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In the end, he'd have to make up Mick's mind for him, Leonard realised. He held him since he could, ran his fingers through his hair and thought about what would be the best way to deal with this. "Mick. If we go talk to the firemen, can you tell them that it was an accident? Because it was. I know that."

How could he make Mick see why it had to be, why it was? "Lisa knows that too. You'd not have done this on purpose."

"I think they'll be showing Alien. If I remember right. Or Aliens. I don't know. I hope Aliens, that one I like the best. Then the third one happened." Mick didn't know how to deal with going back there, he didn't think he could. He just wanted to hide away and not ever deal with it - he was an idiot, he killed his parents! He didn't know what to say to that.

He didn't know what to say to Lisa. "I shouldn't see Lisa any more."

"Luckily you ain't the one to make the decisions here." Leonard wished someone could tell him what the right move was. Instead he was left alone in this and whatever he did could decide Mick's future and mental state for the rest of his life. "We can go watch a movie."

That was the wrong choice, wasn't it? He wished he'd know. Leonard started walking, keeping himself calm. "My treat."

Mick hesitated because he was in the same boat as Leonard. What did he do? Did he go and talk? How would it look when he told them he went to see a movie after his parents died. He wanted to go to the movie but he didn't think he could make his feet move one way or the other. He didn't want to go back, he knew that much. Mick followed Leonard, feeling a churning in his gut.

"I dunno what to do. I know you don't neither. I should go back but I think about it and it's -- I can't do it. Maybe we should call he cops from here." There was a beat. "Maybe they want to go watch Aliens with us."

"Let me talk to the cops, yeah?" Leonard felt his phone burn in his pocket, fittingly enough, and he finally pulled it out, trying to figure out how to do this. "I'll call a cop I know, okay? I'll tell him that this was an accident. You didn't mean to do this and that's the honest truth, Mick. You know that. I ain't saying you're innocent completely or whatever, but you didn't mean for this."

Mick nodded his head and then moved away from Leonard, sitting himself down on the curb of the road and looking down at his hand, it was still throbbing but he didn't feel like treating it. "Just tell them to come get me." He didn't know what to do any more, he just wanted to get out of this whole situation. He didn't want to do it. He wanted to go home to his crappy bedroom and watch crappy films on his old DVD player with Leonard by his side.

"I'll be with you. But you didn't do nothing, Mick. You didn't." Leonard closed his eyes and wished he could do anything but this. Instead he finally dialled and sat down on the curb next to Mick, explaining the situation to the cop. Running seemed like a much more attractive option. After hanging up, knowing they just had to wait here, he looked at Mick, smiling a little.

"I just wanna fuck off and let the world fend for itself. Just you and me."

"Same. Just me and you. We can take Lisa though, I like the kid, she's cute. We'll all just get in my car and drive somewhere nice. Rob a bank, get a big house and just leave everything." Mick sighed and looked down at his shoes, they were melted at the side from where he'd kicked the door. Shame too, he liked these shoes. "I ain't got nothing left. All my stuff is gone, my parents are gone, I haven't got anything tying me here."

He could so easily run for it but ... well, Leonard. He couldn't ditch Leonard. He loved him.

"Ah." So Mick didn't have anything. Leonard looked down, unsure what to say to that. He usually felt that he only had Mick. Mick by his side and Lisa to look after and the rest of the world against them. But this wasn't about him. This was about Mick's home and parents and he knew how hard a blow this had to be for Mick. "You're always gonna have me, Mick. You ain't alone."

"Sorry." Mick mumbled because he knew he left Snart off and he didn't mean to, he wasn't thinking. He lost so much, all he could think of was that, not Leonard. "I got you, I always got you. Don't ... Don't forget about me if I go away, yeah? Like if you gotta move on, I get it but don't forget me." Mick didn't want to be some dating footnote, he wanted Leonard to somehow, someway be in his life. No matter what.

"Of course I ain't forgetting you, Mick. You're it. You are it for me, you get that?" Leonard wanted to kiss him right then, but they were in public, they smelled of smoke, the cops were about to get here, so he simply reached out to hold his good hand. "So don't worry about that. When I get married to someone else, I'll send you a card."

"And I'll break out and kill the bastard you marry." Mick assured him as he took his good hand and then slowly, he slumped against Leonard. The sound of sirens approached and Mick made a faint noise of annoyance. No, he didn't want to do this, he was too tired for this. "I really hate pigs." Now more than ever.

"I do too," Leonard assured him, giving his hand a squeeze. He let go then, because as much as he wanted to be there for Mick, he knew being seen as a faggot wouldn't help in any situation. Instead he got up and put his hands into his pocket, waiting for the cops. "I'll come with you, yeah? Remember, Mick. It was an accident."

"I remember. Thanks." Mick followed after Leonard and approached the cops, looking about as shell shocked and out of his depth as he was, covered in smoke, burnt, melted. No wonder the cops seemed to change body language so swiftly. They knew they weren't dealing with a crook, they were just dealing with a mess.

"Right. You want to tell us what happened, boy?" The cop addressed Mick right away, since it was easy to guess who of the two was in the fire. Especially once he got a look at his hand. "That looks bad. You should really get that treated, burns hurt like a bitch."

"I left my lighter in the basement -- no, wait, I left the lighter fluid out... on the floor, it must have spilt. I went upstairs, realised I forgot my lighter cause I sleep with it under my pillow and my whole living room was on fire." Mick recalled slowly because it was taking effort and he couldn't get it out properly, he had to keep pausing to think and the pauses stretched out. Just when the cops thought he'd stopped, he started up again. "I ran outside and the knob burnt my hand -- I watched it and I didn't do anything. They screamed and--"

Mick didn't know what to say to that, he just stared blankly ahead. Shit. What did he even do to explain this whole mess.

"You were in shock," Leonard supplemented, wishing he could just be anywhere but here, with Mick. "It was an accident." He had no idea whether mentioning that Mick had issues with fire would help or hinder, so he decided to keep that to himself. "He didn't mean to."

"I'm sure he didn't," one of the cops said, exchanging a look with his partner.

"We're going to have to take you to the station, take your statement. How old are you, son?"

"Erm."

Shit. He forgot his own age. Mick hummed a little and then frowned. "Seventeen. I just turned it." They had a party - him, Lisa and Leonard. Then he came home and his mom had left cake mix in a bowl and passed out on the floor. It had been a good one actually, lugging his mom up the stairs aside. He wished he could go back in time. "Shit." Mick cursed as he closed his eyes and bit back any more emotion. "Shit, I'm sorry. I thought I put the lighter away!"

Edited 2017-05-22 22:05 (UTC)

"You got somewhere to stay?"

"Yes," Leonard said without hesitation, even knowing that Mick didn't. They would figure that part out, "We got a place." He would figure out that part too.

"You're his roommate then?"

"Sure." Why not? "Does he have to go to the station?"

There was a lot of silent debating and Mick clenched his fists, fingers digging into the burn. He hissed hard but the pain was keeping his grounded and he needed that right now.

"He should really get that treated."

"Nah,, it's fine, doesn't hurt." Mick needed it right now. He didn't want to go to the hospital, it'd be more people and more red tape. He couldn't deal.

"We're gonna go talk to the captain, stay here." Mick nodded his head and looked at Leonard. Could they just run?

"Nah, Mick. Just stay calm. I think we can get outta this. My dad's got a safehouse he never really uses, I'll take you there. Ain't that far. I'll treat your hand, yeah?" First they had to get through this. They would, they had to. "It's gonna be fine, Mick. We'll be just us soon. You and me. Just a bit longer."

While the cops talked among themselves and gave Mick funny looks, Mick tried to focus on what Leonard was saying. "You should be at home. Lewis shouldn't be alone with Lisa." Mick mumbled because that should be Leonard's top priority. Lisa first, he screw up idiot boyfriend later.

"It's fine, he's passed out. Drank way too much, he ain't waking up before the morning. Don't worry about Lewis. We'll get you taken care of. I'll make a plan. We'll get a place for you, me, Lisa, whenever we can get away from Lewis, whenever we need to get away from him. Somewhere we can hang out." A place just them sounded pretty magical, he just had to figure out how to best finance it. But he would figure that out. "Don't worry about it, Mick."

"We'll give you the night, kid, then you gotta come in tomorrow at nine am sharp. If you're late or you don't show, it's going to mean harsh consequences."

Mick nodded his head and leaned in closer to Leonard, it definitely earned them a funny look. "I'll be there tomorrow. Nine. See you then."

"Don't be late. We mean it."

"He won't be." Leonard pulled away from Mick to start walking, checking his watch. He made sure that Mick walked with him, really wanting to be alone with him as soon as he possibly could. "We're gonna go to my car. I gotta go inside, check on Lis and Lewis, get the keys to the safe house and we're off. I wanna stay with you tonight, okay? I just gotta leave before nine, I have to take care of Lis."

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