Leo liked to consider himself a rather open-minded individual. He gave everyone and everything a fair chance to make a good first impression and tried his very best not to hold any prejudices or judge anyone unfairly. For the most part, Leo was proud to say that he was successful in this endeavour. However, there were two things on this planet that Leo just couldn't stand no matter how hard he tried.

Those two things were meta-humans and fire.

"C'mon Lisa, stay with me!" Leo ground out tensely as he continued to heave both himself and his unconscious sister through the fiery hallways of the quickly collapsing City Hall and towards the nearest exit. The fact that Leo couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him thanks to the thick plume of dark grey smoke lining the air only made things that much more difficult, but when it came to his sister's safety Leo wasn't going to give up on her without one hell of a fight.

Over the past week, Lisa's wildly aggressive campaign to bring the monster known as 'Zoom' to justice had taken a sharp turn for the worst after the infamous speed-demon had announced to the entire world that he would take it upon himself to deal with Mayor Snart personally. That of course meant that Zoom had assigned the task to his two deadliest minions, namely the terrifying Deathstorm and his beloved beau Killer Frost. Their mission was simple, make an example of Lisa for daring to speak out against his reign of terror and cause as much collateral damage as they possible could in the process.

Well, so much for dealing with it personally.

Over the course of mere minutes, the quiet and respectful aura that naturally seemed to fill the grand City Hall had been shattered by both a hail of freezing ice and a blaze of scorching fire. Like everything that Zoom and his band of merry men did, the attack was as sudden as it was brutal. The two meta-human thugs had burst into the building and begun to quickly tear their way through Lisa's security team like they were nothing more than pathetic ants beneath their their feet, it didn't even seem like the two broke a sweat. If it weren't so god damn terrifying, Leo would probably consider the pairs raw display of sheer power impressive.

Before too much damage could be done, the meta's violent rampage was brought to what seemed like a standstill as Central City's one and only Crimson Comet finally arrived on the scene and started the seemingly insurmountable task of dealing with the two super-criminals. Considering the blonde haired male was so renowned for his earth-shattering speed, the Flash had certainly taken his sweet time getting to them in the first place.

As much as he'd like to, Leo honestly couldn't complain about the Flash too much though. Now that the Speedster had finally arrived it gave him a much needed opportunity to get Lisa up and out of there without too much interruption, an opportunity which Leo instantly seized with both hands. Leo would have to send the man a fruit basket when all this was said and done, if the Speedster survived of course.

Having found herself knocked unconscious after a piece of speeding debris collided with her head during the initial attack, Lisa was completely indisposed to say the very least. Leo had to get her out of the building and to safety as fast as he could. That notion right there is what lead to where he currently found himself, namely huffing his sisters surprisingly heavy frame through the burning inferno once known to them as the hallway. God damn Leo would need to start hitting the gym, this was awfully exhausting.

Leo knew this place like the back of his hand, so getting both himself and Lisa through the building without too much hassle wasn't really all that much a problem. Before long he had successfully managed to slip past the duelling meta's and out in to the mostly untouched lobby without a single scratch to show for it. How fortuitous that the Flash had broken the front doors completely off their hinges upon his arrival. You could never say that subtlety was the Flash's forte, but at the very least the Crimson Comet was wonderfully efficient when he needed to be.

Better make that two fruit basket then.

Tightening his grip around Lisa's body as he huffed her down the final few steps outside City Hall, Leo couldn't help but curse silently under his breath as he gently lay his sister down on to the soft grass just to the right of the steep stairs.

"Lisa? C'mon Lisa, please wake up. Please." Leo whispered tenderly as he delicately brushed Lisa's long blonde hair out of her still closed eyes. The wound on her head from where the debris hit her was still bleeding quite a bit, albeit at a much slower rate than it had been before. It wasn't really anything to celebrate about just yet, but it was something at the very least."This isn't funny anymore Lisa. I need you to wake up. Please wake up."

As Leo felt himself slowly sinking into a frenzied panic, a shrill scream from somewhere inside the still burning City Hall snapped the man's attention off of his unconscious sister laying on the grass below and back up the large foreboding steps into the nightmarish hellscape looming insidiously above.

Oh shit, was someone was still trapped inside the building?

Leo had a dilemma on his hands. Looking to his left and seeing a quickly approaching slew of Ambulances and Fire Engines charging towards the scene, Leo took one last hesitant look at his sister before he took off racing up the stairs and back towards the entrance to the building. Lisa was breathing and emergency services were less than a minute away, so the choice he had to make was clear. As uncomfortable as leaving Lisa alone for even a millisecond made him feel, if someone were to die inside that building and Leo didn't at least try and save them then he'd never be able to forgive himself.

Stopping at the peak of the stairs and glancing back down towards where his beloved sister lay, Leo heaved a heavy sigh of relief as he watch some E.M.T's carefully placing Lisa down on a flatbed before rushing her back towards one of the ambulances now parked up on the grass. Well, at least Lisa was safe. Now to focus on the task at hand.

Literally forcing himself to turn back around and towards the source of the terrified screeching, Leo felt an odd rush of adrenaline course through his veins as leapt through the shattered doorway and into the lobby... only to find himself knocked unconscious almost immediately as a horrendously large piece of smoking debris suddenly dislodged itself from the ceiling above and came crashing down hard on to Leo like a ton of bricks.


When Leo next found himself back in the waking world he was immediately taken back by his strange new surroundings. By the looks of things he seemed to be laying in a flat, uncomfortable bed in what he just naturally assumed was a Hospital. The boring white walls, sandpaper bedsheets, smell of tasteless microwaved meals and the constantly beeping machinery rumbling away in the background only helped to solidify that theory.

Before Leo could begin to question just why he was in the hospital in the first place, he noticed what seemed to be a milky white blister rearing its ugly head out from behind a line of crème coloured bandages wrapped tightly around his forearm.

Oh, right. That'll be why. So much for being the mighty hero to save the day then. Leo should've just left all that nasty business to the plucky speedster.

Sighing to himself as he begun to push himself up so he would sitting with his back to the headboard, Leo couldn't help but howl in pure agony as an unbearably sharp pain shot up his right leg. It didn't long for Leo to piece together that had broken his leg at some point during his not-so-marvelous misadventures in the collapsing City Hall. Oh the joys of almost being crushed alive under a collapsing roof. Could things possibly get any worse?

"So you're finally awake, huh? Good. Who knew you were such a deep sleeper?" Suddenly said a confident and gravely voice from the corner of the room that just about scared the living shit out of Leo. Jesus wept, he must have been really out of it if he hadn't managed to notice that he wasn't the only one in the room

Doing his best to roll over and face the stranger without putting too much strain on his still absolutely aching leg, Leo narrowed his eyes and did his best to identify just who it was that was speaking to him, but without his glasses there just wasn't much of a point.

"As adorable as the squinting is, yer glasses are sitting on the little table next to you. I will warn you though, the left lens is a little... well, its fucked."

Carefully adjusting his body so he could finally reach the desired position of having his back pressed down against the plastic headboard, Leo forced out an exhausted sigh as he gingerly lifted his glasses up off the table and slipped them back onto his face. Blinking feverishly as his eyes quickly begun to re-adjust themselves to the thick lenses, Leo stared ahead of himself and towards the bulky figure slowing beginning to take shape just across the room from him.

Leo would admit, it took everything he had in him not to smirk like a damn teenager at the sight of the man before him. God damn he was one good looking specimen.

Sitting hunched forward in his seat with an unlit cigarette dangling dangerously from between his barely parted lips was a broad, well built man that oozed confidence. Wearing a pair of worn down black jeans and a dark grey sweatshirt adorned with the C.C.F.D logo in the centre of it, the man stared ahead of himself and towards Leo with the slightest hint of a truly sinful grin making itself at home on his face. The man's hair and been sheared in tight and he was currently sporting some pretty impressive Five O'Clock shadow that did the job at highlighting his oddly refined features oh so well.

Oh yeah, it was safe to say that this guy was pretty damn hot.

Leo couldn't help gulp at the sight of the other man and he hated himself for it. Leo had never been particularly good at talking to men and he had the feeling that this little exchange was about to go the same way that all his other conversations with attractive men did, namely 'horrendously badly'. Ah crap, was he sweating? He felt like he was sweating. Leo really hoped that the cocky smirk the handsome stranger pulled just a few short moment later wasn't in any way related to how he was behaving like a love-sick teenager. Jesus, get it together already Leo!

"Thanks." Leo eventually had the peace of mind to say, wincing silently to himself as he felt his throat clamp up at the sudden effort. Gotta love smoke's effect on the lungs eh?

"Don't mention it Pretty Boy." The stranger said with a cocky wink.

"Leo" Leo forced out through gritted teeth. God damn the pain in his throat was unbelievable.

"What's that?" The stranger asked.

"My name is Leo. Leo Snart. Use it please." Leo said, not really caring if he sounded shorter than originally intended.

"Oh I know what your name is. You just happen to look more like a 'Pretty Boy' than a 'Leo' to me, that's all." The other man said with enough confidence and swagger to his voice to sell the remark without seeming like a arrogant pig. It was as impressive as it was annoying.

Rolling his eyes as he folded his arms over his chest, Leo turned his eyes away from the smirking stranger sat in the corner and down towards the blotchy patches of stark white littered around his arm disapprovingly. That was going to leave a mark.

"I'm Mick by the way. Mick Rory. Fire Chief of the C.C.F.D." The man, Mick, offered up with a more genuine smile than he'd been sporting for their entire brief conversation.

"Mick huh? Suits you." Leo managed to say.

"Thanks, I guess." Mick said.

"What happened back at City Hall? Is my sister okay? Did someone manage to rescue the other person who was trapped?" Leo ground out painfully as rubbed his throat with his one good hand. No amount of morphine was going to take care of this pain, that was for sure.

"The May- your sister is fine. She's actually up and about already. She had a meeting with the Flash this morning about finally putting an end to that Zoom freak once and for all. If nothing else, she's a pretty resilient little lady." Mick said fondly. "As for the other person, I managed to rescue the both of you before the rest of the building collapsed in on itself like a dying star. Aren't I just the greatest?"

"You're something alright. Not sure about the greatest, but... you're certainly something." Leo said softly as he continued to stare into the other man's deep brown eyes.

"Something good?" Mick asked with what sounded like a hopeful tone.

"I uh, haven't decided yet." Leo answered truthfully, earning himself yet another chuckle from the bulkier man sitting across the room from him.

"Fair enough." Mick simply said in return.

"So, how are you feeling? Doc's said you took quite the bump to the head in the collapse." Mick asked.

"Eh. My throat hurts a lot worse than my head and leg do actually. Who knew that breathing in tons of smoke could be so bad for you?" Leo said with a self-depreciating chuckle.

"Those fire-safety videos you're made to watch at School usually cover that, but who gives a shit about fire safety right?" Mick taunted.

"I know right? I mean, who's ever been hurt by fire rig- oh, wait. Scratch that, those videos are the bomb." Leo wheezed out with a deep and painful sounding laugh.

"Did you really just say 'The Bomb'? Oh lord, that bump to the head must've done more damage to you than the Doc's thought it did." Mick roared while cackling away to himself like a hyena.

"Afraid not, I'm just a total loser is all." Leo said. "See, I've got the ugly glasses and lopsided grin to prove it."

"Well I for one happen to like yer grin and yer glasses Pretty Boy. I don't think you could possibly make anything look ugly." Mick said with more than the slightest hint of hesitation to his voice while on the bed, Leo could only lightly blush.

"I uh... thank you." Len eventually answered in something only just louder than a whisper.

"Don't mention it." Mick said back, grinning away to himself like the cat that got the crème at the sight of the other male blushing at his remark. Hook line and sinker.

"Anyway, now that I see yer up and mostly lucid, I guess I better be off. I may be the boss, but if the rest of the guys find out I've been slacking off for even a minute then they'll have my nuts on a platter." Mick said as he rose up out of his seat and slowly begun to make his way over towards the foot of Leo's bed.

"Ah. Can't be having that now can we?" Leo smirked as he watched the other man curiously.

"Indeed we can't. Men and woman across Central City would mourn the loss of my beloved wedding tackle. It would be a complete disaster." Mick purred confidently while Leo couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Oh I bet." Leo huffed out, finding it harder and harder to talk the longer this conversation went on for. God damn that smoke.

"You don't sound so sure Mr. Snart. Sounds to me like I might need to take you out one night and give you a sample of the goods. Y'know, show you what you've been missing out on and all that." Mick said with a far too casual wink as he turned himself around and quickly slipped on out of the compact little room and back into the hallway. "Anyway, I'll leave y'to it. Try not too have too much fun without me. See ya around Pretty boy."

"S-see ya." Was all that Leo managed to offer up in response. No witty banter. No flirty comment. No giving over his number. Nothing. God, Leo was pathetic.

Watching while Mick finally got up out of the chair and made his way back in to the real world, Leo couldn't help but sigh aloud to himself as he was left sitting all alone in the now strangely quiet hospital room with only his terribly boring thoughts to keep him company.

As annoying as that Mick guy was, Leo couldn't help but feel a little disappointed now that he had been left alone once again. Sure his mother and sister would more than likely be in to see him soon enough, but something about the handsome Fire Chief had got Leo's heart and mind racing like they hadn't done in what seemed like years.

Dear lord, what was it with Leo and constantly finding himself attracted to over-confident dickbags?

Absent-mindedly running his fingers along the itchy bandages wrapped around his badly burned arm, Leo stared through the window into the sun-drenched City outside and wondered how much trouble he would get in if he were to start a small fire when he was finally discharged from this mundane little hospital. Probably a lot of trouble if he were being completely honest with himself, but if starting a fire gave him the chance to see a certain Fire Chief once again then Leo wasn't sure he really cared about the consequences.

Oh lord. This was going to end badly wasn't it?