Chapter Text
“Hypnos?” Oliver asks “Who came up with that?”
“You can thank your fiancé for that one. Apparently it is the Greek god of sleep.”
“Felicity does love her Greek mythology. She used to be obsessed with it as a..”
“Kid. Yeah. Yeah she told us. Really do you guys ever try not being the biggest sappiest fluff balls to ever exist.”
“You’ll know one day Barry, you'll know.” Oliver says as he walks further ahead
“I might already.” Barry whispers to himself, memories of his dream coming back to him suddenly.
“So how do we find this guy?” Oliver says pulling Barry out of his daydreaming. Was it daydreaming still when you are in a dream already? Yeah they definitely needed to get out of here as fast as they could, he was starting to get a headache.
“Ok guys,” Barry addresses to their friends back in the real world “any ideas on where we can find the good doctor?”
“Since you are in what looks like a mental institution, I would suggest looking for Hypnos office” Catlin informs them.
After a bit more searching the two come across a heavy set dark oak door. A gold plaque with the name “Dr. Marc Sebold” hangs squarely in the middle.
“So are you ready?” Barry asked as he finishes explaining to Oliver the plan that the rest of the team had come up with.
Oliver looks a bit hesitant. They don't know what lies behind this door, it could be another one of Oliver’s nightmares or possibly one of Barry’s, Hypnos finding out a way to infiltrate his darkest thoughts as well. Either way, they have to do this if they ever expect to get back to their loved ones. To survive.
After a quick attempt at a self-reassuring nod, Oliver answers with a quick, “yeah.” Before reaching to open the door of the office.
The room that greets them is just a simple, stereotypical psychiatrist office. The only difference, and sense of modernization is the wall of computer monitors that would entice Felicity Smoak herself. On each monitor is the images of the doctor’s other victims, each in different phases of terror. Some cower in the corner of their padded rooms, others in fetal positions rocking back and forth. But the ones that disturb Barry the most are those screaming out in pure terror, their faces contorted in a way that he cannot even imagine the sounds that escape them. And right in front of the horror show of his own creation is Hypnos, his face turned away from them, looking at the monitors.
“What the hell” Oliver breathes next to Barry, putting words to his thoughts.
“Oh, there you are,” Hypnos begins as he swivels his chair around. “As you can see I have been expecting you. Now Mr. Allen I normally don't reward repeat negative behavior, but if you leave right now and wake me up, I will consider letting your friend here go. He can go on living, get married and have kids, oh sorry more kids. An illegitimate son, very scandalous Mr. Queen.”
Oliver takes an aggressive step forward, but Barry holds him back, grabbing his arm, before asking, “What about the others?”
“What about them?” Hypnos shrugs “All of them are as good as dead anyway. You see once you forced me in here, I took it upon myself to speed up the process. In a matter of minutes, those left in those cells will have literally lost the strength and will to live.”
With this sudden information, Barry asks the team outside if it is true. Are those the doctor has affected really dying or is Hypnos bluffing.
“It's true Barry,” Catlin confirms “The BPs of the hospital patients are rising they are going into cardiac arrest and if they don’t go down soon they’ll die. The doctors are trying to administer diazepam, but there is no effect, their bodies are flooding with too much adrenaline.”
“It's a shame. I was learning so much of the human psyche with this experiment.” Hypnos proclaims disappointingly
“Is that what this is, an experiment?” Oliver grits through his teeth
“What creates fear and how it affects the mind, despite its many studies is still vastly unknown. What I am doing here, will benefit the human mind. People can rid themselves of their fears, become fearless, not have their lives hindered from fear. Wouldn't you want to stop feeling the constant fear of having your loved ones ripped away from you. Stop living horrific visions in your dreams.”
Oliver cannot explain how badly he wants that. How he can just enjoy the life he has built with Felicity without the nagging feeling that everything can go wrong in a second. How he could die, she could die, their future children. But that is what keeps them safe. His undeniable will to never let his nightmares become reality. He'd rather live the death of his loved ones in his dreams a thousand times over than risking it ever really happening.
“Not at the cost of others lives.” Oliver replies before charging at the doctor. But before he reaches him the room shifts into a scene far too familiar to Oliver.
This is Hypnos’ dream after all he can do whatever he wants. “Why don't we change the environment into one that makes you a bit more comfortable, Mr Queen” He amuses.
Knowing Oliver's greatest fears the room changes to the cabin of a storm rocking ship. The Queen's Gambit’s storm rocking cabin. It's exactly how it was that night almost ten years ago. Oliver will never forget every detail for the rest of his life.
Oliver is frozen in place, he doesn't see the gun that suddenly materializes in Hypnos hand. Barry reacts on instinct and tackles Oliver before he can be shot point blank. But he is without his speed in this dream world and a second after he hits the ground he feels the pain vibrating from his shoulder from the bullet he is no longer faster than.
They take cover behind one of the heavy set chairs. It's not the most ideal and will only provide cover for so long. Oliver has to get a handle of this dream and fast. Barry knows how crippling fear, failure, and guilt can be. How many people he hasn't been able to save. How many sacrifices he has had to make. This is the person, this hero, that he has to appeal to in order to give Oliver the courage he needs to fight.
“Oliver, this is your dream too.” Barry winces as he shifts himself more behind the chair. Damn it he misses his super healing. “You have to fight back. You have to take back control.”
Oliver shakes his head in disbelief, having no faith in his capabilities. “Usually my dreams control me. I've never been able to change them”
“Just try, Oliver”
“You don't think I have!” Oliver angrily yells “Barry look around you, where you found me, what I dream about, you think this is my choice.”
“Yeah, I do” Barry sighs
Oliver gives him a frustrated confused look, daring Barry to explain how he could possibly understand the nightmares he has lived. Still lives. How they are all of his own creation.
“Oliver your problem has always been guilt. You blame yourself for all of the bad things that happen around you especially when they involve the people that you love. Trust me I know, it's part of our job description. But there comes a time where you have to give yourself some slack. It's not all your fault, you've done bad things, yes, but you've also done so much good. You deserve happiness and if you keep punishing yourself for everything that goes wrong you'll never accomplish really living.”
“ I couldn't have said it better myself” Felicity says in Barry’s ear
“Which is ironic,” Barry continues “because if you don't do this than you will literally stop living and won't be able to marry Felicity and take the next step in your life.”
“Really Barry” “ Really Barry” Felicity and Oliver simultaneously exclaim
“Ok. I can do this.” Oliver breathes as he closes his eyes. A second later his hand is gripping his bow and his quiver is slung over his shoulders.
Jumping up from behind the chair, Oliver releases three arrows in quick secession. All three are stopped mid-air by Hypnos, who’s reply to Oliver feeble attempt is a smirk.
“Not again.” Oliver groans before the doctor releases the arrows toward Oliver.
Not losing his momentum, Oliver turns his dodge of the arrows into a roll coming back up and shooting a restraint arrow, willing it to wrap around Hypnos torso. The villain is able to withhold the ropes, but not completely as his arm get momentarily tangled to the wall behind him. It's enough time for Oliver to get closer to the doctor.
Oliver strikes with his bow. Hypnos has some fighting ability, but lacks imagination in his movements, making them textbook enough for Oliver to read easily.
After a few short moment Oliver is able to confuse the doctor enough to gain the upper hand and loosens another restraint arrow, this one succeeding its purpose. He struggles against the ropes. Vowing his revenge like the many other villains Barry has encountered. Man does it get boring sometimes.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah” Barry sighs coming up to Oliver's side in front of their foe before striking the man unconscious with his non-shot arm.
>---->
Barry wakes with a start, shooting upright.
“Woah, woah. Hey, hey.” Iris quickly calms Barry. Placing her hands on his shoulders. “It's ok Barry. You're back, you did it”
“Hypnos?” Barry asks
Catlin is finishing an examination of Hypnos before looking up at the others. “By his brainwaves, it seems like Dr Sebold has entered the same coma that he induced on the other”
“Puts a new meaning to if you die in your dream do you die in real life. But in this case if you get knocked out in a dream, you stay knocked out in real world.” Cisco quips
“Oliver, how is he?”
“He's ok.” Catlin assures Barry “His and the other victim's’ vitals have stabilized and they are expected to make a full recovery. Oliver should be waking up soon.
With a look over to Felicity smiling as she looks at Oliver, Barry breathes a sigh of relief. That dreamscape revealed things that he had been trying to keep at bay, especially over the past two years. Now he is not completely sure if he should continue to do that.
>---->
Oliver comes to lightly, with the gentle touch of her fingers rubbing his cheeks. He’s filled with a sense of welcome and peace that is unmatched by anything that he had ever experienced before knowing her. In that moment he knows he is no longer trapped in that place of his fears and his guilt. He's back home.
“Hey” Oliver smiles as he opens his eyes to look up at his light, his Felicity.
“Hey, you ok?” Felicity asks him not daring to let go of his face now that he is awake again. That she gets to see his eyes shining again.
“I am now.” He replies kissing the hand that is framing the right side of his face, the feeling of the cold band of her engagement ring brings him warmth. “There’s no place like home.”
“Did that deep sleep rattle your brain or something? Are you really quoting The Wizard of Oz?”
“Maybe” Oliver smirks, always happy when he can reference some of his limited pop culture to Felicity.
“It's official I am marrying a geek”
“Geez thanks.” Oliver says trying to lift himself out of the bed. Swaying a little bit in the process
“Hey mister,” Felicity stops him with a poke to his chest
“Ow”
“You need to rest. So get back into that bed and scoot over so I can lay down too.”
“Felicity, you said it yourself I was in a deep sleep. I’d rather go home and sleep in our own bed with my beautiful soon-to-be wife.” Oliver lightly kisses Felicity's lips knowing that it is the best way to persuade her into agreeing with him.
“Mmm, just one more week.” Felicity sighs as their lips part
“Just one more week.”
“Hopefully this is all the excitement that we experience until then.”
“I doubt it,” Oliver laughs “but we'll deal with whatever might come up. Together, right.”
“Right”
“Come on let's go home”
>---->
Oliver still wobbles a bit on his feet, so Felicity is doing her best holding him upright as they say goodbye to their friends. If he didn't know what just happened to him, Barry would have been fooled that Felicity is just carrying a drunk Oliver home from a night of partying.
“Always a pleasure Barry” Oliver jokes as he reaches out to shake Barry’s hand. Barry won't attempt to hug him this time. Guys been pushed out of his comfort zone enough today.
Barry shakes Oliver's hand “Thanks again, Oliver. Sorry for the whole nightmare, well, nightmare.”
“It's ok, Barry. It was actually really helpful and might have been what I needed. I've had my fears run my life for too long. Maybe I need to take a more active role to start overcoming them.”
“You won't have to do it alone.” Felicity says next to Oliver. They look at each other with a silent understanding and agreement that they will always be there for each other no matter what. Something Barry knows has been hard earned and is still being built upon.
“Bye Barry. Bye everyone.” Oliver says
“Bye guys, see you at the rehearsal dinner!” Felicity waves to Team Flash as she and Oliver make their way to the elevator.
Before the doors close Barry hears Felicity strictly say, “You are going to take a nap on the plane, Oliver Queen.”
To which the big bad Green Arrow sighs an “ok” knowing that he will not win this argument against the small blonde with the glasses.
Barry is shaking his head in disbelief of the humor that is his friends’ relationship when Iris comes up to stand right next to him. A surge of electricity sparks at her touch on his shoulder. Did she feel that? Does she know that that only happens with her touches? Should he tell her? How would she interpret it?
“They're so cute together” Iris exclaims. If she did feel the shock she doesn't acknowledge it. “You wish you had something like that don't you?”
“Why would say that?” Barry asks. They've joked about them getting married in the future. But never took it seriously. At least not to each other. Maybe she’s thought about it as much as he has.
“You said Mr & Mrs Allen, when you were dreaming. You were married in your dream.”
“Yeah I was.” Can she guess that it was to her? That a future with her is his most happiest dream.
“It was Patty, huh. You’re still hung up on her a bit.”
“Yeah I guess I’m still not over her just yet.” Barry lies.
“You will Bar, it just takes time. You'll be able to move on, eventually.” Iris says with a weak smile, he know she is think about Eddie and he hopes if that mean she is ready to move on.
So for now he will continue what he is doing: holding on and keep running forward. Hopefully one day soon he will be able to make his dream into reality. Because if he has learned one thing it is that he cannot fear not only his darkest nightmares but also his brightest dreams.