Chapter 109: Waking Up Legends
The morning sunlight crept into the Cortex, casting soft golden beams across the scattered furniture, half-empty glasses, and an overturned chair still marked by last night's wild celebration.
Barry stirred awake on the couch, his arms wrapped gently around Patty. She was still asleep, a small, peaceful smile on her lips. He carefully untangled himself without waking her, slipping out from the makeshift blanket they'd shared.
Still barefoot, Barry shuffled to the bathroom. His hair was a mess, his body still aching from dancing, laughing, and maybe one too many drinks. He turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face. As he looked up into the mirror, he froze.
"What the hell…" he whispered.
His face was covered in marker. Scribbles, doodles, writing in all caps across his forehead, cheek, and even down his neck.
"SPEEDY McSPEEDFACE."
"PROPERTY OF PATTY."
"OLIVER IS THE BEST MAN."
A groan came from behind him. Barry turned to see Dante walking in, shirtless, his pants slung low on his hips. His body was surprisingly built—tight muscle under smooth skin—but it wasn't the physique that caught Barry's attention. It was the scars.
Long, jagged lines. Burn marks. One looked like a blade had grazed his ribs. Another, like something had once tried to claw through his back.
Dante yawned, ruffling his red hair out of his face. He pulled a crumpled cigarette from his pants pocket and flicked his finger. A flash of red lightning sparked, lighting the end. He inhaled deeply.
Barry blinked. "Okay, first—why the hell are you built like Captain America?"
Dante smirked as he exhaled a lazy cloud of smoke. "I train."
"Second, those scars…?"
"Old stories," Dante muttered, brushing his hair behind his ear. "Some I remember. Some I don't."
"And third," Barry stepped closer, "you used the Speed Force to light a cigarette?"
Dante grinned without looking at him. "Yeah. Cisco tried to eat my lighter last night. Thought it was cake."
From the other room, Cisco's voice mumbled, "Shut up, Spider-Man…"
Barry burst out laughing. His shoulders shook as he leaned on the counter, trying not to wake everyone. Dante took another drag, walking past him like a phantom from a dream.
The Cortex slowly came back to life.
Frost rolled off a couch with a groan, her ice-blonde hair an absolute mess. "Whose idea was it to mix champagne with vodka snow cones?"
Sara Lance sat up on the floor, one shoe missing. "Yours."
Kara groaned. "Ugh… my head. Superhearing sucks when everyone's snoring."
The Legends staggered to their feet one by one, looking like a band of hungover superheroes on their day off.
Cisco sat up, rubbing his eyes. His long curls stuck out in every direction. "I had a dream I was married to a giant taco. I'm not unpacking that right now."
Oliver was the only one who looked put-together as he returned from the coffee run, two trays balanced expertly in his hands.
"Coffee. Everyone shut up and praise me," he said.
"Oh my God," Frost groaned, "you're a life-saver."
Oliver glanced at Dante, who still hadn't put on a shirt and was leaning against a wall, quietly smoking.
"Dude," Oliver said, raising an eyebrow, "you gonna wear a shirt or just flex on all of us all morning?"
Dante glanced at him. "It's warm."
Cisco, now wide awake, blinked at Dante's torso and tilted his head. "Okay, no offense, but it's like seeing a Greek god statue in real life. Like if Apollo did CrossFit."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "I'm offended."
Barry laughed again and took his coffee from Oliver. He sipped and winced. "Okay, I don't know how you drink it this strong."
"You're just soft," Oliver muttered.
Sara stretched her arms. "Well, last night was a hell of a party. Honestly, that wedding? Gorgeous. Sweet. Who knew Oliver could officiate without murdering the vows."
Kara smiled. "Barry cried."
"I didn't cry."
"You cried," Frost echoed. "Tears, sniffles. It was adorable."
Barry sighed, but he smiled. "Fine. I cried. But come on, Patty looked beautiful. And it was… it was perfect."
Cisco raised his coffee. "To Barry and Patty. May your love be faster than your enemies."
Everyone raised their cups—coffee, soda, even Kara's glass of water.
Dante raised his cigarette instead. "To the only man who died, came back, and still got married before me."
Barry looked at him and laughed. "I'll take that."
There was a brief silence before Patty walked in, hair still messy from sleep, wearing one of Barry's oversized shirts. She blinked at everyone. "Why are you all yelling?"
Barry walked over and kissed her cheek. "Good morning, wife."
Her eyes lit up. "That sounds good."
Dante watched them from afar, smoke drifting from his fingers. He didn't say anything, but the smile on his lips was real.
Oliver clapped his hands once. "Alright, who's cleaning up?"
Everyone groaned.
"No way."
"Not it!"
"I'm a guest!" Kara protested.
Frost pointed at Cisco. "You threw the cake at the ceiling. You clean the cake off the ceiling."
"I regret nothing," Cisco mumbled, already walking away.
Dante flicked his cigarette into a nearby sink and finally put on his shirt—black, sleek, with a silver chain just barely visible around his neck. He picked up a spare coffee, sipped, then winced. "Who made this? It tastes like regret and burnt tires."
Oliver smirked. "That means it's perfect."
Barry leaned back, watching everyone bicker, joke, tease each other. There were bruises, hangovers, and coffee stains, but this… this was home. His family.
He looked at Dante, who was watching them all in silence. There was something distant in his eyes, as if he were in the room but also somewhere else. Barry walked over.
"You good?"
Dante glanced at him, then nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."
"About what?"
Dante smiled faintly. "How weird it is… to die, come back, and be surrounded by people who care like nothing happened."
Barry nudged his shoulder. "That's family, man. We grieve fast. We love faster."
Dante looked at him again, that quiet smile still there. "Yeah… I guess so."
And then, from the other room, came the unmistakable sound of a cake plate crashing to the floor.
Cisco yelled, "Okay, that one wasn't me!"
Kara shouted, "WHO LEFT PIE ON THE CEILING OF THE BATHROOM?!"
Barry laughed. "Okay, that one was me."
---
You can contact me through my official page on the following Accounts:
telegram:
miraclenarrator
tiktok:
miracle_narrator
instagram:
miracle_narrator