Apples
It was the last weekend of the farmer's market.
Like everything spring brings and fall takes, Mick had to leave. That was the price of dating a guardian of time.
Caitlin didn't mind. She herself had her own struggles to worry about now, her own mess to make sense of, her own fears to face alone.
(God forbid the year Mick Rory becomes a hero being also the year Caitlin Snow becomes a villain, 2016 sounded really fucked up)
They talked it out, made peace with the separation. Sounded like they'd been together in forever, not almost three months. Felt that way too.
Life was so weird, burning as fast as the spark could last, leaving frozen specks of memories to tell the story.
Caitlin brought an apple close to her nose to smell it, the richness and sweetness of the fruit bringing her back to old memories from when her father was still alive and they'd bake pies together for her grandma's favorite fall festival. If she had an apple tree like the one in her childhood home, she'd be one happy person, for sure. It was only when she picked her third apple that she heard his voice.
"Come on, mate, there's got to be some good avocados left still," Mick complained. Caitlin turned around and saw him with his back to her a couple of tends down.
"It's a tropical fruit, Mick," the farmer said apologetically. "You know how those things work here up North."
She could physically see him sigh because he was so big, with such large shoulders. She left her little basket of apples behind and came closer to him.
"Do you have any idea how terrible that fabricated food is?" he wondered frustrated, and Caitlin couldn't help but smile. The farmer sighed too.
"I know, dude," he said. "No one should eat that industrialized shit."
She chuckled.
"Trouble in paradise?" Caitlin asked, interrupting them, and Mick turned to her.
"The avocados, Cait," he said defeated. "They are gone."
She knew how much he liked the fruit, if she gathered correctly guacamole was his favorite food, he put it in everything.
"You know we don't have those things in the Waverider, how am I supposed to copy with Haircut if I don't even have consolation food?"
Cait patted his shoulder friendly, as consolation.
"You know," she said. "There's a tree at Cisco's parents' house. If you ask Lisa, maybe she can get you some."
Mick thought about it for a second.
"She did say that his family loved her," he observed. She smiled. "How you doing, Doc?"
"I'm all right," she said. "Choosing some apples and spices. You?"
He looked down at the many fruits in front of them, at his bags with no avocado in them and pouted. It was quite the scene.
"Could be better, but well," he complained.
"Can't always get what you want?" Caitlin completed and Mick nodded eyeing her with those grey eyes of his.
"Just sometimes, or for a limited amount of time," he answered.
She closed her mouth taken aback. She knew the feeling, understood it perfectly.
"We had good times, didn't we?" Mick asked and Cait smiled.
"That we did," she said. There was a lot going out in her head, but not enough space in her mouth to turn them into words. Just like everything spring seeds, Mick had made room in her, but now it was time to bed it. "When do you leave?"
"Tonight for Star City," he said and she nodded.
"I guess I'll see you on the other side, then," Caitlin said and despite what anyone but her would expect, Mick smiled – a crooked smile, only for trained eyes, but a smile all the same.
Satisfied, she walked by him back to the stand where she was choosing the apples before, and she didn't look back to see if he was looking, but she did hear him say-
"You betcha, Doc."
-which was his own way of promising that even though the summer was over, they didn't need to be.
a/n: thank you so very much for sticking around and waiting, and for leaving your thoughts during this little journey. It was fun to write this fic and I hope you all enjoyed. x