The Cortex of STAR Labs felt like a different world from the battle-scarred streets outside. The usual hum of computers was drowned out by the easy laughter and relieved chatter of people who had just stared down the abyss and lived to talk about it.
On one side of the room, Ronnie had his arm around Caitlin, both of them leaning against a console and sharing a quiet moment. She'd rest her head on his shoulder for a second, then laugh at something he whispered, the last of the frost in her eyes completely melted away.
Iris and Eddie were by the coffee maker, their hands briefly brushing as they reached for a sugar packet at the same time. They didn't pull away, just shared a small, tired smile. The unspoken thing between them felt a little lighter now.
The real noise was coming from the central holotable. Cisco, Billy, and Clark were hunched over a tablet, playing some frantic, brightly colored video game.
"No, no, no! The red shell! He's got the red shell!" Billy yelled, jabbing at the screen.
"I see it!" Cisco shouted back, frantically tilting his tablet. "I'm weaving! I'm weaving!"
Clark just smiled, his fingers a calm, deliberate blur. "You know, I can see the pixel refresh rate. It gives me a… slight advantage."
"Slight advantage? You're in first place!" Billy groaned as Clark's character crossed the finish line, the tablet playing a triumphant fanfare.
In the midst of this warmth, stood a small island of grim intensity. Barry, still in his Flash suit but with the cowl down, stood with Batman and Green Arrow. The two vigilantes were still fully masked, their postures rigid, as if the party around them was a security threat to be assessed.
Barry looked from one to the other, a tired but amused smirk on his face. "You guys realize the world isn't ending anymore, right? You can maybe… unclench a little."
Batman's cowl remained fixed on Barry. "The danger has passed. The protocol remains."
Oliver crossed his arms, his voice a low grumble. "Some of us have lives to get back to. Lives that require a separation."
Barry let out a long, exasperated sigh. He ran a hand through his sweat-damp hair. "You two. I mean, seriously. You just fought back an invasion from another Earth side-by-side. You trusted each other with your lives out there. But you can't trust each other with a first name in here?"
"It's not about trust," Batman stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. "It's about discipline."
"It's about survival," Oliver corrected, his gaze sharp.
Barry shook his head, a laugh escaping him. It was all just too ridiculous. He decided to cut the tension with the sharpest knife he had.
"Okay, fine. Oliver," he said, pointing at the Green Arrow. "You know he knows who you are, right? Like, he's known."
The air in their little circle went still. Oliver's head snapped towards Batman, his body tensing like a drawn bowstring. "What?"
Batman didn't even flinch. "Oliver Queen. Returned from five years shipwrecked on Lian Yu. Took up the mantle of the Arrow to combat the corruption in Star City. I've known since the week you came back."
Oliver was utterly silent for a long moment. The confident vigilante was gone, replaced by a man whose most carefully guarded secret had just been casually tossed out like yesterday's news. He looked… exposed.
"How?" he finally managed, his voice tight.
Barry just shrugged, gesturing toward Bruce as if presenting a museum exhibit. "Dude. He's Batman."
The simple, undeniable truth of that statement hung in the air. What could Oliver possibly say? He uncrossed his arms, his shoulders slumping just a fraction. The fight went out of him.
Before anyone could say another word, Barry's personal phone, sitting on the table next to him, vibrated with an incoming call. The screen lit up with the name PATTY.
"Oop, gotta take this," Barry said, his entire demeanor shifting from weary team leader to a guy with a suddenly very important call. He scooped up the phone. "And Bruce, for the love of god, take the pointy ears off for five minutes. You're freaking out the normies."
He offered his two stunned, legendary friends a final, bright grin, then turned and walked away, already answering the phone. "Patty? Hey! Yeah, I'm okay… a little busy at the lab, but I'm fine. Did you get out of the city okay?"
He left Batman and Green Arrow standing alone in the middle of the cheerful chaos. The silence between them was now profoundly different. The wall was gone. Bruce reached up, and with a quiet hiss of pressurized air, he removed his cowl.
Oliver watched him, seeing the face of Bruce Wayne for the first time. The tired eyes, the sharp features. It was somehow both exactly what he expected and completely surprising.
After a moment, Oliver reached up and slowly pulled his own hood back, then unclipped his mask.
Bruce gave a single, slow nod. "Oliver."
"Bruce," Oliver replied. The name felt strange in his mouth.
They stood there, two billionaires who had built themselves into something more, finally seeing each other. The pretense was gone.
From across the room, Clark watched the exchange, a small, knowing smile on his face. He'd been through this himself. He turned back to the game as Billy launched into a dramatic story about how he'd totally would have won if not for Superman's "super-vision cheat."
Caitlin laughed at something Ronnie said, the sound warm and genuine. Iris leaned into Eddie's side, and he didn't move away.
Barry, now by the window, talked animatedly on the phone, his free hand gesturing as he assured Patty he was safe. For a single, quiet moment, surrounded by the people he loved most, the war felt truly over. They had saved the world, and in the process, maybe managed to save a little bit of themselves, too. The lights of Central City glittered in the distance, no longer under threat, just beautiful and peaceful.