{Learned almost everything I know without ever gaining knowledge

[myheadisaprison]

PSL with bringstheheat

Soulmates

Comments

{Fast talker, louder than a brass knocker, never learned how to watch my mouth

[notjustalostcause]

Being raised by an abusive drunk had a way of ensuring Leonard's life was never going to be an easy one, and by all accounts he was lucky enough to graduate high school. The fact that he had somehow managed to make it all the way to Central City Community College was a miracle given by the grace of some unseen god. But he made it and he's somewhere in the middle of his second semester here.

As far as he can tell, college isn't so different from high school. The cliques and groups don't just fade away and disappear because the label for the hallways changes and the classes are spread out across buildings in their own kind of cliques and departments. He is just as much a loner as he's always been, and he likes it that way. Easier to keep himself out of trouble that way.

But these are also the same idiots and assholes he's been dealing with for the near-dozen years of his school career and some of them know just the right ways to get under his skin in the worst ways. Jocks never liked him, and Leonard, at least, is glad to know some things would be forever consistent.

What started the scene outside the humanities building was hardly as important as the number of boys that currently surrounded the scrawny-looking guy running off at the mouth. There was a lot of yelling and then a fight broke out and the group of boys practically swamped Leonard. Not that he was going down without a fight-- and he gave almost as good as he got, but the numbers simply overtook him in the end.

[bringstheheat]

The fire that had killed his family was ruled accidental. Old house, bad wiring and a dry hot summer made for tragedy that was in and out of the papers just as quickly. Sure there had been whispers that the only survivor had a love of fire, but Mick had been sleeping in the barn after another of his old man's "lessons".

Foster care was a blur. Different blank looking rooms, tired parents, harried case workers. Whatever. Mick didn't care. He didn't even care that much about school until high school. A random football tryout landed him a spot on the team and he quickly became a stand out. A coach who mentored him, guided him and made sure that Mick got at least a decent scholarship. Sure it wasn't the Big Ten, but it got him into school and he was gonna do his best to get through college and do his coach proud.

He's late to practice as he catches sight of some of the other team members swarming some skinny kid who doesn't know when to shut up.

Coach is gonna be pissed.
Mick wades into the fight, pulling people off the kid and using fists and elbows and even a decent headbutt or two in order to make his point.

[notjustalostcause]

Leonard was stopped by the professor after his literature class let out that morning and approached about helping another student pick up their grade a bit. He wasn't sure why he was picked for it, but he has a lot of free time and this isn't the worst way to fill it, so he agrees. They decided a time that would work best, and the professor told him to be at the library at two, and he'll set everything up.

So, here he is, sitting at a table waiting for a person he doesn't know to maybe or maybe not show up for a tutoring session.

[bringstheheat]

Mick just doesn't get literature.
Not that he doesn't read.
It's all the questions that come after. What did this symbolize? What does this mean? He's not exactly a creature of nuance and his grades were suffering for it. Another slip and his scholarship would be in danger and he won't go back to his home town. He can't.

But finding a tutor that can help him make sense of lit is almost as frightening a prospect. He'd been written off enough times in his life, he really doesn't want it to happen again. But he's got to show, he's got to at least give it a shot so he can stay in school and on the team.

So here he is in the library, looking for the right table when he pulls up short.

It's him again.
Same skinny punk he'd pulled out of that fight.
Huh.

So much approaches and sets his books on the table. "Guess you're here to try and hammer this crap into my head?"

Pizza and Books

[bringstheheat]

They were a couple weeks into the whole tutoring thing and Mick has to admit, it's going pretty good. He'd talked Leonard into meeting him at Gino's after practice. He could grab a shower and they'd get a bite while going over the latest test, studying tips or even just bullshitting for a while and it was nice. Once Snart got comfortable with him he talked a lot, usually with his hands and damn if Mick couldn't watch him like that all day.

He's totally fucked.
He's so totally fucked.

Snart has probably keyed in to Mick wanting to work over food, he's too smart not to. But every time they packed up he'd send him home with whatever leftovers they had.
Which they always had because Mick always orders too much.

So here he is, pitcher of beer on the table and books stacked to the side, waiting for Leonard to meet him.

A crush on his tutor. He's so fucked. He can't tell Leonard because he honestly doesn't think he's interested. He sure can't tell Becky because she'd immediately start meddling. He can't talk to anyone about it really because as far as society at large is concerned, liking another guy isn't accepted, especially if you're a big guy on the football team.

[notjustalostcause]

Anything that Mick thinks he's totally screwed for, Leonard is as equally oblivious to, entirely. He never really thinks that way, and often forgets other people do and it's the sort of difference in thinking that's gotten him in some awkward positions with girls back in high school.

He feels like the tutoring sessions have been going pretty well. Mick seems to be getting the hang of some of the things they've gone over. His improvements are kind of a double-boost, one for Mick because it means his grades aren't slipping, and one for Leonard, because he knows he's actually helping.

And he can't hate that he seems to always get lunch out of the deal.

"Hey," he nods as he drops down into the chair across from him.

{I need you to get me out of my head

[notjustalostcause]

Friday night means most of the people Leonard knows are at parties or bars getting drunk and hooking up with strangers. Or not strangers. Leonard isn't the party type, but a little test anxiety and alcohol go pretty far in getting him just drunk enough to panic.

And in that panic, he ends up on a doorstep.

And that doorstep just happens to belong to Mick Rory.

And later, he might have thoughts about why ths t doorstep in particular was the one he ended up at, but that's for a calmer Leonard to debate. Right now, he'll settle for banging rapidly on the door, not caring if the occupants inside the dorm are sleeping-- though he highly doubts they are.

[bringstheheat]

Most people are out getting drunk but with the team closer to making the finals than they have been in years, Mick isn't taking any chances. The entire team isn't partying or even staying out late. They have too much at stake.

So the frantic banging on his door takes a minute to pull him out of a sound sleep before he's trudging to the door in nothing but a pair of shorts.

"This better be fuckin.. Snart? What the hell's going on? What's wrong?" He's already reaching for his wrist to draw him inside.

Little Sister knows all..

[bringstheheat]

I know you're trying to help, but please stop touching me.

Long after Leonard had fallen asleep on his couch, tucked in with one of Mick's blankets, he couldn't stop the way the words rattled around in his head.

He just.. didn't get it.
What the hell did he do that was so wrong?

It's too late to call so he picks up his phone and begins the laborious task of texting his sister.

Got no practice this weekend. Want some company?

[tacksharp]

Becky doesn't sleep normal hours. What teenager does, really. So, the answer is quick when her brother texts her, randomly, in the middle of the night.

From you? Always.

Scattered pictures

[bringstheheat]

It was habit now to meet with Lenny after classes, catch up for a few minutes here and there or just grab a bite to eat if either of them had a decent break during the day. Mick would pony up for lunch and they'd bullshit, talk about their classes or one would help the other with a tricky bit of homework.

Mick is pretty sure he'd never have passed Lit without him and it feels kind of good to know he's able to help Lenny when it comes to Chem.

They'd gotten a little too comfortable one afternoon and Lenny is bolting like a bat outta hell across the campus to get to his class on time. Only this time he'd left one of his sketchbooks behind.

So sue him. Mick's a little curious about the sketches Lenny so jealously guards. Best Mick could ever draw was stick figures so he flips open a page and.. and..
It's him.

At practice, running across the field, dropping his shoulder to take a tackle. Laughing at something. A single sketch of his eyes. One of his hands holding a beer.

It's him.

[notjustalostcause]

Leonard likes the sort-of routine that he and Mick have fallen into. Who knew that having friends was actually kind of a good thing? It's not just tutoring sessions any more, they actually just seek each other out to hang out, too, and there's something of an addictive quality to that for him. A life of isolation has left him with fewer questions from people about his homelife, and when he was living at home, that was a good thing-- but it's left this dent in the part of his life that was supposed to be largely about socialization.

There's a part of this that, if looked at clinically, would seem a lot like Leonard trying desperately to make up all the lost time with former classmates in school and throw it all into this one friendship with Mick.

Not that the guy seems to mind, so it's apparently fine.

He lost track of time and had to leave so quick to try and make it on time to class--few things Leonard hated in his daily life more than being late--that he forgot half of his stuff. No big deal, he'd just go by later and grab it.

He didn't realizeexactly what he left behind.

Later, he winds his way back to Mick's dorm, knocking in the same rhythmic knock he always uses.

{Only idiots refuse to change their minds

[tacksharp]

The visit from Mick was...abrupt and unexpected, but not unwanted, exactly, even if Becky wasn't entirely sure what had brought it all on. It took a bit to wrangle the real reason he was here out of him, explanations like pulling teeth with him as usual. She had moved them from the couch downstairs up to her room when she realized it must be something a little more personal. "Seriously, Mickey. Talk to me." She drops onto her bed, legs folded criss-cross applesauce one under the other.

[bringstheheat]

He owes her an explanation. After the fire, after everything, he owes it to his sister to be completely honest with her even if it's something he isn't really looking forward to.

So they go up to her room and he levers himself down on the bed a little stiffly. "You've heard of Unrequited bonds, right?" May as well start with the basics. He doesn't want to break his sister's heart but he won't keep this from her. "Soul bonds?"

Confession Time

[bringstheheat]

Becky was right.
He had to tell him, he had to talk to Lenny about what he could do to ease his pain.

So why not start with something simple.

Hey Lenny?
You got a second after class?
I need to talk to you.

[notjustalostcause]

One problem with the way Mick texts is everything sounds so much more urgent when it's cut down to bare necessities. Leonard will just ignore the skip in his heartbeat when he reads those words. Yeah, always. Is everything okay?

texts » Mick

[tacksharp]

» So...
» Did you talk to him?
» How did it go?
» Tell. me. EVERYTHING!

[bringstheheat]

Yeah I talked to him.
He kinda freaked out.
Asked him how he felt about me.
Him: I don't know.


You were right. He's people dumb.

Fire Fire Burning Higher

[bringstheheat]

Even after dropping a bomb on Snart about them being soulmates, things eventually started to go back to normal. Or at least as normal as life got for them. Lenny would come to his dorm or he'd wander over there, crowd in a little easier to ease the discomfort of his marks for a little.

Hell even the team dinner wasn't a total fuckin disaster.
It was almost fun.
The food was good and the company? Well. That was Lenny so of course Mick was happy and even the guys on the team didn't screw with them that night.

It was the bonfire party the night before the big game that had Mick pacing in his dorm, stomach in knots. His therapist had given him some emergency meds but he can't take them - it's too late. And he has to stand with the team, he has to have a clear head in the morning.

Fuck.
He's screwed.

Snart. Lenny said he'd be there. Maybe that'll be enough to keep him from getting lost. He has to hope that it is.

[notjustalostcause]

The news Mick had dropped on him really didn't change too much for Leonard. Except there was a bit of a tailspin of confusion of what the hell it was actually supposed to mean, and how was he supposed to fix it? His research hasn't come up with much that lends to a lot of hope, but he hasn't given up yet. And in the meantime, at least they know a way to make things easier to Mick for the time being. He had been kind of pleasantly surprised at how well the team dinner had gone. There was a lot less of an ordeal made out of his being Mick's plus one than Leonard had anticipated-- which is fine, because he'd rather not be in anyone's spotlight for any reason anyway. But for now the research and all thoughts of what the soulmate thing even means is tabled for something more fun. Or it should be. Leonard's social circle is basically a line between two points-- said points being himself and Mick-- but he does things with Mick in social settings he wouldn't normally engage in because Mick wants to do them. Plus, a bonfire was sure to have beer and he could always go for that. He's gotten so used to entering without warning, Leonard simply doesn't bother with announcing himself anymore. Finding Mick pacing in his room is a little odd. Really, wasn't that sort of stress-behavior more his thing? "You...okay?" He asks cautiously, hanging in the doorway for a moment as he watches.

{Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

[notjustalostcause]

Mick has a test coming up in two days and he insisted on a cram session tonight after practice. Leonard was pretty sure he had everything under control, but... he'd do anything to make the other boy more confident in himself, so the door was left unlocked for when he showed up. And when he did, there was no knock or announcement, Mick just let himself in because this is just the way they were with each other now. It's been a couple hours of flashcards and mini quiz questions being thrown around, and Leonard's stretched across the width of the bed, fingers linked behind his head as he stares up at the ceiling, trying to think of his next question. "A comparison of two things using like or as is..." He turns his head to look over at him.

[bringstheheat]

This isn't finals week, but midterms are pretty damn important and Mick knows he can't fuck this up. He needs a B or higher and he needs Lenny to help him.

He huffs, yanking out the lighter in his pocket and just keeps flicking it open and closed. "Metaphor. Fuck, no it's the other one."

Text to Becky

[bringstheheat]

[The text comes the next morning, after Mick has seen Lenny back off to his own dorm room and the hectic crush of the rest of finals week.

.. but if he doesn't tell his sister she'll straight up stab him.]

I did it.


I kissed him.

[tacksharp]

[Becky is on her walk to school when her brother texts her. And it might be good he text instead of called, because there is a high-pitched squeal of absolute delight when she opens it and reads it.] AND???? Tell me things! How did it go? Will there be a 2nd date? ❤️💋😍

{Blurring all the lines, you intoxicate me

[notjustalostcause]

The thing about new experiences is, while they're new, they're absolutely addictive, and when there's a layer of rule-breaking or norm-bending attached to it, it sort of adds to it. Leonard doesn't know what, specifically, it is that he and Mick are doing. They haven't discussed it, really, or tried to apply any labels, and that's fine by him. But they are spending a lot more time together that is a lot less study-focused and Leonard has no complaints about it yet. But there is a less-comfortable level of it all too. They can't really be who they are in anything like public circles. Not that Leonard would be much of a fan of PDA, but most boys their age were wildly homophobic, paranoid about anything they did being somehow twisted and misconstrued. Even the smallest of actions could be judged, whether the assumption behind it was true or not. Leonard's favorite place these days was in the dorms, who's didn't matter, because they both had relatively absent roommates and could get more time alone than anyone might have anticipated at the beginning of the year. He's stretched out across his bed with his head resting in Mick's lap, flipping Mick's zippo between his fingers in small circles. He hasn't stopped carrying it, even though he never uses it at all. "Hard To Kill comes out next week. You like Steven Seagal movies, right?"

[bringstheheat]

Mick is content. Happier than he's been in ages.
His soul marks hum when they're close and he's no longer struggling to get through the pain every day.

Sure his coach and some of the players know about him but for the sake of the team everyone keeps their mouths shut about Mick and his relationship with Snart. They might not like it, but bad press affects them all so silence is the word.

It doesn't matter if they can't go out, can't appear as more than friends in public because in the dorms, behind closed doors, they can have little moments like this. Moments with Lenny's head in his lap and Mick scritching blunt nails across his scalp as they relax in the quiet.

He tears his eyes away from nimble fingers toying with the lighter he'd given him the very first day that they'd kissed. "Hn? Oh yeah , yeah his stuff ain't bad. Plenty of action." Not a ninja movie, but not everything can be, right?