Yeah, I know this isn't playing out to be one day after another in the story. But collectively, it will be 12 days for them. ;) Thank you for all the comments! I hope you're enjoying it.
...
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
xxx
Leonard knows that he's haunting the ship like the ghost he isn't, avoiding everything and everybody—especially Sara Lance.
It hasn't been hard, though...ever since that kiss at the mistletoe, she's barely even looked at him. He enters a room; she leaves. The ship is effectively at the equivalent of cruising height in the time stream, on its way back to take him back to Central City. She doesn't really have to be anywhere she doesn't want to be.
And she obviously doesn't want to be anywhere that also contains Leonard Snart.
Just 10 more days, he thinks to himself as he pauses outside the galley. And he'll never have to see any of them again. He's trying to reassure himself—but the thought hurts anyway. Damn it.
It's obvious to anyone with eyes that Mick's not going to be leaving with him. This place is his home now; Mick Rory is a hero. And a hero with a new partner, of sorts—he's not so blind that doesn't see the glances, the words, the…ehhh…feelings between Mick and the new girl.
Better Mick than him. He's swearing off feelings.
On that thought, he enters the galley, pausing as he sees Stein sitting at the counter with Jax hovering next to him. The kid promptly looks guilty…why?...and straightens with a nod and murmured "hey" before leaving the room. Leonard frowns. Jax has been one teammate…former teammate…who's actually been talking to him. This new development pains him more than he cares to admit.
But Stein watches his partner-in-Firestorm go, then turns to the new arrival, tucking a bit of paper into the book he'd been reading and raising an eyebrow.
"Mr. Snart. I regret to say that no one's really cooked dinner tonight; most people have just been grabbing something to go." He shakes his head. "Mr. Rory absconded with a six-pack of beer, though I believe Ms. Jiwe made him also grab some carrot sticks."
He can't help it; he drifts closer. "Cooked dinner? Far more organized than it…than it used to be."
"Before you left us the first time?" Stein's eyes are direct. "Well…I think everyone expected that mission to be temporary and rather…fly by the seat of the pants, as it were. At a certain point into our new mission, it became clear that it was a cooking rotation or nothing but junk food—albeit Gideon-produced 'healthy' junk food—from here on out."
Left us the first time. Leave it to old Silvertop to make it sound like he'd gone out for a stroll, not nearly sacrificed himself to destroy the Oculus, been kidnapped at the last possible millisecond by an opportunistic speedster, had his memory buried deep within layers of brainwashing, fought his former teammates as part of that ridiculously named Legion of Doom, and only fought his way out of it for reasons he still can't fully fathom.
He simply shrugs. "Sounds like I missed out."
"Hmm. Well, in a way. There were some rough times. And I understand you didn't have it easy, even if you didn't remember."
He still has the nightmares. He doubts they're going away anytime soon. "Something like that."
Stein watches him for a moment, then pushes back from the counter, rising with book in hand. "Well. You were missed, Mr. Snart. There are provisions for meals in the refrigerator, if you wish…"
"Missed?" Somehow the feelings…ugh…bubble up again. "No one on this goddamned ship will even talk to me. I fuckin' thought I was saving this mission and except for Mick…somewhat…and a few words from Jax, it's been...and Sara…" He stops abruptly, pressing his lips together rather than say anything else.
He actually sees a flicker of surprise in Stein's eyes. "Mr. Snart, I..." The man stops, shakes his head. "I am sorry. I had been under the impression that you wanted nothing to do with your former teammates. I believe the words you used were 'goddamned mistake.' And other more... pungent epithets."
He's speaking, however, to a pair of hunched shoulders as the crook shrugs him off, turning away.
"Whatever," Leonard mutters. "Didn't do it for a ticker tape parade. Savage is dead. City's safe."
"He is. And it is." A hesitation from Stein. "As is the team."
Another irritable shrug as Leonard pulls open the fridge door and studies the contents. "Such as it is."
"You are unhappy with the current composition of the team? Ms. Jiwe? Dr. Heywood? Captain...well, Mr. Hunter, as he asserts he doesn't want the captaincy back...will be returning after our current trip to Central City, after he, as he says, cleans up a certain mess. I believe Sara will remain as captain...she has done a remarkable job..."
He's removed a bottle of milk, but now slams it down on the counter just a little too forcefully. "I have no...feelings...one way or another about any of you lunatics."
But Stein's eyes are kind.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Snart. But you were missed," the other man says quietly. "Understand that for us, it had been quite some time since...well. Since the Oculus. We had time to come to grips with your loss, even if some...such as Mr. Rory and Ms. Lance...never really got over it.
"But people keep living. And since you have a second chance, you should as well."
"Gray! Perfect job stalling him, man. So he's actually cooking something and Sara's on her way here. She's always starving when she skips dinner earlier; she'll have to..."
"Honestly, Jefferson…I think perhaps some of us have been remiss in talking to Mr. Snart about his absence and his role with the team. There were, perhaps, assumptions made. The man with whom I just spoke seemed, to be frank, a little bit...lost. Lonely, even." A sigh. "And quite angry, for a variety of complicated reasons. I think it's easier—and sadly, far more familiar-for him to lean on that. "
"Man, I've been the one person, besides Mick, who is talking to him. And he said he couldn't take this, and I quote, 'hero stuff' and wanted to go home. I heard him. That wasn't just an assumption."
"Methinks the fellow may have protested too much. And I've been just as remiss as everyone else. And I knew...well, I may have suspected some of the issues under the surface.
"Jefferson, if you...OK, OK, we persist in this matchmaking, we cannot ignore those. Or we simply risk making things worse."
xxx
...three hidden truths
Two lonely hearts
And a crook who came back to me.