[ Peter's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, not only at Leonard, King of Cool, losing his cool but also at the fact that his sister looks like that. ] That's your sister?
[ He takes another look and then lets out a low breath, putting the picture back. ] She's... uh, very pretty. Sorry for... [ He licks his lips. ] Who is the other guy? Your brother?
All right, good. [It's the only way to eat chicken soup, okay?]
Yes... and I'm aware. Lisa would eat you alive, Peter, don't even try. [True? Yes. Necessary for this conversation? No, but it might be fun to watch him squirm.]
No... [His voice drops low and quiet, all of the humor gone from his tone. His eyes are on the beer in his hand, resting against his knee.] That's Mick... he was... [He hesitates, not sure how to explain it to him. Even the term they'd always attached to themselves, in a layer of ways, didn't feel like enough.] important.
[ Peter decides it's best if he doesn't voice his opinion on whether or not he'd be okay with Lisa Snart eating him alive. Leonard is probably right, but that doesn't mean Peter would mind. Still, he's aware that this is her brother and the last thing he wants to do is disrespect him. Not after everything he's done for him. ]
Trying? I wouldn't... I mean, out of respect for you. Plus, she's way out of my league.
[ He's instantly aware of the air in the room changing. Shifting into something different and the smile on his face fades at the new timbre in Leonard's voice. Peter moves to the couch, taking a seat beside him. ]
Important? [ He should back off. Respect Leonard's privacy, but there's something about seeing him so affected. It's a side of him that Peter's only caught glimpses of, here and there. He can't help but ask for a little more. ]
But with the turn of conversation, he can't even be bothered to continue the line of thought about Lisa.
He can't blame Peter for asking, for being curious, because once they knew each other for who they actually were and more than just an over-the-top thief and a vigilante, there was no denying the kid must have seen things in him. Tiny things that were blink-and-it's-gone moments that could easily be questioned as having existed at all. But this was different. This was bigger. Nothing completely unbridled, because Leonard is always, always too put together for that, but comparatively, it probably seemed it.
He's quiet for a long stretch of minutes after Peter's question, trying to decide what, and how much, to tell him. He sets the half-empty beer on the table beside the couch and looks over to the younger man now suddenly next to him. ]
We met in juvie. I mouthed off to the wrong boys and nearly got my ass handed to me, but Mick stepped in and saved me. And he spent the next three decades doing that. [His eyes fall back down to his hands in his lap, fingers twisting together as he talks.]
We weren't...perfect. Or....healthy, in the way we dealt with things, most of the time, but... we were practically all the other had. [A slight frown slides across his features as he continues.] And he always stayed... no matter how awful I was to him, or how bad things got, he never really left. And when he did, he always came back. People aren't loyal, the way Mick was loyal. And he wasn't like that for anyone but me and Lise.
[There's a pause as he considers his words again.] He was my best friend... and my partner in....every conceivable use of the word. And he kept looking out for me until the end. [There's a bitter sound that's too humorless to really be a laugh that escapes him.] The last thing he did was to save my ass, just one more time. Kinda came full circle, I guess...
[This sort of raw openness isn't natural for him, but he hasn't talked about it once since Mick died at The Vanishing Point. And Peter is this completely distanced third-party, who barely knew him, and never knew Mick at all, and somehow that makes it easier.]
[ He's never actually seen Leonard be this open and the truth is, Peter is afraid of shattering the moment. Of course it hadn't taken him long to figure out there was more to Leonard Snart than what one could see on the surface. And there were parts of him that shone through, despite the demeanor he kept in place most of the time, but this was something else entirely. Peter swallows, nodding slightly as he talks about Mick right up until the end.
Peter doesn't know what to say. He knows from experience that there's nothing you can say. Some things there just aren't the right words for. ]
You were lucky to have someone like him.
[ He fixes his gaze on the floor, trying to imagine what it would be like to lose a best friend and partner after thirty years. It's heartbreaking. ]
Yeah, I was. [He knew it, he'd always known it, and he'd still done so much he shouldn't have. Taken Mick's choices away from him, micromanaged so much, done everything he could to keep his pyro on something of a leash.
There are a lot of things he regrets, but Leonard knows himself well enough to admit that there are fewer things he's ha e done different, if given the chance. And he thinks a lot about how he absolutely has the means for a do-over at his fingertips. Or he did, before he bailed from the Waverider.
He nods a little at that question and finally looks back up at Peter.] Yeah, I couldn't stay where I was, and I couldn't go home.
[ Peter glances over at him, fighting the urge to slap a hand on his shoulder. They've come a long way since that first meeting, but this isn't Ned. If anything, Leonard reminds him more of MJ. Prickly with a tough exterior.
He licks his lips and takes a deep breath.]
It was kind of the opposite with me. I mean, not that my uncle Ben was the same as you and Mick... but he was practically my dad in a lot of ways. When he died... [ It's been two years and he still gets emotional talking about it. That's probably why he doesn't talk about it. ] I don't know if I'll ever be able to leave Queens. Almost every square block has one memory or another. Sometimes, I think he's just going to show up. Stick his key in the door and walk inside.
[ He shakes his head, giving a small huff at his own foolishness. ] There's his completely illogical part of me that thinks if I leave, I'll miss him if he comes back. Like there's enough of him left here to make a whole.
[ He clears his throat. ] But that's not going to happen. He's gone. And it sucks.
Edited (inappropriate icon) Date: 2018-06-16 12:44 am (UTC)
[Objectively, Leonard knows when people compare a person to a father-figure, it's supposed to be a good thing, but there's this small, internal bitter thing that rises up inside of him at the thought.
But more than that, he can't imagine trapping himself in the city with memories tied everywhere he goes.] How does that kind of thing not just swallow you whole?
Why? [He almost lets that be all he says, but there's this tension from the turn of the conversation and it's the kind of thing that makes his chest feel like it might explode, so he does the only thing he knows to do to lighten it a bit-- and makes a joke, that both is and isn't a joke at the same time. There's even a smirk on his face when he says it.] Because I'm actually a challenge to catch, compared to these other two-bit crooks you throw in jail every other week?
[ If Peter's anything, it's painfully earnest. Even if he knows that this isn't exactly Leonard's thing. He thinks maybe he needs to hear it sometimes.
He tilts his head.]
And you can be challenging, but not the way you mean it.
[ He grins and leans back on the couch, crossing his feet at the ankles.]
Besides, if I throw you in jail, you're just going to break out again. I'm still not convinced you didn't cause that satellite thing somehow.
Not really. [He shakes his head, but he'll take it, he supposes he can't really change Peter's own opinions, no matter what he does or says at this point.]
[ And it is pretty futile trying to convince him otherwise, but he doesn't think Leonard would bother wasting his time. He does actually keep Peter on his toes and Peter supposes as long as no one gets hurt, he's okay with that. Maybe he shouldn't make concessions, but then again his mentor is Tony Stark and he makes rules just so he can break them. ]
How long before I've got to worry about you on the streets again, anyway?
[There's a soft, disagreeing tsk at that.] You're ridiculous.
[He shrugs a little at the question.] I dunno. Few weeks at least. I kind of need to be able to breathe without being in pain before I can push it too much.
[ Peter gives him an unhappy frown as if Leonard has chosen to be recovering. He takes him in, his eyes lingering on the spot where he knows there are cracked or healing ribs. He straightens up, taking his feet off the couch and reaching out to pat a pillow down where his leg had momentarily made a small indent. ]
You know, you should have someone here looking after you. [ Peter picks up The Goonies and pretends to read the back of the dvd cover.] Family. Maybe your sister?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2018-06-11 01:14 am (UTC)[ Peter's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, not only at Leonard, King of Cool, losing his cool but also at the fact that his sister looks like that. ] That's your sister?
[ He takes another look and then lets out a low breath, putting the picture back. ] She's... uh, very pretty. Sorry for... [ He licks his lips. ] Who is the other guy? Your brother?
no subject
Date: 2018-06-11 01:59 am (UTC)Yes... and I'm aware. Lisa would eat you alive, Peter, don't even try. [True? Yes. Necessary for this conversation? No, but it might be fun to watch him squirm.]
No... [His voice drops low and quiet, all of the humor gone from his tone. His eyes are on the beer in his hand, resting against his knee.] That's Mick... he was... [He hesitates, not sure how to explain it to him. Even the term they'd always attached to themselves, in a layer of ways, didn't feel like enough.] important.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-11 02:58 am (UTC)Trying? I wouldn't... I mean, out of respect for you. Plus, she's way out of my league.
[ He's instantly aware of the air in the room changing. Shifting into something different and the smile on his face fades at the new timbre in Leonard's voice. Peter moves to the couch, taking a seat beside him. ]
Important? [ He should back off. Respect Leonard's privacy, but there's something about seeing him so affected. It's a side of him that Peter's only caught glimpses of, here and there. He can't help but ask for a little more. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-06-11 03:38 am (UTC)But with the turn of conversation, he can't even be bothered to continue the line of thought about Lisa.
He can't blame Peter for asking, for being curious, because once they knew each other for who they actually were and more than just an over-the-top thief and a vigilante, there was no denying the kid must have seen things in him. Tiny things that were blink-and-it's-gone moments that could easily be questioned as having existed at all. But this was different. This was bigger. Nothing completely unbridled, because Leonard is always, always too put together for that, but comparatively, it probably seemed it.
He's quiet for a long stretch of minutes after Peter's question, trying to decide what, and how much, to tell him. He sets the half-empty beer on the table beside the couch and looks over to the younger man now suddenly next to him. ]
We met in juvie. I mouthed off to the wrong boys and nearly got my ass handed to me, but Mick stepped in and saved me. And he spent the next three decades doing that. [His eyes fall back down to his hands in his lap, fingers twisting together as he talks.]
We weren't...perfect. Or....healthy, in the way we dealt with things, most of the time, but... we were practically all the other had. [A slight frown slides across his features as he continues.] And he always stayed... no matter how awful I was to him, or how bad things got, he never really left. And when he did, he always came back. People aren't loyal, the way Mick was loyal. And he wasn't like that for anyone but me and Lise.
[There's a pause as he considers his words again.] He was my best friend... and my partner in....every conceivable use of the word. And he kept looking out for me until the end. [There's a bitter sound that's too humorless to really be a laugh that escapes him.] The last thing he did was to save my ass, just one more time. Kinda came full circle, I guess...
[This sort of raw openness isn't natural for him, but he hasn't talked about it once since Mick died at The Vanishing Point. And Peter is this completely distanced third-party, who barely knew him, and never knew Mick at all, and somehow that makes it easier.]
no subject
Date: 2018-06-11 12:30 pm (UTC)Peter doesn't know what to say. He knows from experience that there's nothing you can say. Some things there just aren't the right words for. ]
You were lucky to have someone like him.
[ He fixes his gaze on the floor, trying to imagine what it would be like to lose a best friend and partner after thirty years. It's heartbreaking. ]
Is that why you came to New York?
no subject
Date: 2018-06-12 12:58 am (UTC)There are a lot of things he regrets, but Leonard knows himself well enough to admit that there are fewer things he's ha e done different, if given the chance. And he thinks a lot about how he absolutely has the means for a do-over at his fingertips. Or he did, before he bailed from the Waverider.
He nods a little at that question and finally looks back up at Peter.] Yeah, I couldn't stay where I was, and I couldn't go home.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-16 12:42 am (UTC)He licks his lips and takes a deep breath.]
It was kind of the opposite with me. I mean, not that my uncle Ben was the same as you and Mick... but he was practically my dad in a lot of ways. When he died... [ It's been two years and he still gets emotional talking about it. That's probably why he doesn't talk about it. ] I don't know if I'll ever be able to leave Queens. Almost every square block has one memory or another. Sometimes, I think he's just going to show up. Stick his key in the door and walk inside.
[ He shakes his head, giving a small huff at his own foolishness. ] There's his completely illogical part of me that thinks if I leave, I'll miss him if he comes back. Like there's enough of him left here to make a whole.
[ He clears his throat. ] But that's not going to happen. He's gone. And it sucks.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-19 04:25 am (UTC)But more than that, he can't imagine trapping himself in the city with memories tied everywhere he goes.] How does that kind of thing not just swallow you whole?
no subject
Date: 2018-06-19 05:33 am (UTC)For me it's easier to have that than not have it.
[ But he gets that it's not the same for Leonard. That he's trying to make a new start of things.]
For what it's worth, I'm glad you ended up here.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-19 06:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 01:15 am (UTC)[ If Peter's anything, it's painfully earnest. Even if he knows that this isn't exactly Leonard's thing. He thinks maybe he needs to hear it sometimes.
He tilts his head.]
And you can be challenging, but not the way you mean it.
[ He grins and leans back on the couch, crossing his feet at the ankles.]
Besides, if I throw you in jail, you're just going to break out again. I'm still not convinced you didn't cause that satellite thing somehow.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 02:00 am (UTC)Please. [He drawls.] Don't insult me.
[That earns a smirk.] I'll never tell.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-05 07:02 pm (UTC)[ And it is pretty futile trying to convince him otherwise, but he doesn't think Leonard would bother wasting his time. He does actually keep Peter on his toes and Peter supposes as long as no one gets hurt, he's okay with that. Maybe he shouldn't make concessions, but then again his mentor is Tony Stark and he makes rules just so he can break them. ]
How long before I've got to worry about you on the streets again, anyway?
no subject
Date: 2018-07-12 02:28 am (UTC)[He shrugs a little at the question.] I dunno. Few weeks at least. I kind of need to be able to breathe without being in pain before I can push it too much.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-14 02:24 am (UTC)[ Peter gives him an unhappy frown as if Leonard has chosen to be recovering. He takes him in, his eyes lingering on the spot where he knows there are cracked or healing ribs. He straightens up, taking his feet off the couch and reaching out to pat a pillow down where his leg had momentarily made a small indent. ]
You know, you should have someone here looking after you. [ Peter picks up The Goonies and pretends to read the back of the dvd cover.] Family. Maybe your sister?
no subject
Date: 2018-08-15 05:43 am (UTC)I'm fine. I've had worse, I promise.