Warnings: Rated T. Spoilers, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Allen!Twins, Strong Language.

Summary: Sebastian finds out that Henry is planning on leaving and he’s not pleased.

Part 1 of Where There’s Lightning, There’s Thunder

[Read on AO3]

Sebastian controls the flare of anger that spikes through him at the sight of his father hugging Barry, tears in his brother’s eyes. The pair had wandered a little ways away from the group to speak and even though he couldn’t hear it, the looks on his father and brother’s faces tell him all he needs to know.

He should have known it was too good to be true; that this bubble of happiness and achievement would soon burst. The older twin is broken out of his irritated glare when Joe places an anchoring hand on his shoulder, shaking his head slowly before leading Sebastian away from the scene. So the detective knows it too, then.

Henry isn’t planning on staying.

Downing his drink, Sebastian forces a smile when Cisco asks if anything is wrong, the heads of the others present turning to look at him. There’s too many people around for him to confront Henry now, so he plants the signature smirk on his face and ignores the sidelong glance his foster father shoots him.

When Barry wanders back over, eyes a little dimmer than before, his smile a little more forced, Sebastian hates their father all over again.

As soon as Cisco and Caitlin leave with smiles and a wave shortly after Stein and his wife, Sebastian turns on Henry, grabbing his coat roughly before pushing him against the nearest wall wall. Henry makes a noise of surprise but doesn’t struggle in the grip, placing a calloused hand over the top of his son’s.

“Bas, what the hell?” Before Barry can pull his brother away, Joe is placing an arm in front him as Iris watches on warily. While they don’t exactly agree with Sebastian’s methods it isn’t their place to intervene, not here. They best they can do is keep Barry back before he gets caught in the crossfire.

“Sebastian-“Henry tries, voice low.

“Don’t ‘Sebastian’ me, you bastard.” The older Allen twin cuts him off, glaring. “After all this time and you’re just going to abandon us again? Abandon Barry again?”

“Bas…” Sebastian’s head snaps to his brother at the murmur.

“No! Don’t defend him Barr, not this time. The asshole doesn’t deserve it!”

“Sebastian, stop.” Henry’s eyes harden but he still makes no move to pull out of his eldest son’s grip, mouth pressed into a thin line. “Let me explain,” But Sebastian has no intention of letting up on his rant. His pulse is loud in his ear, thoughts running a mile a minute because can their father really not see it? Can he not see how thin Barry’s gotten, or the circles under his dimmed eyes? Barry needs the support of everyone, especially the father he holds in such high regard. Surely the older man isn’t so blind or selfish to think that leaving will cause any kind of good.

“It took me fifteen years to start believing you didn’t murder mum that night, fifteen years of Barry constantly defending you and just as I start putting my faith in you again and repairing this… relationship, you turn your back on us. On him!”

“Son, just,”

“No!” He shoves the older man away with a shout. “You don’t get to call me that.” Henry flinches at both the impact as his back hits the wall a second time and the raw anger in Sebastian’s voice. Joe shouts out a ‘woah’ as Barry pushes past Joe’s arm, moving to stand in front of his brother while wrapping his fingers around the other’s wrist, pressing his forehead against Sebastian’s shoulder carefully.

“Bas, you need to calm down.” He feels Sebastian shift, fingers curling to form a fist as he exhales loudly. “It’s okay. It’s fine, I understand why he has to go.” His brother relaxes minutely though still incredibly tense, ready to spring at any moment in his anger.

Everyone in the room is silent for a beat, the tension so unbearably thick it’s almost suffocating. Joe moves first, mumbling something to his daughter, giving Henry a meaningful look before the two Wests shuffle further into the home, away from the argument taking place. Barry has yet to move his head from his brother’s shoulder, peeking at Sebastian’s expression through his eyelashes. The older twin is still undeniable angry but Barry’s mere presence has always been enough to calm him down from most tantrums.

The sight of his two sons being so close warms Henry’s heart while simultaneously causes guilt and shame to form in the pit of his stomach. He’s seen firsthand the brothers’ fierce protectiveness of one another, especially since Barry had become The Flash - and he’s proud of the men they’ve become, proud of how much they have cared for one another all these years he’s been absent.

The man straightens, pulling at his jacket to ease out the creases from Sebastian’s rough handling. The movement causes two pairs of bright green eyes to zero in on him immediately, one pair harsh while the other is understanding, but pained nonetheless. His heart clenches at the sight, they look so much like Nora, guilt growing in his gut with the knowledge that he’s caused this.

But he hasn’t got a choice. He can’t stay here, can’t remain in Central City where his wife was murdered and his two children were taken from him. Where his younger son almost died – has died – and fell into a nine-month coma and his older son’s contempt for his father grew every day.

There is just too much heartache for Henry here.

Barry steps back from Sebastian, his fingers still a firm anchor around Sebastian’s wrist as he stands beside him, smiling at their father. It’s okay.

“I am sorry, Sebastian, but I cannot stay here in Central City. And I think you know why.”

Just like that, the calm that had settled shatters and Sebastian’s expression darkens further.

“Go, then! Leave, you fucking bastard!” Barry flinches besides him, smile falling.  “I didn’t need you then and I don’t need you now. We don’t need you.” Henry tries to school his expression into something more neutral at the scathing words, but his sons can read him better than that, can see the hurt the words have caused him. For a moment, Sebastian even looks guilty but it’s soon replaced with an intense bitterness.

“Good riddance,” Barry’s fingers fall from his brother’s arm as the other marches past their father and up the stairs, presumably to his childhood room. The remaining Allens watch him leave, Barry scrubbing his hands over his face with a heavy-hearted sigh.

“Look, Dad, I’m so sorry,” The young man begins, fingers interlocking around the back of his neck as a nervous habit, blinking back tears as he meets Henry’s gaze. “Bas doesn’t mean it, he’s just… Upset.”
Henry steps forward to gather his younger son in his arms for the third time that day, offering him a comforting pat on the back.

“It’s okay, Barr. I know your brother. He’ll come around.” Barry nods into his shoulder, stepping back as Joe rejoins them solemnly, hand good naturedly perched on the other man’s shoulder. Joe jerks his chin towards the stairwell, holding back a smirk as Barry scrambles up the steps, presumably to attempt to calm his twin down enough to return to their shared apartment with Henry later on.

“The kid loves you, Henry. They both do. Don’t ever doubt that.”

The corner of the recently-freed man’s lips twitch upward as he wipes at the edges of his eyes with a jerky motion, breathing out through his nose.

“I know, Joe.”

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