A bang causes Barry to startle up from his nap. He quickly pushes himself up to look over to the entrance of the small apartment, his vision still bleary.

His heart slows down when he recognizes the unexpected visitor and he groans unhappily due to be awoken in such an alarming way just because someone isn't able to close a damn door without slamming it.

He lets himself drop back down on the couch which saggy cushions are much too comfortable for him to bother and sit up.

"Hey," he mumbles in an attempt of a greeting before he yawns. The only reply he gets is an amused snort before Mick makes his way over to the small kitchen next door. Barry listens to him opening the fridge to undoubtedly grab one of the beers. Len would get pissed again.

"Len w-will kick your ass," he reminds the other man tiredly and wonders why he even bothers. Mick knows it, of course he does and it is probably exactly the reason why he's taken one in the first place.

"He can try," chuckles Mick as enters the small living room again. Barry listens how he stops next to the couch and glances over to him with an uneasy frown.

"Ye ditched school today, stretch?"

The unloved nickname causes Barry to make a face and glare at him.

"N-no and it i-is c-college."

"Who cares," smirks Mick and takes a pull from the bottle. His expression turns slightly warily then:" You aren't sick, are you? I don't wanna catch anything."

Barry huffs quietly and utters that he is fine, just tired.

"You do look like crap," agrees Mick readily and isn't the least bit fazed by the dark look he gets in return.

"Go aw-way," Barry grumbles sourly and isn't surprised that he is completely ignored.

"Does Snart know you are here?"

"You th-think I've p-picked the lock?" he asks drily but has to smile when the other man chuckles at that.

"Breaking and entering wouldn't make itself too good in a future cop's resume, would it?"

There is slight bite to how Mick says it and Barry frowns unhappily up to him.

"F-forensic s-scientist," he corrects.

Mick only shrugs but doesn't seem like he really wants to start anything again. Instead he walks back to the kitchen. Barry can hear him pull a chair from the small eating table that is crammed between the oven and the wall and wonders whether it would be a good idea to scram now. Len and Mick haven't been on the best of terms since their last job didn't go over so well due to the later man's temper.

The worry slips away when another thought crosses his mind and he looks over to the door.

Slowly, as his body still doesn't want to move, he presses himself in an upright position so that he can see over the backrest of the couch to the kitchen.

"How did you g-get in here?"

Aside from Len, only Lisa has a set of keys to the small apartment and he is pretty sure that the door has been locked.

"Breaking and entering," replies Mick from somewhere behind the entrance to the other room.

Barry frown deepens.

"Y-you p-picked his lock?" he asks incredulously. Mick could be an idiot at times but he has thought so far that the other man has a keener sense of self-preservation for it to allow him to break into Len's flat. He would have his head for it.

"Low-life, remember?"

"You are l-lying."

A chuckles comes from the next room and Barry decides to get up. His mind is too awake for him to be able to fall back asleep now anyway.

He finds Mick sitting at the small table, his gun partly dismantled in front of him. It seems that he decided to clean it, which isn't unusual but Barry doesn't get why he would do it here.

The other man only glances over to him with a smirk before he turns back to his task.

"H-how did you g-get in here, M-Mick?"

"Why are you so concerned about it, stretch?"

Barry purses his lips and crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"Len w-wil get p-pissed and I w-was hoping to c-crash on his c-couch t-tonight."

"And you think he will kick you out because of me?" asks Mick and rises an eyebrow at that.

"N-no, b-but he w-will end up in a n-nasty mood and you know how it is t-to be around him w-when he is l-like that."

"You are pretty picky with the people who are charitable towards you, aren't you, you little shit?" grins the criminal and reaches for his beer to take another pull.

"Y-you are here t-to start something ag-gain?"

The exasperation is clearly audible in his voice but Barry doesn't really care. He knows that Mick wouldn't hurt him, the other man punched him once and Lisa had been livid, which in turn caused Len to make sure that the other criminal is aware that this is a no go.

Mick doesn't seemed annoyed by his inquiry, though. Instead, he smirks once more and shoots him a slightly taunting glance.

"You worried you will end up in the middle of it if I am?"

"S-stop being such an irritating arse," huffs Barry and fights the urge to roll his eyes. He really doesn't get why this man has to be so damn complicated at times.

"Stop pestering me, then."

Deciding that standing here and getting his feathers ruffled wouldn't get him anywhere, Barry gives Mick one last not too friendly look before he returns to the living room.

For the next thirty minutes, the apartment is only filled with the noise of the other man taking care of his weapon and once to move back to the fridge to most likely grab another beer. Barry, who took a seat on the couch again, has returned to the book he had been reading before he decided to rest for a bit. It is a calm but not entirely comfortable atmosphere that has settled in.

The low rumbling noise of thunder catches Barry's attention and he turns towards the window as a familiar dread starts to settle into his stomach. It is already dark outside but he can still make out the raindrops that starts to hit the glass.

"Great," he mumbles quietly and gets up to lower the window shade.

"It is just rain," provides Mick and barks a laugh when he is able to startle Barry badly enough that he actually jumps:" You are such a damn wuss, kid."

Barry glares over to the doorway of the kitchen where the other man has appeared and is now watching him with an amused and slightly taunting grin. He decides to ignore him and instead turns back to the window and, as his luck has it, it is just then when the first lightening finds its way across the sky and briefly bathes everything in a nearly painful brightness. Barry flinches back and his cheeks nearly burn in embarrassment when Mick guffaws again at his expenses.

"Sh-shut up!" hisses Barry angrily as he quickly closes the shade and thus blocks out the storm a little bit at least. He gives the other man a dirty look before he returns to the couch.

"We are inside, no matter what kind of rundown shithole this is, it will prevent you from being hit by lightening," reminds Mick unhelpfully. Barry proceeds ignoring him, at least he intend so, because his unwanted company suddenly makes his way over to him so that he comes to a stop behind just behind him. He warily glances up at him.

"Your boyfriend released another book?"

The questions is about as nonsensical and uncomfortable as Barry has expected. He fights the urge to grab the book that is now resting on the couch table in front of him and hide it from the other man's sight. Mick may have around eight years on him but he is still such an annoying brat at times.

"I l-like to read," he states and inwardly grimaces at how very defensive he sounds.

"Yeah, especially everything from professor four-eyes," agrees Mick and nods towards the book cover. Barry gives him an icy look.

"H-he is a b-brilliant man," he replies curtly but knows that Mick doesn't get it. Lisa doesn't either but Len does, in a way, and this is actually the other man's copy. Barry is pretty sure that he has no intend to read it, though, and mostly bought it for him. While Len is interested in science, it usually is the more practical and already proven kind and not the theoretical partof it that is mostly still just completely out there.

"Yeah, and rich."

"B-because he is s-such a b-brilliant m-man," points Barry out and glances back at the book:" He is a p-pioneer whose w-work w-will change the world."

The other man barks another laugh and eyes him tauntingly.

"For fuck's sake, you are such a pansy, Allen."

Barry doesn't reply. He has had enough of Mick and being called names. He grabs the book while getting up and decides he would spend the rest of the time in Len's bedroom.

The other man doesn't like anybody to go in there but he will gladly take his ire over having to spend another minute in this jackass' company.