Summary: Nora West-Allen is twelve and attending the Scouts Sock Hop for the local Scout organizations while Barry and Iris act as chaperones for their troop. There Nora introduces them to a friend of hers from a different troop – Michael Winters – whose father is rather familiar to them both.
Notes: For ColdWestAllen Week 2019 - May 29 - The 50s
While Sock Hops can be traced back to the 40s (same with poodle skirts), both were popularized in the 50s so today's story starts off with a cute 50s themed Sock Hop and goes from there.
Missed You At The Dance (All Those Years)
Iris twirled around, the pink poodle skirt flaring around her. In front of her, Nora mirrored her actions with the same results and she giggled with delight as her purple poodle skirt swirled around her.
"How're my girls doing?" Barry asked, standing in the doorway wearing as close to 50s style clothing as he could get. Which, considering his usual attire, wasn't really much of a stretch.
Iris grinned at Nora and then back up at Barry. "I think we just need a little makeup touch ups and then we're good to go. What do you think, Nora?"
"I definitely need some lipstick to rock this outfit properly," the twelve-year-old decided. "Poodle skirts need to be a thing again; this is so schway."
"You say that every year," Iris teased.
"And I'm right every year too."
"You two certainly look cute wearing them," Barry agreed, sauntering over to hook an arm around Iris' waist and place a hand on Nora's shoulder. "My lovely ladies."
Nora blushed, pleased, and swayed side to side so that her skirt would swish. "Is everything we're supposed to bring ready?"
"Drinks are mostly in the car," Barry said. "I'll go finish up while you two do those finishing touches of yours."
He slipped out of the room and sped to the kitchen where, at more normal speeds, he packed up the six packs of soft drinks they were bringing. Everyone was bringing something – drinks or food – that had been assigned beforehand to help cut down on costs since the location the hop was taking place in had gone up in price again this year.
If it went up again, they'd probably have to look elsewhere next year or break the event down into smaller sock hops at multiple locations… which probably needed to be done anyway. Another three troops had joined the event this year and the size of the event was just barely this side of 'out of hand'.
Barry rolled his shoulders and reminded himself that it wasn't really his problem. He wasn't a troop leader – Iris was – and she was the one who got to worry about that stuff. He was just the sounding board.
A few moments later, Nora rushed into view, settling onto a kitchen chair with her makeup all done. "How do I look?" she asked, looking nervous.
"Still lovely," Barry promised, resisting the urge to reach out and ruffle her hair.
She was starting to show signs of being a speedster – that rush into the kitchen was definitely faster than human normal – and Barry added, "might want to slow down a little for tonight though, sweetie. Don't want you slipping all over the place in your socks."
Nora nodded. "I'll be careful," she promised, all seriousness. Then she perked up, changing the subject to, "I have a new friend to introduce to you and mom tonight."
"Michael, right?" Barry asked. "That new kid in your class?"
"That's the one. He's really funny; makes a lot of terrible cold puns that Frost likes when I repeat them to her."
"Awful cold puns," Iris remarked, joining them at the table. "Sounds like someone we used to know."
"Really? Who?"
"Leonard Snart," Barry filled in. "Loved awful cold puns and stolen hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows. Said the theft made it sweeter."
Iris snickered at the sight of Nora's eyes going wide. "Leonard Snart? You mean… Captain Cold?" her voice went all hushed and reverent. She'd heard more than a few stories about him from Team Flash as well as Ray Palmer, Kendra Saunders, and Carter Hall. Ray always made Snart sound larger than life. Cisco liked to grumble about him, even now, though his tone was always a touch more fond than Cisco would ever admit to. And Barry liked to reveal the little quirks that had made Snart so charming and likable despite his crimes. Iris didn't usually contribute to those stories where Nora could hear, but when reminiscing with others she liked to tease Barry about how much Snart liked flirting with them both. (Mostly Barry, but he'd never let Iris feel left out when she was there too.)
"Captain Cold indeed," Iris agreed. "You know, one time he broke into Granddad's house to make hot chocolate. Used his favorite mug too."
"No way. Granddad must have been so upset when he found out."
"Well, he was upset about the breaking and entering," Barry hedged.
Iris laughed. "We didn't tell him about the hot chocolate. Would've been adding insult to injury."
"You two ready to head out?" Barry asked, heading over to the garage door.
"I'm driving," Iris said, grabbing the keys and her purse, smiling when Barry just shrugged laconically.
The Sock Hop was just getting started as they arrived. Barry and Iris brought in the drinks while Nora kicked off her shoes and stored them in a cubby before hurrying off to look for her friends. The adults all kept their shoes on, but the kids were already sliding around the dance room floor, bopping along to classic 50s tunes… or more recent covers of the classic 50s tunes that were in musical styles that Barry wasn't sure actually fit with the lyrics.
Oh well; Barry just figured that either it was leftover music snobbery from his Glee Club days in college or he'd just finally hit the age where new music trends rubbed him the wrong way. At least he wasn't complaining about it all being noise to him. Iris would never let him live that down.
After helping finish with the setting up of the tables, Barry and Iris each snagged a soda then retreated to one of the chaperone tables with some nibbles in order to make small talk with some of the other parents the knew and keep an eye on the kids from afar.
Around the one hour mark, Nora bounced over to them leading a boy along with her who looked oddly familiar somehow.
"Mom, Dad? This is my new friend Michael." She grinned as she made the introductions. "Michael, these are my parents."
"Hi," Michael greeted shyly, half hiding behind the more boisterous Nora.
"It's lovely to meet you, Michael," Iris greeted him with a big smile. Barry agreed and gave the kid a little wave.
Michael seemed a little overwhelmed, though whether it was from the sock hop or from meeting new people, Barry couldn't really tell.
Nora shifted to the side and slung an arm around Michael's shoulders. "Hey, its okay. My parents don't bite."
"It's just really… its really loud, and I..." Michael seemed to shrink in on himself.
"Do you need to head outside for a little while?" A noise level like this used to make Barry anxious as a kid, particularly after his mom died. So he sort of gets whats going on with Michael.
Joe would always let Barry leave early when something overwhelmed him at a school function or a friend's party. Hopefully Michael's parents would be just as reasonable.
Michael nodded hard and Nora's expression became very concerned. "Oh, Michael, I'm sorry. I've been dragging you all around..."
Shaking his head, Michael interrupted with, "I'm just not used to this, Nora. It's too much; that's not your fault."
"How about you, Nora, and I go sit out in the hallway while Barry finds your parents. Are they here, or do we need to give them a call?" Iris asked, taking charge.
"It's… it's just my dad," Michael replied. "He's not here, but he promised to come get me if I… wasn't having fun." The kid fumbled for the cell phone in his pocket.
"How about we head to the hallway first?" Barry offered and Michael nodded.
The four of them headed out into the hallway and Michael visibly relaxed as he settled onto a bench to put his shoes back on. Nora sat beside him, still in just her socks though since she wanted to stay after Michael left.
Michael pulled out his cell phone and then groaned. "It's dead. I… I had it plugged in all day! How can it be dead?"
"Maybe the cord was loose," Nora offered, rubbing Michael's back.
"Do you know your dad's phone number? You can use my phone," Barry offered, unlocking his phone and handing it over to the kid.
Nodding, Michael hesitantly accepted the phone and punched in a number. "H-hey dad, its… yeah, my phones dead. Uh-huh. It was nice at first but it was really loud and… too dark, really. Yeah, I'm fine. Nora took me to her parents – they're chaperoning – and I'm borrowing Mr. Allen's phone. We're out in the hallway where you dropped me off. Okay..."
He held out the phone to Barry. "Dad wants to talk to you."
Barry nodded and took the phone, bringing it up to his ear. "Hi, I'm Barry Allen..."
"Hi, Scarlet," drawled a voice Barry had never thought he'd hear again. "Thank you for looking out for my kid. I should be there to pick him up in a few minutes."
Barry felt weirdly disconnected from everything suddenly. Because… Len was dead. Mick had told them Len was dead and, last they knew, Mick still thought Len was dead. And yet, somehow… "Len?"
"Yeah, Red. It's me. See you in a few." The line went dead and Barry had to resist the urge to stare at his phone in shock. Instead he slipped it away and looked over at Iris.
"No way," she said, eyes wide.
"What's wrong?" Michael asked, looking between the two adults in concern.
"It turns out we used to know your dad. The last time we saw him, though, was before we got married." Barry couldn't help the smile that slid onto his face. "It'll be good to see him again."
Leonard Snart didn't look like he'd aged a day. Which spoke either of good genetics or something leftover from the thing that supposedly killed him: the Oculus.
Barry wasn't going to question that for now. Instead he just grinned, probably looking like an idiot, as he resisted the urge to go hug the thief. Iris, however, didn't resist that urge.
Snart greeted his son first, speaking to him quietly and making sure Michael was really okay, and then Iris hugged him when he turned to thank them for looking after his son. Barry decided that if Iris got to hug Leonard, then so did he.
Len laughed when he looked over at Nora and she shrugged. "I have no idea who you are. So I'm not gonna hug you. Parents are weird," the girl proclaimed.
"Your parents are weird," Michael corrected, snickering.
"You realize I have your number now," Barry warned Len. "I'm calling you tomorrow and I expect you to answer."
Rolling his eyes, but looking pleased (and a little surprised), Snart drawled, "whatever you say Scarlet."
Once Len and Michael were gone, Nora gave her parents a searching look, crossed her arms, and demanded, "okay, who is he? You two were acting so weird."
"That," Iris told Nora with a grin, "was Leonard Snart. He let us think he was dead for years. That man is in soooo much trouble."
Nora's eyes went wide and she looked over at the doors Michael and his father had left through. "Oh, wow. I feel bad for him."
Barry calls Len the next day and he answers. (There'd been some fear that he wouldn't and a weight drops off Barry's shoulders when he hears that beautiful drawl again.)
They make plans to meet that afternoon at CC Jitters and Barry is antsy until he and Iris finally get there and snag a table for three. Len arrives and joins them with his coffee – a Cold Flash, which Iris thinks is hilarious – and they talk about the kids first.
Snart clearly wasn't expecting that, judging by the startled expression he wears when Iris asks how Michael's settling in to their new home and neighborhood. Nora's told them a lot about her new friend.
"He likes it a lot better than the last place we were staying in, but it took me a while to regain access to my… accounts." The hesitation makes Barry think that 'accounts' means something more like 'caches of stolen goods I could sell' and less like 'bank accounts'. Though it could easily be both. "I was also home schooling him at first so that he could adjust to..." Len waved a hand uncertainly. "Modern times," he finally filled in, prompting an eyebrow raise from Barry and Iris.
"Oh?" Iris leaned in, but Barry beat her to the question.
"How far back in time were you two?"
"1930s and I was not looking forward to the upcoming world war," Snart replied, looking uneasy. "When the occulus exploded, I got dumped in the late nineteen-twenties. I had no way of contacting the Waverider and had to hope that I could cause enough of a problem to attract their attention. Michael's mom was a fellow thief I shacked up with. She didn't want commitment or kids so… when Michael was born, I took him and she left. Apparently I was going to end up causing some sort of timeline shift because some asshole from the Time Bureau showed up and tried to make me come back to the present without Michael. Nearly broke that jackass's arm, but he got the message that I wasn't going anywhere without my son. We were dropped off about a few years ago in Boston. Moved us around for a while getting re-acclimatized to the modern day..." Len snorted derisively. "For being so worried I was going to screw up the past, the Time Agent couldn't even be assed to drop Michael and I off in the right year."
"Well, it does work out for our kids that they're in the same year at school," Barry offered with a smile. "Pretty sure they've been friends since Michael's first day in class."
"Not sure where he gets that from?"
"What, befriending a speedster? Pretty sure we all know where that comes from, Len," Iris teased, voice low.
"So she has inherited your weird little quirks?"
Barry snorted in amusement. "She's showing signs of it, anyway. We were lucky not to be chasing a toddler with super speed, though."
"The Occulus left me with some unwanted souvenirs," Len admitted, looking away uncomfortably. "I think Michael may be showing signs of inheriting that too."
By silent agreement, Barry and Iris decided not to push that topic just yet.
"So how is Michael enjoying his boy scout troop?" Iris asked. "Nor mentioned he was having some difficulties with someone and, well, I'm troop leader for Nora's Spiral Scout troop, so if he wanted to switch over we'd be happy to have him."
"I may just take you up on that. Michael wanted to stick it out long enough to go to the sock hop, but his troop leader doesn't like that Michael's name used to be something else." Len grimaced slightly. "He doesn't say anything specifically transphobic, but... the implication is there and I don't want Michael dealing with that crap." Unspoken went the relief to be raising his son in an era less transphobic than the nineteen-forties and fifties.
Iris nodded, "I promise, we don't accept that sort of intolerance in my troop." She frowned and then pulled out her phone to take notes. "What's the troop leader's name?"
"What, going to investigate him?" Len asked, eyebrows raised.
"Maybe."
"Iris..." Barry joined Len in giving her an inquisitive stare.
"The Boy Scouts of America have a long history of queerphobia, particularly homophobia and transphobia. Maybe its time to give the organization a hard look to see if they've genuinely left those policies behind."
"You have fun with that." Len sighed, looking amused. "So... do I have to worry about being arrested by your father?"
"Nope. He's retired these days, though that's not the only reason."
"Joe would totally unretire if he thought he had a shot at arresting you, though," Barry mused. "He's still holding a bit of a grudge."
"Of course he is. So what's that other reason? Still honoring our deal after all this time?"
Iris shook her head. "You were officially pardoned not long after your... death was reported. Mick asked for that instead of being pardoned himself after he helped save the planet from aliens. The President pardoned you both."
"He did what? Aliens?" Len shook his head, finishing off his coffee. "How... how is he?"
"Still traveling with the Legends. His aging is pretty slowed from what the Time Masters did to him. He'd probably be happy to hear you're alive after all."
Len looked uncertain and switched to, "what about Lisa."
"She's in Europe with Thea Queen and there is a very good chance they're responsible for some Robin Hood style thefts in several different countries," Barry responded promptly, not mentioning Oliver's call the other day to complain about how his sister had been corrupted by Golden Glider. It had been pretty hilarious and Barry had fun pointing out that everyone Thea and Lisa were allegedly stealing from were turning out to be corrupt in some way and all the money was finding its way to charities anonymously. Felicity had to steal the phone from Oliver to say a quick 'hi' and 'bye' in order to make the Arrow shut up about Speedy being on the wrong side of the law.
Like vigilantism wasn't illegal to begin with.
"That's my girl," Len muttered, looking smug.
"She'd love to know she's got a nephew," Iris added.
Hiding behind his coffee - but trying not to look like he was hiding behind his coffee (less effective when the cup was empty, that's for sure) - Len shrugged again. "Not exactly looking forward to how angry they'll be with me for not coming forward immediately after the Time Agent brought us here."
"Well, I can't speak for them, but I'm pretty annoyed with you," Iris told him. "Do you know how many years of flirting we've missed out on."
Len's cup went back down on the table, hard. Good thing it was plastic, really. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Before you died, you were always flirting with us," Barry replied, smirking at Len's startled reaction. "It was fun. We liked it. Your cheesy flirting is one of the things we missed about you when we thought you were dead."
"You're married."
"Yes, and? Polyamory is a thing, Len, and we're both very interested in you, even now after all this time." Iris tilted her head to the side and reached out, laying a hand atop one of his. "If you're not interested, though, we won't bother you about it again, but..."
"Take your time and think it over, at least?" Barry's hand slid out to join Iris and Len's on the table. "I promise, we're very serious about this."
"My flirting," Len finally protested quietly, "is not cheesy."
"The ice puns were cheesy, Len. Very cheesy. Fortunately I like cheesy puns because Barry's always making speed puns and its a wonder more people haven't figured out why yet." Iris stuck her tongue out at Barry when he went 'hey!'
"I need... I need time to think about this, alright. I'm not saying 'no', just..." Len trailed off and Barry and Iris nodded, letting their hands slide away.
"Take all the time you need. Just don't overthink it too much, okay?" Iris waited for Len to nod in acknowledgement, then switched the topic to the article she was writing and the rest of their coffee meet up (Len got another coffee when he tried to take a drink from his cup and found it empty) passed comfortably despite Len's slightly noticeable preoccupation with considering what they'd offered him.
"Oh, hey Len," Barry greeted Snart on the phone a few evening later. "Is this about Nora's birthday party?"
"Somewhat. Michael's looking forward to attending," Len told him. "But mostly... are you and Iris free for dinner Friday night? I thought... maybe we could go on a date."
Something warmed inside Barry and he grinned. "I think so. Let me go grab Iris and we can make plans."
Notes: Readjusting back to modern times was difficult on Len, which I tried to convey without swapping out PoV characters in the last half. He didn't have his memories rewritten or anything like Rip did when he went missing, but there were definitely things that went a little fuzzy for him and that contributed to him taking so long to come back to Central City and holding off on reconnecting with the people he used to know.
Whatever Len's powers from the Occulus are - and thus Michael's - I leave up to the imagination.
Barry and Iris definitely discussed whether they wanted just flirting or the offer of a romantic relationship with Len that night after the Sock Hop. So they were very much on the same page when they talked to him at Jitters.