Hero's, Criminals, and Soulmates

Ch. 13

"Most people think the hottest part of the flame is the white part. They're wrong.," Mick asserted, extinguishing the flame atop his shot glass.

"You gonna admire those, or are you going to drink them.?" Dante questioned. Ayana, preferring silence, merely rolled her eyes.

"Both," was Mick's response as he grabbed his shot. As the siblings switched to conversing in Spanish, Ayana phased out of the conversation. She was abruptly drawn back to the present by the sound of breaking glass. Seeing Cisco and Dante struggling against Mick, her eyes widened in shock.

"Mick! Mick!" Leonard intervened, entering the room. "Calm down. Mick, we need them." He urgently started to prepare his cold gun, just as Lisa and Evelyn walked in.

"Mick, baby. It sounds like you're hungry. How about you and I grab some dinner?" Lisa suggested. Ayana observed with keen eyes as Leonard approached Cisco, who was now lying on the floor in pain after being hit by Mick.

"I like you, Kid. You're smart. You pulled yourself up from humble beginnings. You seem like a good brother." Leonard said.

"You too," responded Cisco, gasping for breath.

"Debatable," Snart retorted, tilting his head slightly. "You answer one question for me and I'll let all of you walk."

"What's the question?"

"The Flash. Who is he?" Ayana perked up at this.

"I swear, he always wears a mask," Cisco defended. Unsatisfied with the answer, Snart used his cold gun on Dante's hands.

"Ahhh!" Fear slithered up Ayana's spine, not for herself, but for Dante. And Cisco. Snart seemed to disregard her entirely.

"No! Stop it!" Cisco cried out in panic.

"This is first-degree frostbite; your brother could recover with proper treatment; if not, all his tendons, blood vessels, and nerves will freeze. His fingers will need to be amputated-no more concertos at the Ramon family holidays. Now tell me, Who. Is. The. Flash?"

"His name is Barry Allen. Barry Allen is the Flash." Ayana's world seemed to stop.

"No," Her voice cracked, her mind clouded with disbelief.

"Decided to join the conversation, Princess?" He smirked.

"My brother?" All of her attention was directed at Cisco, "My Barry?"

"I'm sorry, Ayana. He didn't want to tell you. It was for your own safety." Feelings of betrayal surged within her, replacing the disbelief.

"You're lying," She shook her head, "Barry would never keep something like this from me!"

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think Cisco would lie about this," Snart responded. Ayana looked at Cisco, his expression one of deep regret.

"My brother is the man in red?" she whispered, searching Cisco's eyes. His response was a guilty nod.

This was hard to process. Her brother was The Flash. He was a superhero. He put his life on the line every day- and he kept it from her.

"How ironic," Leonard muttered to himself. The Flash, his greatest enemy, was his soulmate's brother.

He could feel her pain, the weight of her brother's betrayal. Leonard could feel the bond tugging at him. Telling him to be a shoulder for her to cry on, to wipe away her tears.

But that's not who he was. He wasn't good with emotions. And feelings had always been a weakness for him. He couldn't comfort her, even if he wanted to.

Besides, Ayana was still oblivious to their bond. If he tried to comfort her, she was liable to attack him again. And that wouldn't do anyone any good.

"I trusted you to take care of my brother, and instead, you put him in danger," Ayana's voice trembled with anger and hurt.

Cisco couldn't find a response. There was no response because she was right. He had failed her.

"He's a hero. He's helped so many people," Cisco tried to explain, but Ayana cut him off.

"I don't need a hero. I need my brother," she stated firmly, her eyes hard. Her own brother had kept such a significant secret from her. It was difficult to process.

Silence hung in the air as Ayana and Cisco both grappled with their emotions. The truth had been laid bare. Ayana's trust for her brother was shattered.

Ayana took a deep breath, her voice steadying. "Barry may be the Flash, but he's also my brother. We have a lot to talk about, but right now, we need to focus on getting Dante the help he needs."

Cisco nodded, his remorse evident on his face. "You're right, Ayana. Dante's well-being comes first. We'll deal with everything else later."

With understanding, Cisco turned his attention to Dante, determined to find a way to help him, Ayana however turned to Leonard.

"Are you going to keep your word and let us go?" Ayana asked. Leonard cocked his head curiously, a genuine look of surprise appearing on his face.

"Me? Keep my word?" He grinned mischievously, enjoying the annoyed eye roll she gave him in response.

"Do you want an ultimatum instead?"

"Only if you have one to give," Leonard replied coyly.

"Good, then listen closely," Ayana took a step closer to him, "If you don't let us get Dante help, I won't hesitate to kill you." She didn't even wait for him to respond before stepping past him and exiting the room. Cisco and Dante followed behind her. Leonard smirked triumphantly, content that he got a rise out of her. With a smug grin plastered on his face, he exited the room as well.