was found with enough venom in her system to kill a herd of elephants," Dr. Wells responded. "It appears not only is a Metahuman controlling these bees but also increasing their toxicity."

"Bees release pheromones as their form of communication," Juliet replied. "Maybe secretion is how this Meta's controlling them?"

"Anyone want to join me in getting a beekeeper suit?" Cisco inquired.

"I'm pretty sure I can outrun a bee," Barry answered. "And J can just stop it from flying."

"But just don't run into a lake," a very familiar voice cut in.

Juliet's eyes widened and she turned, only to see none other than Felicity Smoak standing in the doorway. A bright smile instantly appeared on her face. God, she had really missed Felicity.

"The bees will wait for you to come up for air and then they'll sting you. Discovery Channel. Turns out there's a lot to discover."

"Felicity, what are you doing here?" Barry asked.

"Can you guys come outside for a sec?" Felicity questioned.

All of them did as they were told, grabbing their jackets as they did so. They stood outside of S.T.A.R. Labs, a little bit awkwardly, because they didn't know what was going on. Juliet's hand was intertwined with Barry's — which Felicity did not miss — as she peered up into the sky.

"What exactly are we waiting for, Ms. Smoak?" Dr. Wells inquired.

Felicity pointed into the sky. "Up there."

Juliet followed to where she was pointing. What seemed to be a person was flying straight towards them, although a bit ungracefully.

Caitlin's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Is that a bird?"

Cisco stepped up beside her. "It's a plane."

The person flew lower and lower until they landed — also ungracefully, because the concrete completely cracked underneath them. Juliet blinked in shock as a person wearing what seemed to be a robotic suit struggled to stand up.

"It's my boyfriend," Felicity admitted.

Juliet tilted her head. Boyfriend? Back when her and Oliver broke up, Oliver had said that him and Felicity were perfect for each other but he couldn't be with her. Juliet had encouraged him to believe they had a different fate. Maybe that fate included Felicity dating someone other than him.

The person took off their helmet, revealing a very attractive guy. "Hi, I'm Ray."

Ray Palmer — another billionaire in Central City. Seemed like Felicity had a type. (Juliet meant this in the best way possible.)

After introductions, all of them went back inside. Ray got out of his suit, which Cisco put on a mannequin, while Caitlin started to check Ray's vitals in the medbay. Juliet had her arms crossed across her chest while she leaned back into Barry comfortably, his own arm wrapped around her waist. The two of them and Felicity stood outside the medbay, watching Ray.

"So he seems a little tall for you," Barry voiced.

"Barry Allen, are you jealous?" Felicity asked. "I don't know why you should be, considering you've got a hot-shot girlfriend next to you."

Juliet smiled at her. "Thanks, Felicity. But, uh . . ." she glanced back into the medbay. "We would've appreciated a call before you flew in."

"Oh, no, he flew. I drove."

"We're serious, all right?" Barry told her. "Now is not the best time."

"Why?" Felicity questioned. The grin fell off of her face when she noticed their expressions. "What's going on?"

Ray then walked out of the medbay, sighing. "Ah, well, my ears popped, so that's something."

"You're lucky you didn't break your neck," Caitlin responded. "What is it with billionaires being superheroes?"

"So, have you, uh . . . picked a name yet?" Cisco inquired.

"I'm kind of partial to the Atom," Ray revealed, making a whooshing noise with his mouth and making his hand small to represent an atom.

Cisco stared at him. "You married to that, or . . . ?"

"Your A.T.O.M. suit . . . it's quite the technological achievement, Mr. Palmer," Dr. Wells said. "I'm impressed."

"And he is never impressed," Caitlin added.

"Well, thank you, but I can't quite seem to keep it up," Ray admitted, and Juliet had to purse her lips together in effort to stop her laughter.

"He means the suit," Felicity interjected, walking up to Ray and linking her arm through his.

"Yeah, I mean the suit."

Juliet reached up, covering her mouth with her hand in effort to muffle her quiet laughs. Barry leaned his forehead against the top of Juliet's head in embarrassment, which honestly only made her laugh harder.

"Yeah, I can attest that everything else works just fine," Felicity reassured them. "There's nothing we need to fix in . . . that area."

"No, no, no, the sex is great," Ray continued.

"Oh my God," Juliet let out, dropping her hand. "They're the same person."

"I know from Felicity that you have been with Barry and Juliet and the Flash and Scarlet's suits, and, uh, I was hoping to get another set of eyes on my . . ."

"Problem," Felicity offered.

"Problem," Ray agreed.

"Any friend of the Arrow's is a friend—" Dr. Wells began.

"Hell yes," Cisco interjected.

"Uh, guys, w-we kind of have a lot going on already," Barry protested, making everyone look at him and Juliet. "Uh, there's the Metahuman killer than can control a whole swarm of bees?"

"Cool," Ray commented with a small laugh, but it quickly faded. "I mean, awful."

"I'm sure Caitlin and I will provide ample support for you and Ms. St. James, Barry," Dr. Wells said.

"And I will be happy to sit this one out," Cisco responded.

Felicity seemed to notice the conflicting looks on Barry and Juliet's faces — well, more so Barry. "Ray, why don't you stay here and work on your suit while Barry, Juliet, and I run to Jitters for some java?"

Ray nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Felicity turned to Barry and Juliet. "Coffee?"

Barry seemed to notice there was no room to argue. "Sure."

Juliet gave Felicity a small smile. "Let's go."

Together, Juliet, Barry, and Felicity went to Jitters. They ordered their coffees at the register, and Juliet grinned at the barista in thanks as she took her mug of latte.

"You know I left Starling City to get away from the mood and brood, but it looks like it followed me here," Felicity told the two.

"I know, I'm sorry," Barry replied. "It's like I said before, now is not the best time."

They all sat down at one of the high tables in Jitters. Juliet wrapped her hands around the warm mug, desperately trying to control the redness on her cheeks when she felt Barry place a hand on her thigh.

"Barry, I have been through enough with you to know when you're holding something back," Felicity continued. "And Jules, considering how close you two are, I'm assuming it's the same. Is this because I told Ray your secret? Because he is trustworthy. He wants to help people, just like you two."

Juliet shook her head. "It's not that." She glanced at Barry for a moment before looking at Felicity, seriousness etched on her features. "We just don't want to put anyone else in danger, Felicity."

"In danger of what?"

"Barry, Jules, hey," Eddie, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, greeted.

"Eddie, hey," Barry voiced. "Uh, you remember Felicity."

"Of course."

Felicity smiled at him. "Hey."

"Great to see you," Eddie said.

"Yeah." She stared at Eddie for a moment, who was fidgeting uncomfortably. "What is wrong with you? Is everyone in Central City in a bad mood? I thought Central City was supposed to be the fun one."

"It's, um . . . it's not . . ."

Juliet nodded reassuringly at Eddie. "Eddie, it's okay. Felicity knows."

"Wow," Eddie let out. "So everyone but Iris."

"Okay, you really just had to pull that one out, didn't you?" Juliet took a sip of her latte. "I've been losing my mind for months."

"How do you lie to everyone you care about?"

"For starters, don't think of it as lying," Felicity suggested. "Think of it as protecting her from getting hurt . . . with a fib."

"But Iris can tell I'm hiding something, and it's — it's putting this distance between us," Eddie explained.

"I have an idea. Why don't we all go to dinner tonight? A little wine and dine is sure to bridge the gap. Come on, we all had fun last time — Juliet, I so desperately wished you were there, my love."

"Sure. Why not?"

Juliet elbowed Barry's side gently. "You wanna go get dressed up or what?"

He looked over at her from his coffee cup. "Does it mean I'll get to see you in a dress?"

"Sure does, handsome."

"I'm in."

Juliet rolled her eyes fondly and pushed his shoulder. "You're ridiculous."

Barry's phone then buzzed, and he looked down at it. "Another bee attack. Folston Tech."

"I'll see where Joe is," Eddie announced, pulling his phone out of his jacket, rushing out of the door.

"Bee careful," Felicity told Juliet and Barry.

Barry blinked at her. "For real?"

"Bad pun. Sorry. Just don't die."

Juliet felt Barry grab onto her hand, and she slid off of her seat, unfortunately abandoning her latte and allowing herself to be dragged out of Jitters. They went to the alley behind the coffee shop and Barry looked down for a moment, squeezing her hand.

Without a second thought, Barry leaned down and pressed his lips onto Juliet's for a moment. It was short, but it got the point across — I know we'll be together, but be careful. They pulled away from each other at the same time, and Juliet squeezed his hand back before letting go.

She teleported to her suit at S.T.A.R. Labs before going to Folston Tech. Inside, everyone was screaming and running away. She landed in front of an office, and Barry sped in next to her. They were too late — somebody, presumably the target, was already dead, slumped over in his chair with welts on his face. Juliet, her heart sinking to her stomach, walked further into the office.

Barry reached up and pressed on the hood of his suit. "We're too late."

"Where are the bees?" Cisco questioned.

"I don't know. There's no sign of them."

Juliet's eyebrows then knit in thought. She watched as a small bee made its way out of the man's mouth, starting to fly towards them. Her eyes then widened as a whole swarm of bees came out of the man's mouth. They flew up higher into the air.

"Hey, guys?" Juliet began. "We found them."

Barry immediately picked Juliet up in his arms and ran them away in a flash of yellow lightning, the bees rapidly following them. "How do I get out of here?"

"Take the northeast crossway," Cisco answered. "It's the quickest way out of the building."

Barry continued to run but then he stopped, setting Juliet down. Where Cisco had told them to go was a complete dead-end, and the bees all flew until they created a giant swarm.

"Guys, they're everywhere!" Barry exclaimed. "We're surrounded."

More bees flew out from the vents. Thinking fast, Juliet extended her arms out to her sides, thinking of nothing but energy, shield, protect. Instantly, as the bees swarmed around them, a huge red barrier started to surround them. But as soon as it built, her head spiked with pain, and it all came crashing down.

Juliet cried out from the pain in her head and stumbled back. Barry caught her in his arms and ran them outside, but the bees followed. He pushed her to the side and allowed the bees to puncture him instead. She blinked the black spots out of her vision, only to see Barry laying unconscious on the ground with welts forming on his face as the bees flew away.

"Barry!" Joe's voice exclaimed, running up to them, who had appeared out of nowhere.

Juliet sunk to her knees next to Barry. "No, no, Barry." She placed her shaking hands on either side of his face. "Barry, I'm sorry."

Joe placed his fingers on Barry's neck. "No pulse."

Juliet's eyes instantly filled with tears and she placed a hand on Barry's chest, reaching up and pressing onto her ear. "Cisco, what do I do?"

"Step away from him," Cisco ordered. "We need to jumpstart his heart. There's a defibrillator in the suit."

Juliet's eyes narrowed in concentration. "No. I — I can do it." She summoned her energy to her hands, and they instantly surrounded with red. "My energy — my energy's enough, right?"

"JJ — I mean, it is, but—"

"It's my fault he got stung, I—" Juliet sniffled as she let the tears fall. "Let me fix it."

She took the silence as a sign to go. Juliet reached forwards and pressed her hands onto Barry's chest. His body jolted from the energy coursing through his veins, and then he went limp.

Juliet sobbed. "Barry, no. Come back to me."

She let more energy come to her hands, this time a little more. Juliet ignored the intense throbbing of her head and put her hands on his chest. Barry's body jolted again, but this time, his eyes flew open and he gasped. Juliet let out a sob of relief and the energy in her hands faded away

"J?" Barry whispered, looking up at her.

"It's me," she confirmed, placing her hands on either side of his face. "You're okay."

She helped him sit up. Barry's head instantly fell on her shoulder, and Juliet held him close, placing a hand on the back of his head. She continued to let the tears fall, because holy shit, she had almost lost him.

After Barry was feeling a little better and Juliet had managed to calm herself down, they went back to S.T.A.R. Labs. They got changed back into their regular clothes, and Barry, still noticing that Juliet wasn't okay, allowed her to stick on his side like she was glue (not that he minded having his girlfriend by his side.)

"That is it for the defibrillator I had in the suit," Cisco voiced. "JJ completely fried it."

"You're lucky to be alive, Mr. Allen," Dr. Wells stated. "Thanks to Ms. St. James."

Felicity glared at them. "I was very specific that you not die."

"Yeah, that's a pretty big thing for her," Ray added.

"It wouldn't have happened if my powers hadn't given out," Juliet muttered, staring down at her fingers. "I still don't know why they did. It's like my brain short-circuited."

Barry kissed her temple. "It's not your fault, baby." He then looked at Cisco. "Cisco, what happened out there? I followed your directions exactly."

"I'm sorry," Cisco replied. "I led you the wrong way. The schematics that we had, they — um, they weren't up to date."

"What, they weren't up to date? What do you mean? That's never happened before."

"What, you think Cisco was trying to get you killed?" Felicity joked.

Barry looked panicked. "No, w-why would he do that? That doesn't make any sense."

"I know, that's why I was joking."

"Barry, it's our job to protect you and Juliet, and today, we failed, but that'll just serve as a warning for all of us to be more vigilant in the future," Dr. Wells interjected.

"Good news, the apitoxin is out of your body," Caitlin revealed, walking out of the medbay. "Your levels are back to normal."

"Terrific," Barry commented. In a flash of yellow lightning, he sped away and came back into the cortex, wearing a suit. Juliet blinked, but she felt her face get warm from how good he looked. "J, Ray, Felicity, we're gonna be late for dinner."

"Are you sure that's wise, Barry?" Dr. Wells inquired.

"You just died," Caitlin protested.

"Maybe you should order in tonight," Cisco suggested.

"Yeah, we could totally cancel," Ray agreed.

"I'm fine," Barry insisted. "Alive. Hungry. And I'm not missing out on the opportunity to see Juliet in a dress, all right? Let's go."

Juliet rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face as she stood up from the bed she had been sitting on. God, that boy was going to be the death of her.

〖   ϟ   〗

haven't been feeling like myself lately. don't know how to fix it so there's that

WELL moving on

if any of you are wondering if juliet said she loved barry back . . . she did not, but it will come :) don't you worry it'll be a crucial moment in a future chapter

also juliet failing at parts of her powers is no mistake. y'all want her to be powerful, but there is a REASON why she's not being trained as much as barry and why she hasn't had much time to spend with her powers. it's called a PLOT, please and thank you :) she'll be as powerful as wanda one day just you wait

this is me, once again, begging you to trust me <3

gif by zcndayas!