Legacies of Disaster

It was hard to find beauty in a city as harsh and unforgiving as Star City but, despite the rough edges, Christmas really was a beautiful time of year to visit. Especially at night. The lights that glittered in the street were whimsical, like something out of a cheesy Hallmark movie. And people actually walked the footpaths with smiles on their faces and no trace of fear in their hearts. It was - for lack of a better word - magical.

“Are you going to put that phone away, love?” Adam asked, walking close to William and bumping his shoulder softly. “You’ll end up to running into someone.”

“Just a minute. I just want to check my messages.” William didn’t even look up from the device, scrolling the screen as if he was looking for something. While he didn’t say it out loud, he trusted the other man to help him avoid any accidental crashes. It was a big step for him to do that and Adam knew it, treasuring that trust like a dragon hoards gold.

“I thought you did that before we left to come Christmas shopping.” Adam kept his pace slow and eyes on the bustling around them. He hadn’t cast some sort of people repellent charm (not that such a thing existed in his knowledge) but, regardless, the other pedestrians were side stepping them, allowing them to continue on their path without swerving.

“That was my other phone.” William paused in his scrolling to show his boyfriend the phone. “This is one my grandparents gave me before we left Central City.” To be honest, Adam couldn’t tell the difference but technology wasn’t his thing. It kind of looked a little antique though. Maybe it was a different phone.

“Why would they give you an old phone with messages on it?” Adam shot William a confused look. “Did they steal it from someone and are now getting you to wipe it? Or something?”

“What?! No!” The outlandish idea had William stop in his tracks and scrunch his face up in a confused look. “It’s my phone. I gave it to them to get rid of because I couldn’t deal with it.”

Adam’s mouth formed a soft oh, he knew what ‘it’ was. They had never talked about ‘it’ in great detail but their pasts had similar stories. The fact that William had the phone now could possibly mean he was ready to deal with ‘it’. And if that was the case, Adam was going to support his boyfriend and get him off the busy sidewalk to listen to his messages.

“Okay, love, let’s get you somewhere a little quieter to listen to those messages.” Adam held out his hand - the lack of gloves still mystified William as did the fact his boyfriend’s hand was always warm to touch. Must be magic.

It didn’t take them long to get to the park and find a bench away from the bustling joy. Adam whispered a spell and waved his hand over it to clear it from snow and wet. As William sat down, he was kind of surprised Adam’s spell had warmed the bench too. Yeah, definitely magic.

Getting comfortable, unconsciously leaning into the magician as the younger man draped an arm over the back of the bench, William scrolled through the phone again. He spared no glance to Adam, knowing this was his moment and his boyfriend would support that. It was odd how such a turbulent romance such as theirs endured - but that was a thought for later. Pressing play on the first message, William let out a sigh at the voice that rang out through the tiny speaker.

“Hey buddy,”

A long paused followed the message. For once, Adam couldn’t read the expression on his love’s face. “We’re in Star City. We could go see him, you know?” The suggestion was met with a sigh followed by a nod. Untangling himself, Adam rose from the bench and held out his hand to William. “You’re not going alone. I’ll be right beside you. Holding your hand.”

A tight smile crossed William’s face and he took the hand of the man who had so much unwavering faith in him. His eyes met Adam’s, the loyalty in his boyfriend’s eyes, as always, made his heart skip a beat. William wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to it but he’d be damned if he was going to screw things up this time.

“I...” He couldn’t express what Adam made him feel, though. Instead, kissed the other man while inwardly cursing himself as a wimp. He would say it one day. But for now he would take the coward’s way out. “Thank you.”

Miraculously, or maybe there might have been more magic involved, they managed to get a cab to an old apartment building. It looked like an eyesore next to the modernized neighbors but to William, a part of him felt relieved that it was still the same. He almost balked it in the elevator twice but Adam held his hand, keeping him steadfast. It felt like an age for the door to slide open after William rang the door bell, but really it was probably all of three seconds.

“Hey buddy.” The surprise echoed loudly in the older man’s voice as he beamed at William, chuckling a little at the sudden hug. “Thought you weren’t due in until next week.”

“Surprise, Dad.” William replied, feeling all the guilt from ignoring his father all those years ago melt away in the warm embrace. “Merry Christmas.”

Ragged and feral, Oliver fought through the obstacles placed before him. The answers to the questions swirling in his mind were muted by the fanning cheers that sang from the rafters. He wondered if they were happy that he was holding off his death for a few more rounds of entertainment. All he did know what that his back wasn’t very happy with him right now. 

The bigger they were the bigger they fell.

Oliver hooked his arm beneath the juncture of the brutes arm in hopes to levy some time to recoup from the last barrage of hits. The wonderful thing about joints were they acted like hinges. One strong pull or awkwardly forced angle would easily dislocate or snap the bone. He gritted his teeth at the push back but relented. Oliver could taste the short lived victory until the blur of motion caught him off guard. The gate swung open and he hip tossed to the ground. Before he could recoil, he felt the rough boot to his jaw. 

Oliver spat out the blood that pooled on his lips before acknowledging the oozing drip that trailed down his cheek. The man’s heel lacerated the skin just beneath his eye. 

Breathlessly, he awaited from the next hit. A plan slow forming on his mind with the unfurling anger that webbed up inside of him. Oliver’s patience was long lived before the sweet british drool echoed above the outstretched hand. He peered up at the young man who seemed so familiar but he couldn’t quite pin down why. Clarity washed over him. The once lost and innocent features haunted the confident ones that stared down at him. 

“ Adam?” Oliver questioned before lunging at the young man to shield him from the incoming assault.

There were a few precious seconds where Oliver looked at him in confusion and then clarity washed over the older man as he realized who Adam was. A small upward twist of lips was the only acknowledgement that the blonde could give before Oliver pushed him out of the way, a wild swing narrowly missing by inches.

“Well, someone can't take a hint.” The comment dripped heavily with sarcasm  as he pushed himself off the dirt covered floor. Adam couldn't just stand by and let Oliver take the brunt of the assault, he wasn't a child anymore - hadn't been for a long time - and didn't need a human shield protecting him from the horrors of the world.

His fingers curled into a fist, the muttering of a spell on the tip of his tongue. Adam knew he shouldn't, it would alert a greater enemy than just a big brute with a muscle enhancement problem. Magic wasn't exactly a meta ability but normal humans tended to brand what they couldn't understand into categories they didn't belong.

As soon as the last syllable of an ancient dialect was uttered, a large pulse radiated out and everyone in the room save Oliver and Adam froze - the spell would buy the pair a few moments to escape. The triumphant feeling of getting the spell right cause a wide grin to split on the younger man's face, a brief glimpse of the innocent boy he once was.

“Come on. I guess we got about ten seconds to get out before that little trick disappears.” Adam lead the way out of the arena.

Get up, big shot! You’re not so great without your hood! Kill him!

The jarring cacophony of commentary blared all around him. Oliver spit out the pooling blood that lined his bottom lip. He didn’t know how he got here but he wasn’t about to die here. The last thing he could remember was leaving the bunker for some fresh air about a series of dead ends and static. Just before being pushed into the cage, his fingers ghosted over the tender area on his neck where he was tranked. Oliver’s fingers fanned across the blood spattered concrete to push him off the flat surface. A chain link fence wrapped the posts in the damp cellar like arena. 

The jeers and cheers of the gathered crowd spewed out into the makeshift arena. It was the usual fanfare that greeted Adam as he entered the underground fight pit, along with the salty scent of sweat mingled with the metallic tang of blood. The place was a grotesque war zone built so some over testosterone filled wankers could get their jollies from watching people fight.

It was all rather gladiator like. Just minus the ancient Romans and Russell Crowe. Damn, that movie was prehistoric.

Weaving his way through the crowd, Adam shoved his way to the front. “Who's the new bloke in the ring?” He asked the burly guy twice his size with tattoos for days.

“Some nutjob. Apparently called himself the Hood or something. Took out two guys earlier. Now they got the big guy on him. No idea where they get these characters but they put on a good... hey, where you going, Quinn. You can't go in there!”

WHO: Adam Constantine and Lyla Rose (@tomorrow-is-our-today)WHAT: Mistletoe Ask Meme - set sometime around 2040, possibly earlier.

Andrew grinned when she confirmed his own comparison, his smile only widening when an excited spark shone in her eyes as if she had just figured something out. “Exactly.” He parroted back as she began to go over her formula again. He didn’t understand it himself, but she seemed a lot happier with it, so he figured whatever she did had worked.

“Well, I hope I’m not an idiot.” He joked, before shaking his head at her summation of herself. “And neither are you. I just connected a dot, but I couldn’t have figured out the actual solution like you did.”

Daniella ducked her head a little at the compliment, reaching up and scratching the back of her neck. Why on earth she had to inherit all the awkward genes, she didn't know.

Setting her tablet aside, Daniella turned her full attention back to Andrew. “So now you've helped me with something. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Amaya appreciated how welcoming the members of their extended family had always been to her and the others. It made it a little easier when she was away from the village. No doubt Ray’s boys had turned out to be kind and full of light, much like their father. “Thank you, I’ll try those then! I can’t imagine you can go wrong with any kind of pasta, but I’m never against extra sauce.” It began trading typical stranger chat, but Amaya’s smile grew when one of the twin’s called her Aunt Amaya. It made her heart skip; although the between from present to the current future was a blank memory in the time skip, it still made her feel happy. To have more family.

“Aunt Amaya. I love that. I was about to ask which twin you were,” she admitted with the tiniest chuckle. “I see the resemblance for sure.” The smile etched across her lips faded as Elliot spoke and tried his best to get a clear message to her without using anything that ARGUS or anyone working for them might catch on to. “Oh, I see. Not by choice, I’m sure.” It was her attempt to play it cool; Amaya didn’t know who she could trust in this convoluted future. “Maybe we should pay for our things and catch up? I could definitely help you guys at with dinner.” Amaya knew she wasn’t the best at social cues, but she hoped Elliot could understand the guise she had going. She wanted to do her best to help find Ray– to save him. And Mick as always she’d drag along with her. But they couldn’t discuss this in public.

“I just need an address.”

Ray Palmer had of course told his boys about the Legends and how they were a family. In turn, the same love Ray held for his teammates passed down to his twin sons and Theo and Elliot had no qualms with claiming them as family.

Elliot beamed, happy Amaya had easily accepted her role in his life. “There have been a few times we've been told to wear name tags.” Elliot joked lightly. His smile sobered quickly and he nodded, confirming that his Dad had been taken.

“Sounds like a great idea. Don't want to be cluttering up the aisles. And I am sure Theo would love to see you too.” At the suggestion, Elliot gathered what he was buying and gestured for Amaya to lead the way to the counter. Paying for their items and offering to help Amaya with her bag, Elliot led the way outside.

“We're staying not far from here.” He nodded to an apartment building across the street and gave a little smirk to say, yes, that was the place. “Top floor. You know, cause of the view.” And it had roof access so they could take off in their suits to continue their search for their dad.

Lyla rolled her eyes, walking around to the drivers side and opening the door. “Just get in you lazy son of a bitch,” she replied with a smile before getting into the driver’s seat and buckling up.

Giving a little mock salute, Adam moved around the car and got in the passenger’s seat, buckling up and adjusting the seat so he was in a more reclined position. Waiting until she started the car and they were on the road before he spoke up again. “Who’s problems are we running from today? Your’s? Or mine?”

Cisco glanced down at her before grabbing the empty candy bag. She knew she was caught, but that didn’t mean he was going to punish her or anything. How could he? “Well you are. A Princess Shiny Bulbasaur? Now that’s something new. I like it,” he laughed as he sat down next to her. As soon as she asked the question, Cisco choked on the water he drank. There was her mother and it honestly scared him. “You are too young to bargain,” he choked out. 

“Uh-huh. They are the cutest of them all.” Olivia smirked happily that her Daddy liked her costume decision. She needed help making the costume, after all, and her Daddy was the best.

Her brows furrowed with concern when her Daddy choked a little. But he continued to talk so he must have been fine. “I’ll accept cash or cake,” she replied, ignoring that he had just said that she was too young to bargain. “I’ll let you think about it. What are we making?”

“Please, I have plenty of photos of you,” he smirked before giving her a look. “But I will tell her that you do go outside from time to time,” he chuckled as he finally sat down next to her. 

“Hey, I do not plan on retiring any time soon, so you’ll be waiting a long time, kid.” Cisco shook his head a little at just how much his daughter was like his wife, but there was also a part of him in there too. “You’re going to appreciate her one of these days, you know that right?” he nudged her before letting out a sigh knowing how important it was to appreciate a sibling. You never know what could happen. “Anyway, I was actually wondering if you wanted to practice your powers a little.” 

Daniella’s nose wrinkled when her Dad said he had plenty of photos of her. It was to be expected, though. She was his daughter, after all, and parents loved to capture almost every moment of their child they could, however they could.

“I’m patient. Good things come to those that wait. You taught me that.” Inside, Daniella was pleased her Dad had no plans to retire soon. She was so not ready to take over the family company - not that she thought it should go straight to her either. Daniella wanted to work her way up and earn the company and the respect of it’s employees.

“Maybe when she is in her twenties and human again.” Daniella replied, not that she was in her twenties either but Daniella had always thought herself as mature for her age. 

Her brain kind of stalled when her Dad brought up practicing her powers. Getting vibes off objects had come naturally to Daniella but she wasn’t strong at breaching which would probably be more practical in an evacuation or something. “Alright.” she agreed, head tilting a little in curiosity. “This practice wouldn’t have something to do with the vibrations of an inter-Earth breach the other day, would it?”

Andrew let out a small laugh at the comment, shaking his head. “No, they haven’t. Usually told me I look like an idiot.” He corrected, waving off her apology with a grin. “It’s alright, I know. Little hurt at how quickly you felt the need to correct it though.” He joked, holding up his finger and thumb to show just how much it had stung before seating himself next to her, peaking over at the tablet.

“Not the specifics.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously as he looked over the complicated plans on her tablet. He had always been smart at school, but when it came to science biology and anatomy had been his strong suit - he’d leaned even further that way when he decided he wanted to be a doctor. “But I get the gist. Kinda like when a host body rejects a transplant - if they don’t work together properly both the host and the organ begin to suffer for it.” He shrugged, trying to put it into a context he more readily understood. “Is there another material you could use with the same properties. Or a third one that might counteract the issues caused by the compound?”

“Couldn’t let you get the wrong idea, Sunflower.” Daniella smiled back, pleased Andrew took it as a joke. Social interactions were definitely not her strong suit.

Her shoulders sank a little when he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly not understanding her concept completely. However, just as she was about to try a different approach, Andrew came up with his own explanation. “Exactly!” Daniella was by no means a biology expert but knew about transplants and the basics on how they worked.

“Oh! You could be onto something. The whole oil and water concept. They don’t mix unless a third element is added.” Daniella pressed a few things on her tablet screen and then watched the simulation. It seemed to be holding but Daniella knew that she could do better. Turning back to Andrew, Daniella smiled. “You are by no means an idiot. I am for not thinking of it sooner.”

“Lazy ass,” Lyla raised a brow as he invited himself along on her ongoing escapade. “Won’t a road trip get in the way of you doing nothing all day?”

Adam smirked at her apparent insult, knowing it was true and Lyla read him like a book. “Possibly. But I think I can squeeze you in between watching reruns of the Real Housewives of the Glades and sighing over whether I want to cook for dinner or get take out for the third night in a row.” He was exaggerating, naturally, but his life did feel a little too domestic of late.

Amaya hadn’t the pleasure of meeting the Palmer twins prior to the last launch into the future, but Mick had, and she’d seen photos. Just as she was reaching for a package of pasta noodles (her cooking skills had improved over time but still fared on a simple level), she immediately recognized the young man. “No, it’s all yours,” she promised sweetly, offering a warm smile. Mick would eat just about anything, so it didn’t actually matter what kind of pasta she purchased. “I’m honestly not sure what I’m looking for anyway,” she insisted, and passed the package over to him.

Amaya deliberated how to broach the subject without freaking the guy out. With the way everyone was in hiding these days, it was difficult to know who was an ally, or not. “Are you Theo, or Elliot?” she asked softly, keeping the smile on her expression. “Don’t worry–” she assured quickly. “I’m a friend of your dad’s. Amaya? Or… Vixen. Whichever. Is everyone doing okay?”

The sweet voice and warm smile, Elliot recognized her instantly as his Aunt Amaya. Whether they were comfortable with it or not, the Palmer twins grew up treating the Legends like family and that came with being adopted as Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. “Thanks,” he breathed out as he took the packet and placed it in his basket, unsure if she had recognized him. “If your going noodles, I highly recommend the spirals over the flat noodles. They tend to hold more sauce.” It was probably really random advice to give someone who might have thought he was a stranger.

Then again, maybe not. Especially considering her next question.

Elliot paused, which was possibly a mistake as Amaya was quick to assure him not to worry. He wasn’t worried about her, Amaya was family. It was the world around him that he didn’t trust. “I know who you are, Aunt Amaya.” He smiled back, his voice hushed. “I’m Elliot. Theo’s back at our apartment.” He stalled again, shaking his head at her question even before he could find the words to answer her. He couldn’t say too much in public, especially about how ARGUS took the twins’ Dad. “Dad’s not home.”

Andrew was glad for the recent influx of good weather - his abilities gave him influence over the elements, but he responded to them in kind. Despite the state of the world, his boyfriend gaining a new bruise near enough every night, and his mother burying herself even further in work, the sunshine brought some much needed levity to his state of mind. He enjoyed being able to bask in it, simply standing and taking it in for a moment until he was snapped out of his reverie by a frustrated voice.

“Oh, uh, sorry.” He scratched the back of his neck nervously, feeling the heat leech off of his skin as cloud coverage passed by suddenly, casting them both in grey shadow. Damn it. He closed his eyes briefly, focusing and breathing in, until he felt it slide past and the sun hit his face again. “I got distracted.” He muttered sheepishly, stepping out of Daniella’s light. “What are you working on?”

Daniella glanced up at the apology, pushing her glasses up and watching the grey shadow disperse and the sun hit Andrew in the face. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like a sunflower when the sun hits your face?” She commented offhandedly, brushing off his apology and explanation by saying the first random thought that popped in her head. Of course then her brain caught up with her mouth moments later. “And that sounded like a cheesy come on which was sooo not the intention. Sorry.”

And so to the pub he went, sitting at the bar, glass of amber liquid in hand. His eyes cast over the room, watching, waiting for something... or someone. He wasn't sure yet but would know when it or they appeared. Posture inviting, wanting whoever or whatever it was to come to him.

Lyla rolled her eyes at the voice that spoke up behind her, holding up a hand for him to shush. Opening the door, she fished a small square device out of her pocket and placed it on the dashboard. It flickered from red to green to show all defenses were powered down on the vehicle. When she was sure she had done what was need, she turned to face Adam. “Do you like offering unhelpful opinions?”

He chuckled at the hand that was held up to shush him but refrained from making further comment until she was done installing the device. “Of course. It validates my quest to be the least helpful contributor to society.” Just a fancy way to say lazy, really.

Cisco made a face when his security alert went off and one of his guards came in. Looking at the screen, he chuckled a little to himself. “I got it. Trust me, she won’t hurt anyone,” he said shooing away the officer. Heading outside onto the grounds of Ramon Industries, Cisco leaned against the tree looking down at his daughter. “In your light, you say?” he said giving her a look. “You know one of these days security isn’t gonna know it’s you hanging out here, right?” he joked as he sat down next to her. 

At the familiar voice, Daniella looked up and purse her lips in mock irritation but her expressive eyes were a dead give away that she wasn’t mad. “Yeah, my light.” Her tone held a teasing note. “So... you want to take a photo? Prove to Mom I actually go outside and am not a cave troll?” It was true, Daniella did like to spend a fair bit of time indoors rather than going on like a normal teenager.

“One of these days I’m going to be signing security’s paychecks while you and Mom retire on an island somewhere.” Daniella countered with a grin. Despite the joke, she hoped that retirement wasn’t for a really long time. “The tiny Terror Byte, can go with you.”

His heart clenched at the disappointment that colored Adam’s features. Even when he being overly supportive, William knew that he was falling back into his old ways. He wished desperately to be unshackled from his abandonment issues; to readily accept Adam’s love for all that it was. Unconditional and pure. Yet, look at where they were, on opposite sides of table in the same roles. Adam, the benevolent lover, and William , the wallowing idiot who fucks everything up. 

“I don’t want to infringe on her freedom and she won’t hesitate to punch you. At least I have the weak defense of being her estranged half brother.” William let out a low, self deprecating chuckle. He dropped his bags onto the chair before wiggling out his tablet, typing in the complex sequence of code to unlock it. “It’s the principle, Adam. It’s not about the meal. I promised I’d be here and I wasn’t here.” He sighed. His therapist chided him at reiterating his transgression for the universe to hear; as if they’d lay down a stiff sentence to correct his awful choices. It was just another tool the lay distance between him and the past. 

If I chose to stay with Dad and Felicity–maybe we’d still be a family. 

“I’m not all that hungry. I am going to try to ensure that ARCHER stays down till we can get Zo out of ARGUS’s detainment…. but after I hear about your day. I promise no work talk–so no work talk.”

Adam had no idea how sibling dynamics worked. As far as he knew he didn't have any - his mother had passed not long after he was born and who knew what John Constantine had lurking in his closet. Adam just lived vicariously through William on the sibling front.

“Are you saying I can't take her?” Adam joked, falling back into old habits. It was far easier to sweep his negative feelings under the rug than allow William to feel any more guilt. Shame William didn’t get the memo and shouldered it anyway. “Okay, so you suck at calling me and telling me what’s going on.” Adam conceded. “What else is new? We’re both guilty of that.”

A small sigh escaped him when William said he wasn’t hungry, taking a guess that the genius before him had either already eaten or his mind was to preoccupied to bother getting himself a bite. His lips twitched at the mention of Zoe before pressing into a hard line. Adam hated that he was stuck sitting on the sidelines while ARGUS did who knows what to their friend.