"I wasn't sure how you'd react." Leonard still made no move to uncuff him, but he stayed as close as he had come, which was really quite a lot for Leonard, especially given they weren't actually off the clock, so to say. Leonard was never big on physicality, but he had his moments, during downtime. This wasn't exactly downtime, however. It really wasn't. But he wanted to be close to him nonetheless. "I still have things to figure out."
"Like what? How did you come back?" Mick wanted details, he needed to know how this happened. Was this is Leonard? Was he from another time? How long had he been back? Fuck, he had so many questions. "So that hallucination thing... was that actually you?" Either he was going to sound totally crazy or this was Leonard trying to reach him all along.
"Kinda. Think your mind filled in the details. But I was trying to come for you." Leonard shrugged and finally pulled back a little , although he didn't move further away, staying seated where he was. "Helped that you drank your body weight. Your mind just grasped it in a way it could." Leonard lifted a hand and moved his fingers, trying to find the right words. "The time stream. The speed force. All connected. I got pulled out by a speedster."
Huh." Mick had no idea what to say. No, honestly. What did he say to his former dead friend who did this for him, to come back to him. He closed his eyes and took a breath, wishing desperately that one of them at least sort of knew how to do emotions because Mick felt plenty of them but he had no idea how to express them. How to look at Leonard right now, how to lean into his touch, how to tell him how much he missed him. How much he loved him. "Good to have you back."
"Saw you meet up with me." 'Saw' wasn't really the right word, but it would do. Leonard knew they were both at a loss with emotions, but maybe they could find a roundabout way. Anger was a lot easier to get out of their system than these kind of emotions. "Made me realise how oblivious you are." Oh yeah, they were definitely on the right track with this. "You oughta know that you've been my hero since juvie, Mick."
"I ain't no ones hero, Snart." He didn't want to be a hero. He didn't see it in himself, he didn't see the good or any real qualities like that. He just thought of himself as a fuck up, a fuck up who blundered through life and got lucky once. With Leonard. And even then, it's not like he thought about it. He just acted cause he hated to see a kid like Snart get pounded. "It's ... It's different. Between me and you."
"You've been looking out for me since I was a little punk. Can't deny that." That was what he'd been telling Sara when he thought they were about to die. The last thing he'd have talked about, even while Mick was mad at him. He remembered the crumbling realisation that Mick really had betrayed them, him, when they faced the pirates, because not for a moment had the possibility occurred to him.
A lot of love between them and yet they failed again and again to talk about it right.
"Not always." He grunted and turned his head. "And you're still a little punk, asshole." He hadn't changed that much, he older and smarter but he was still a punk. That was just what he was like. Personally, Mick always thought it was pretty funny, when he saw sparks of that runty kid still in Leonard. Leonard, who tried to be cool and untouchable, he still needed Mick.
"I dunno. There just is. Between us? It's always different."
"Look who's talking." Pot, kettle, black and all that. Leonard smirked and nodded. It was always different. Even when he'd taken Mick to cuff him to the radiator. Especially then, perhaps, because he wanted to keep him out of trouble and that seemed the easiest way. Leonard got up and looked over at the desk. He did have things to consider. Quite a few of them. "You care about your team?"
"They're not my team. They're your team. I'm just stuck with them now, aren't I? You made that call." Mick never wanted to be a legend but now he was stuck on the team and he had nothing else to do. He tried to be normal, he tried to go back to his old life but it was ruined. He had no Leonard and nothing really interested him. He hoped going back to the waverider would help but it didn't. "They're okay."
"I don't have a team." Well. There was the whole swearing allegiance to the Legion of Doom thing, but frankly that was more like some weirdos in high school starting a club and he couldn't imagine anyone actually expected him to take that stuff seriously. Bunch of middle-aged white guys experiencing homoerotic love for the first time ever and celebrating by making really stupid jokes and congratulating each other on them, he didn't really feel like he fit in. "I have you."
"Don't come that one with me, I've been with you from the start. I know how you operate. You always have a team, you like having a team. Those people on the ship? They were your team." And that was something he knew for a fact because he watched Leonard chose them over him once. And while it hurt a lot less these days, he would never make the mistake of thinking Leonard would only ever need him. He needed others, he wanted others and Mick was okay with that. "But you always got me too, partner."
"I died, in a way. People can change." Death definitely would change someone, but in his case it was due to other circumstances, if he had to pinpoint it. But Mick was here. Mick was with him. Leonard tightened one hand to a fist slowly and he gave a nod. "Partner." That was what mattered. Now he just had to figure out everything else. "I've people I work with, you're right. But I only ever got one partner."
"So, partner, you gonna let me out or what?" Because if they were this close and they were going to be working together, he'd really love to get himself out of this. He needed to work out what was going on, where he was and how to get onto the Waverider. He needed to get himself ready. "We need to form a plan. Where are we?"
"Kind of thinking this is doing a good job of keeping you out of trouble." Leonard figured that ultimately he didn't really have a choice but to set Mick free. Hell, ultimately all he wanted was to set him free. Get away. He had no idea where he was going, but he wanted it to be with Mick. Leonard closed his eyes for a moment, trying to keep track of time in a rather literal way. "We're with the enemy, Mick. Your enemy."
"I can't stay cuffed all damn day, can I? Let me out of these stupid things before you really pissed me off." Mick growled dangerously as he struggled against them, just to make a point that he was not happy about this. And when Mick was unhappy, he got stroppy and mean. He paused his struggle and glared at Leonard. "... What do you mean? Don't tell me I'm locked in with the speedster."
"I'll let you out, Mick. Relax." Leonard leaned back against the desk, glancing down at his notes before looking at Mick again. He had a whole head full of thoughts, but Mick's presence helped to keep him grounded. Reminded him which timeline was his. Theirs. He did need him. He'd always needed him. "Afraid so." The speedster. Did the others get short names too? The bleach job. He'd have to work on one for Malcolm.
"Then damn well do it. What the fuck are you stalling for, Snart? Undo them." Seriously. He'd been handcuffed to this stupid thing since he woke up and he seriously wanted to just move already. He snarled lightly and leaned forward, trying to make sure he had the attention of Leonard. "Why am I stuck here? I wasn't here when I was last awake. Did they catch me?" He paused, raising an eyebrow. Something wasn't adding up. "Did they catch you?"
"No, Mick. I caught you." He waited for a moment, then decided to clarify. "Relax. You're not my captive. I'm just figuring out how to best play this game." There were a lot of variables and he wanted to make very sure he wasn't a pawn. Never again. Bad enough he'd ever been played by the time masters. "I told you. A speedster pulled me out. The speedster. He seems to be under the assumption that would make me loyal."
"So you caught me and decided to drag me the place the speedster is." This was starting to feel like a set up again. He looked at Leonard, feeling considerably more uneasy as he tugged against the cuffs in another futile attempt to get out. "I feel like a captive. And you still ain't letting me out. What's that all about, Leonard?"
Why was he handcuffed in the villains lair while Leonard just chilled out here. "What game are you playing?"
"Simple." It was anything but simple, but he supposed he could simplify it to a degree and beyond that? Not as if Mick was stupid. Leonard pushed away from the desk and sat down by Mick again. "It's them against your team. I don't want to get caught up in the middle. Not sure if I can just pull us out yet. If not, we'll have to figure out what side's winning."
"I ain't pulling out, I ain't switching sides." Mick was making that clear now. For better or for worse, he was betraying them again. He had learned his lesson and he wasn't that guy. Ray, Martin, Sara, whether or not they were being dicks lately, they saved him. They cared in their own unique way and Mick cared right back. "I know what side I'm on, we're not jumping around. Now let me out." Because he didn't like being just cuffed here like this.
"No? Sure, make this more difficult." Leonard sighed and reached for the handcuffs, but the key didn't resurface just yet. Instead he gave in to more primal urges, turning his head so he could catch Mick's mouth in a kiss, pressing closer, suddenly gripped with the need, the want for more of him. More of them. He hadn't even known what he was missing until he finally was with Mick again, but now he couldn't ignore it.
They were always dancing around this kind of thing a lot before he died but for Leonard to just go right in there, it threw him off entirely and he had no idea why. It wasn't what he asked him for either, it was a distraction. Still, what a hell of a distraction. He knew giving in was stupid but he did give in, he couldn't help himself. He always gave into Leonard, even when he didn't want to. He pulled back eventually, looking at Leonard with a set look, trying his best to keep his head screwed on. It wasn't easy. "Uncuff me."
"Say you're with me." Leonard caught his eyes, kept close to him. It was a strange area to navigate, but he was sure that withdrawing couldn't be the answer right now. "Say you're with me and I'll uncuff you." Truth was, he'd uncuff him either way. He just wanted to hear the words right now. He wanted this to be Mick's choice. Mick was an anchor, Mick was his partner. He could be with him and figure all of this out.
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A lot of love between them and yet they failed again and again to talk about it right.
"What's different?"
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"I dunno. There just is. Between us? It's always different."
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Why was he handcuffed in the villains lair while Leonard just chilled out here. "What game are you playing?"
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