Better Safe Than Zari
Zari sat in quiet contemplation, stirring her granola mindlessly as she stared off into space for an indefinite amount of time. The life of the Waverider buzzed around her, each team member enjoying the down time in their own way.
Sara and Ava were canoodling on the couch (not a word that either woman would EVER use, but the only accurate term for it), holding hands and stealing smiles, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible to no avail. Their love could always be felt the whole was through the timeship.
Ray was standing at the bridge, messing with the controls with an expression on his face that screamed that he had some big idea brewing.
Constantine was drinking in the library (at least, Zari assumed that he was drinking in the library, as usual).
Charlie was air-drumming around the galley and down the halls to a song that only she could hear. No matter the year or what body she was stuck in, she would always be a punk rock god in her own mind.
Mick was—
"How's that working out for ya?"
His gruff voice startled the spoon right out of Zari's hand, causing it to clank into the bowl noisily and break the comfortable quiet around them.
"Jesus!" Zari exclaimed, holding her hand to her chest instinctively. She had no idea that Mick had even approached the galley, let alone was near enough to speak to her.
Mick grunted an almost apology before grabbing a beer from the fabricator. He re-approached the counter seeming like he wanted to say something. That was never good, Zari thought. Mick wasn't much for small talk.
"What?!" Zari snapped, perhaps to harshly, noticing him staring at her face in waiting.
"I SAID," he began, annoyed, "how's that working out for you?" he rasped with a tone of 'duh'.
"How's what working out?" Zari spat, completely lost by the question.
"Not-Amaya," he clarified soundly, nodding toward Charlie, using the term that he nearly always did for the shapeshifter.
"Why do you always call her that?" Zari asked, sounding more defensive than she would have liked before her brain could analyse her reaction.
"Because she's not Amaya," he said very clearly.
"I know she's not Amaya. But you don't have to call her that. She has a name," she said a bit too passionately, stirring her (now soggy) granola with a new fervor.
"Do you wish she was Amaya?" he asked suddenly, shocking her.
"No! What kind of question is that?!" Zari's blood pressure was rising unpleasantly and she was more than ready for this very impromptu conversation to be over.
"You don't look at her like she's Amaya," Mick noted, swigging his beer and watching Zari subconsciously watch her. "Anymore," he added smugly.
"Because she's not Amaya !" Zari practically yelled, gaining the attention of Sara, who just looked at her questioningly.
"Hence the name," Mick nodded.
"Why…" Zari took a deep breath and contemplated her words before gaining even more attention from the others. "Why are we having this conversation, Rory?" she asked calmly, rubbing her suddenly aching temples.
"I had an idea for a new story," he admitted, watching Charlie dance past them, completely unaware of their presence.
"What does that have to do with Charlie?" Zari asked, ignoring the feeling that she got in her chest as the woman's name slipped from her lips.
"I'll let you know when you figure it out," Mick smirked.