𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐎𝐃, ᵇᵃʳʳʸ ᵃˡˡᵉⁿ [𝟏]

𝟎𝟏𝟑, ᴾᴬᴿᴬᴰᴼˣ

Third person POV 

Barry walks into the Cortex in his suit. "What kind of idiot still thinks I can't outrun bullets?" He questions. 

"The criminal type, I suppose." Meloni comments. 

"You're very smart." Malcolm smiles sarcastically. 

"Guys, nope. Not a chance. You're not gonna create a round two of last year. Can't you do anything more productive than fighting verbally?" Arlo questions, crossing her arms. 

"That guy should be the criminal poster boy for what not to do against The Flash." Wally speaks up before doing a brotherly handshake with Barry. 

Meloni stares emotionlessly at Wally. "You're unbelievably and pathetically naïve. No wonder you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend. This is why you're still single." 

Malcolm snickers. "Damn. She got you, dude." 

"So what are we gonna call him?" Barry questions, looking around at them all. Meloni and Malcolm share a look. 

"You mean like a nickname?" Wally smiles slightly. 

"Yeah. Cisco does it for all of them, he's like the master of it. But Meloni is pretty good at coming up with names too. Although, her is more offensive and negative. But, hey, that's why I love them." Barry saves his girlfriend a soft smile. 

Meloni gives Malcolm a smug smile. "Did you hear that, you speed freak? He likes my nicknames. He likes my negativity. You have literally no likable trait. Except for your speed. But we all got that so you're no special." 

Malcolm gives her a look of disbelief. 

"Can't just call him Suspect on a Motorcycle, right? What do you think?" Barry gives Cisco a wide smile. 

"I don't know." Cisco keeps his grumpy expression. However, nobody blames him with Dante being dead. Arlo has lost her twin brother but she stays strong for everyone, especially her younger brother. They've grown even closer since Dante died. 

"I'll take this one. Uh, The Crook. Lame? A Five-Finger-" Barry begins. 

"How about Thief? He robs stuff. Let's just call him Thief. Gotta go to the gym with Arlo. Excuse me." Cisco tells them before the two Ramon siblings exit the Cortex. 

"He's not okay. He's even more grumpy than Meloni Zolomon and that's hard to beat, I tell you." Malcolm speaks up. 

Meloni deadpans at him. "Better than being totally hopeless and unwanted by your own father and literally every man, woman and non-binary person in the whole multiverse and in every time period and time line." 

"We should go. You know, keep running. Speedster stuff." Malcolm excuses them, forcing a smile as he senses the awkwardness. Meloni and Malcolm quickly rush out of the Cortex. 

"He stole my girlfriend..." Barry mutters. 

⚡🖤🔪🧪

Meloni sits in the middle of Malcolm and Arlo. On Arlo's other side is Cisco and on Malcolm's other side is Barry. They all eat in awkward silence. 

"This hits the spot, huh?" Barry speaks up. 

"You can thank Grandma Esther." Joe tells him. 

"No, I mean, it's good. I just meant, um...all of us, actually, just here, together. I was actually thinking, um, that maybe it'd be fun if we all went away together for a few days. Just like a little Team Flash vacay." Barry speaks. 

"And do what?" Iris questions before taking another bite of the noodle dish. 

"Bond." Barry explains before gulping. "Reconnect."