Mick was sitting in the containment unit staring out when Leonard came in. He hated seeing Mick in the containment unit but he knew that was the best place for him. Mick just stared forward as Leonard took a seat across from him.
"Little Ms. Sunshine thinks we should have a chat" Leonard said in his normal drawl. Mick just stared in front of him. "She says we need to have a heart to heart" Leonard continued, ignoring Mick's ever icy stare. "So whatcha say Mickey, for old times sake you tell me why in gods name you turned your back on us, on me" Len finished quietly. Mick stuck up his middle finger and Leonard pushed over the box he was sitting on and slammed his hands against the containment unit. "Dammit Mick, I'm trying to play nice here, play along for five minutes" Leonard screamed. Mick stared at him with a fear in his eyes. He wasn't scared. It was something else. "Fine, sit your parka wearing ass down and I will tell you" Mick growled. Leonard sat down and waited.
"I'm not surprised that piss ant captain and young captain morals didn't say anything to you" Mick said looking straight at Leonard. Leonard looked at him with a confused look. Mick sighed and laid back against the glass. He knew Len had a soft spot for these people but damn he didn't know he was this blind to them. He tried to take a deep breath. This was Len and he still had some faith in him, he guessed. Len tried to read Mick but he couldn't figure him out. It was like he was someone he had never met before but still the same man he had spent so many years working with. They both stared at each other until Mick repositioned himself and started talking again.
"So, when we boarded the ship, Jax, Rip and I got our asses caught and thrown into a holding bay. Nobody would listen to me about how to get away safely and so we sat in there. While you were playing cuddle parka with blonde" Leonard's eyes grew big at that. How did Mick find out what Sara and him were doing while they were on that ship. "Oh Len, don't look so surprised. I had Rip's electronic bitch tell me what had happened when I, or should I say chronos, took over the waverider. Anyways, back to what I was saying".
Leonard just stared at Mick trying to figure out what happened to him, he knew what the time keepers did after they left him but this was coming from a different place, a more hurt place. "Mick, Sara and I were stuck in the hold, we were just trying to stay warm nothing else" Len said trying to calm him down. Mick looked away and continued his story.
"While we were trapped on that crazy ship, Rip had a very special heart to heart with me while Jax just stood and stared. See, Rip and I got into a small fight while being held hostage. He decided to get into my face and ask me if I was gonna hurt him. That didn't bother me, it was when Rip said and I quote 'No I recruited You because you and your partner were a packaged deal.' And then something about not recruiting an arsonist and in his words 'someone with an I.Q. of meat'" Mick stopped and Len could see tears forming at the edges of his eyes. Those words hurt him to the core. They were words he had heard before a lot of times but for some reason this time hurt him. Len looked at Mick with sadness in his eyes.
Len slammed his fists on the glass. He was mad. Mick betrayed them because Rip had said some mean things to him. He couldn't believe it. "Mick, your a bigger ass than I thought. You would betray your whole team just cause someone hurt your feelings" Len yelled through the glass. Len saw Mick physically cringe when he yelled. "If you don't like it when I yell then why do you do stupid shit like this" Len screamed again. Mick cringed and looked away. "Dammit Mick talk to me" Len said trying to calm down.
Mick looked at Len and said "I had a plan but no one wanted to listen to the piece of meat. No one wanted to trust in me, not even you. I was going to take the ship and once we were away from the other one I was going to sic our little gang on them but why listen to meat and your old friend when you have boobs and butt to keep you company." Mick said not caring if Len saw him cry.
Len fell back on to the box he was sitting on. Mick had thought it all out and not one of them listened, even him. If only they had. Mick wouldn't have been tortured by the time keepers and they might've had an ally in the fight against Savage. Len looked at the broken man inside of the containment unit. They had made him this way, not the time keepers, not the chronos program but them. And most of all their not so admirable captain. He really would do anything to get what he wants, even sacrifice someone else.
Len took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do. He waved his hand in front of the unit and walked inside. He flinched just a little when Mick stood to his full size. Mick raised his already clenched fist. Len closed his eyes and readied himself for the blow but instead he felt himself pulled into Mick's chest. He laid his head against it and listened to Mick's heart beat. It was the same heart beat he had heard a million times whenever he needed caught. Len let the tears flow as he realized just how much he failed the man that was holding him. Mick sat down on the bench pulling Len onto his lap. He then wiped away the tears, brushed Len's cheek with the back of his hand and pulled him into a tender kiss. There was no hate, or anger, just love and forgiveness. Len deepened the kiss. They stayed like that for quite a few minutes. It was finally Len who reluctantly pulled away. "We have a captain to go see" Len said with a wicked smile that Mick returned generously. Sweeping Len into his arms the two of them walked out of the detention center.
There was a group gasp when they walked in. Jax and Stein looked fearful that Len was in danger while Sara and Kendra were already in fighting position. Ray and Rip kept an eye from the sides. Mick stood Len down on the floor. "Unbunch your panties ladies, Mick didn't lay a finger on me but I do have some words for our fearless captain" Leonard said as he walked over to Rip. Standing in front of Rip, Len pulled his arm back and punched Rip straight in the jaw. "That's for telling Mick he had the I.Q. of meat" and then he hit him again and said "that's for not even trying to listen to what he had to say." Len looked around the room. "I should hit all of you but I'm not going to. Mick had a plan. A plan to get out of that situation easier and none of the people who should've listened did." He went over and kissed Mick on the cheek and nestled into his arms.
Everyone looked on sheepishly as the two men headed into Mick's room and shut the door. They learned at that moment that judging someone by first encounters and calling people names can really cause hurt and pain to all.