Movie Night

[myheadisaprison]

Pick a character and a movie and let's have a comfy night in on the couch!

Comments

For Leonard

[fromqueens]

[ Sometimes it was easy to forget that for all his cleverness and quick thinking, Leonard Snart was still only human. Not that Peter wasn't human, but he at least had the effects of the spiderbite working in his favor to help him recover from things quickly. He knew that Leonard would never actually ask for any kind of help in his recovery, maybe especially from him, but the guy had come through for him enough times that Peter felt like keeping him company during some of his recovery was the least he could do.

Which is why he arrives at his front door, backpack slung over his shoulder with a sack of two of Delmar's (Best Sandwich place in Queens) specials and a bowl of soup. There's no sign of the costume. Leonard worked out who Peter was months ago, and Peter's slowly worked out who Leonard isn't. ]

Hey, thought you could use some company. [ He swings his bag around, unwittingly unzipping it like some 1990s drug dealer.] I bought some movies, I think you'd like too.

For Len

[hottestrogue]

They didn't really do dates. Especially not the romantic kind. But it was their anniversary, well, the date that Mick had saved Len from being stabbed in the juvie and the first time they'd met. It had been thirty years now and Mick figured that deserved something special. So he had gotten them a movie, a couple of them actually, new movies they'd talked about seeing but never had gotten around to and then made snacks. Looking at the table he wonders if he overdid it. There is enough for a crowd, not just the two of them. Ah well, they could have a nice few days then. He grabs a beer and settles on the couch and waits for Len to come home.

[mypriority]

Let it be known that between the two of them, Mick is the more sentimental one. Not that Leonard doesn't care, or even that he doesn't notice things like anniversaries. He tends to just not call attention to things personally.

But he never denies Mick the satisfaction when a mood for it strikes, either.

Leonard pauses for a moment as he walks into the living room to the elaborate set up. "What's all this?" He asks, an amused lilt in his tone as he kicks off his shoes and shrugs off his jacket.

[mypriority]

[Sometimes, particularly in his line of work--be it the criminal side or otherwise because he's weirdly multifaceted that way--Leonard gets pretty banged up. It's just a fact of life and one he learned far earlier than he should have. Arguably the worst and most annoying injuries are the ones that he can t actually so anything about except wait it out. Like bruised ribs and fractures. ]

Company. Sure. [Who is Leonard to turn away free food and, apparently, movies. He settles back on the couch after letting Peter inside and watches him drag things out of his bag. Color him curious.] What movies?

[hottestrogue]

Mick grins up at him and offers him a bottle of beer. "Just a movie night." He isn't sure Len knows why, but it doesn't matter. "Got a couple of the movies we've been looking to watch." He reaches out to grab a chicken drumstick to eat. It is nice and spicy, almost a tad too much.

[mypriority]

"Yeah?" He takes the beer and settles on the couch next to Mick. Truth told, Leonard doesn't know the exact reason, but he knows there must be one and he's appreciative on that note alone. "Prefect." He grabs a handful of popcorn and drops a few pieces in his mouth. "What's first?"

[hottestrogue]

"Well, I figured you could pick, but you know I will always go for the one that has more action." He grins. "Everything going alright with the plans?"

[mypriority]

"Always," he smirks, amused. He nods a little, "Yeah, I think I got all the kinks worked out with the one problematic guard." Because there's always a problematic person on security detail that takes up too much of his time on jobs like this.

He shifts through a the movies Mick had picked up and debates for a second before deciding on Heist. "This one." Because sometimes? He's incredibly predictable and obvious.

[hottestrogue]

Mick nods and walks over to put the movie in the dvd player. "You know we could always work out his kinks another way." Mick's got a pretty big repertoire in bed, including some pretty kinky stuff when the mood hits him. He settles back down on the couch with a bit of a smirk and then reaches for the beer again. "You know, maybe we should sell some of the stories we got to some movie."

[mypriority]

Leonard laughs at the suggestion. "Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" There's no heat in his voice, purely amused and light and teasing. He sips at his beer some more and considers it. "Think we'd really make money on it?"

[hottestrogue]

"Probably, some of our stories could sell better than that one." He nods to the movie about to start. "But it does sound an awful lot like work." He chuckles and wraps an arm around Len. "Happy anniversary, Lenny."

[mypriority]

"It would be. We'd need writing teams and directors and picking people to play us," He wrinkles his nose a little at the idea of it. "We'd never find the right people." He leans easily into Mick's side when that arm slides around him. This is a place he always feels safe and comfortable, in ways a much younger version of himself never dreamed possible. "Anniv--" He stops mid-word and chuckles softly. "You sap." he mumbles, leaning up to kiss him softly.

[fromqueens]

Some really old ones.

[ He pulls out a Star Wars trilogy set, Aliens, Back to the Future, The Goonies and Stand By Me. They're a little dusty, but for the most part well cared for. At the corner of each, there's a B.P. carefully printed in sharpie. He spreads them out on the couch. ]

I wasn't sure what you'd be in the mood for. [ What kind of movies do career criminals watch? He tried to avoid any involving master criminal plans. That's why he left Die Hard behind. He looks up at Leonard, taking him in.] How's the...?

[ He gestures towards Leonard, his eyes narrowing in sympathy. ]How are you holding up?

[mypriority]

[Leonard can't help wondering what Peter considers "really old". He looks through the movies and slowly turns his head to look up at the younger boy.] Can you not make it sound like my childhood was a century ago? [A beat.] Have you seen any of these?

I've had worse. [At the hands of his father, no less, but he hasn't gone that far back in his life story with Peter yet and he doesn't really plan on starting today.]

[hottestrogue]

"Just don't tell anyone, alright?" He kisses Len back. "No, I can't imagine anyone being able to do you justice." He grins and then settles in to watch the movie, sipping his beer as he does so.

[mypriority]

"No one would believe me," he teases, smirking up at him. "Nobody could pull you off in a movie." he admits, still smirking as he settles against Mick's side. He can be a cagey brat about anything even vaguely shaped like affection, but there are occasions when he indulges it. And this feels like a very food moment for such a thing.

[fromqueens]

Okay, just like a quarter of a century ago. [ He glances down at the spread and smiles faintly. ] Yeah, all of them. What about you?

[ Peter raises his eyebrows at that, but he doesn't push.] I wasn't sure if you could stomach solids, so I brought some soup too. I know you're not sick, but I thought soup is always good, right? Anyway, you can eat it later if you don't want it now.

[ He glances around the apartment. ] So this is your evil lair, huh?

[mypriority]

[He wrinkles his nose a little in distaste at that. Peter is a brat sometimes. Like a little brother. Leonard didn't entirely know what to do with that, as the only sibling he'd ever had was Lisa and there's a difference, for sure, between bratty little sisters and bratty little brothers.]

Yeah, I've seen all of them. Didn't really get into the hype of Star Wars the way some people did, though. [That's not to say he doesn't like the movies. But there's liking them and there's....Cisco.] Of course, I was...five when the first one came out, so... [A wave of one hand.]

What kind of soup? [The important questions.

There's a smirk at Peter's own question.] Yeah, does it live up to your expectations?

[fromqueens]

Hey, don't knock, Star Wars. It actually came in pretty handy fighting Ant Man. [ Then again, he had gotten knocked flat two seconds later, but still. ] See? Then you're not that old.

Chicken noodle. [ Was there any other kind of feel better type soup? Not that Peter knew of. There was the weird stuff that his Aunt May tried to cook, but this was the stuff that actually made Peter feel better when he was sick. He picks up a picture of Leonard, another guy and a really gorgeous woman, holding it up. ]

Wow, is this your girlfriend?

[mypriority]

[He's just gonna give you a Look at that first bit, Peter. But it softens, the tiniest amount, at the last comment.] Thanks...

From a can or homemade? [Look. Look. There's a difference, okay?!]

Huh? [Girlfriend? What's that? But then he looks at the picture Peter is holding and he chokes on the beer he'd just been taking a sip of.] God, no! That's my sister.

[fromqueens]

Homemade. [ Pause. ] I'm like 90% sure.

[ 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?

[mypriority]

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.

[fromqueens]

[ 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. ]

[mypriority]

[Definitely for the best.

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.]

[fromqueens]

[ 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. ]

Is that why you came to New York?

[hottestrogue]

"You are damn right." It is one of the benefits of having cultivated a certain image for his entire life. "Though I wouldn't mind seeing them try. Could be fun." He laughs a little before he settles in to watch the movie.

[mypriority]

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.

[fromqueens]

[ 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.

[mypriority]

[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?

[fromqueens]

[ Peter shrugs and looks over at him. ]

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.

[mypriority]

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?

[fromqueens]

Because you're a good guy.

[ 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.

[mypriority]

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.]

Please. [He drawls.] Don't insult me.

[That earns a smirk.] I'll never tell.

[fromqueens]

You're more good than bad.

[ 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?

[mypriority]

[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.

[fromqueens]

It hurts to breathe?

[ 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?

[mypriority]

Ever had bruised ribs before, kid? Yeah, breathing hurts. [He's smirking a little, watching him.] I'm fine. I've had worse, I promise.