#dctvsecretsanta

Len dipped his face to his mug to avoid the blush he could feel creeping up his neck. "Thanks," he muttered as he paid and left a healthy tip in the tip jar before returning to his chair with his drink and a blueberry scone.

His chair had a perfect view of the counter, and, more importantly, the man behind the counter. The perfect study distraction for Len.

Mick was a mystery that Len had been trying to solve for months now. Without, you know, actually talking to him more than to give his order and other small talk.

There was something familiar about Mick that Len couldn't pinpoint, and that fact kept drawing him back here - to the shop and the chair.

After settling himself in the chair, drink and snack safe on the small table beside him, Len drew out his textbook and notepad and tried to focus on the chapters assigned in today's engineering class. Every few paragraphs, Len felt his eyes being drawn up to look at the man behind the counter.

Mick wasn't the kind of man he was usually attracted to, which only added to the mystery. His past male lovers had all been lean, like himself, where Mick was broad-shouldered with a shaved head. Definitely the kind of man you'd expect to find at a biker bar instead of behind the counter of a coffee shop. He was gruff, bordering on rude, to most of the customers - except with Len.

In what felt like no time at all, Len's phone beeped, reminding him that it was time to go pick Lisa up from whatever after school activity she'd had that day. They lived far enough from the high school that he didn't want her walking home through the not-so-safe neighborhood alone. So when she couldn't get a ride from a friend, which was most days, he picked her up in their only car.

He stowed his school materials back in the bag, shouldered it, and took his empty dishes to the bin set aside for them by the door.

"See ya Friday," Mick called out to him.

"See ya," Len called back.

~~*~~

Mick circled the counter and went to the seat Leo always occupied, wiping down the table and chair to remove stray crumbs.

It had been months now since Leo had wandered back into his life; so Mick felt like it would be rude at this point to mention their shared past if the other man didn't remember him. Not when Leo had meant so much to him in their youth. He couldn't bear it if he truly didn't remember their time together in juvie.

They'd lost touch after Leo had gotten out. While they'd been close while inside together, especially after they'd become cell mates, Leo had been determined not to follow in his father's footsteps.

From the big text books that he was always bringing in here, it looked like he'd made good on that promise.

He'd inspired Mick to want to lead a criminal-free life, too. It would have been so easy for him to fall into a life of crime. He would have been a great arsonist for hire.

Instead, he'd ended up in a foster home for a few months before he turned eighteen with good foster parents. They'd insisted that he go to therapy for his pyromania - rightfully afraid that he'd set their house on fire, like he'd done to his own parents' home. He'd been resistant to the therapy at first, but eventually started listening to what the therapist was saying and actually found it helpful. He had never been much of a talker – still wasn't – but his therapist found ways to work with him anyway.

His foster parents, who let him keep living with them even after he turned eighteen and were no longer getting paid to let him live there, helped him get his GED and into community college. He took all kinds of classes, trying to find something that interested him, and in a business class he was taking he'd met Mark and Clyde Mardon, brothers who were taking the class with hopes of opening a coffee shop.

This coffee shop.

Mick knew he didn't have a head for business, but he enjoyed working in the kitchen and making the fancy coffee drinks. One of the girls who worked here, Kendra, loved telling everyone that she was a barista, but Mick didn't need a fancy title like that to describe his job. He made coffee, end of story.

And making coffee allowed him to be in the right place when Leo walked through the door at the beginning of the semester.

Leo had gotten taller, finally - he'd been such a small kid in juvie - and his hair was shorn short now, but Mick would have recognized those eyes anywhere.

He kept waiting for Leo to recognize him, but so far, it hadn't happened. So he didn't say anything, not wanting to embarrass the guy.

After all, Leo had been his first crush; his first kiss. He was the first boy that he'd admitted being attracted to; and juvie was hardly the place for such admissions. He was just lucky that Leo had felt the same way.

Only, how much could he have meant to him if he couldn't recognize the boy he'd been in the man he was now?

~~*~~

A few more weeks went by. Len kept to his routine, Mick always had his drink and a snack ready for him when he arrived, and his seat was always open. Until one day his drink was ready but no snack.

When he was about to request something, Mick said, "Bring it over to you in a minute."

Len raised an eyebrow at that, but took his drink and settled into his chair.

A few minutes later, Mick brought over a snack - a red velvet cupcake.

Len whistled. "What'd I do to deserve a cupcake? I didn't think you sold those here."

"We don't," Mick said, staring at his boots. "Know today's an anniversary of sorts, wanted something special."

Len stared up at Mick wondering how he could possibly know.

Mick met his eyes and the nervousness and hope was like an icicle to Len's heart.

"Mickey?" Len whispered.

Mick set the cupcake he was still holding on the table and pulled over a chair from a nearby table and sank onto it, eyes never leaving Len's. "'Bout damn time."

"You've known who I was all this time?" Len asked.

Mick nodded. "Could never forget those eyes."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Was kinda hoping you would have figured it out on your own," Mick admitted.

"So why now?" Len asked.

"Because today's the anniversary of the first time we kissed," Mick said. "It was an important day for me, Leo."

"Me, too," Len admitted. "Although I go by Len now."

"OK, I'm just Mick now; which you already knew," he said, gesturing to his nametag.

Len grabbed Mick's hand as he lowered it, staring at the bigger man's face.

"You've changed so much in the past decade," Len said. "I knew you felt familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. It's one reason I come here so much. I've been trying to figure you out."

"And here I thought it was for my superior hot cocoa," Mick said with a smirk.

"That, too," Len agreed. "So you went straight when you got out?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say straight..." Mick said, his voice dropping as he turned his hand over in Len's and squeezed it.

Len swallowed; hard. "That's very good to know," he drawled.

The both startled when Len's phone beeped.

Mick frowned and glanced at his watch. "Isn't that goin' off a bit early?"

"Yeah," Len looked at him apologetically as he released Mick's hand, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Lisa's practice was a short one today."

"Lisa… your baby sister?" Mick clarified, praying that she wasn't a girlfriend.

Len huffed out a laugh. "Now a bratty teenager, but yes, my little sister. She's been living with me full time for about a year. Can I get these to go?" He asked, nodding towards his cupcake and cocoa.

"'Course," Mick agreed, taking the items to the counter and transferring them into to-go containers. When Len approached the counter to retrieve them, Mick caught his hand. "Can I see you later tonight? Or tomorrow? Away from here?"

Len mentally ran through his calendar. He worked the afternoons and evenings he didn't come to the coffee house, but he wanted to continue his conversation with Mickey - Mick. "Yeah, tonight. Give me your phone." When Mick handed it over, Len quickly entered his contact info, then texted himself. "I'll text you later with where we can meet up. When is your shift over?"

"I get off at eight," Mick answered.

"Perfect," Len said. "I'll see you soon."

Len gave Mick's hand a squeeze before he released it and then he rushed out the door, cocoa and cupcake in hand.

~~*~~

"So, who is he?" Lisa teased, flopping down on Len's bed as he got ready to go meet Mick.

"Nobody," Len answered quickly, knowing the answer wouldn't satisfy his nosy sister, but not wanting to try to explain Mick to her right now.

"Oooh, nobody," Lisa said knowingly. "That's why you've been staring at your closet for the past ten minutes when everything you own is either dark blue or black."

Len frowned, but couldn't disagree with her. Instead, he asked, "Is your homework done?"

"It's Friday night, what do you think?" Lisa countered. Len simply glared at her. "Almost," she grumbled.

"Finish it up while I'm out, then you won't have to worry about it over the weekend," he said.

Lisa rolled her eyes, having heard this every Friday since she'd come to live with her brother. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Len grabbed his leather jacket off the hook by the front door and patted his pockets to make sure he had his wallet and phone.

"You're really not gonna tell me about this guy?" Lisa wheedled.

"I will, just, not right now. I don't want to be late," Len said, grabbing his keys. "I'll try not to be home too late."

"Pfft," Lisa waved him off. "For your sake, I hope you don't come home at all tonight. It's been ages since you've gotten laid."

Len stiffened. "What makes you say that?" he demanded.

"Because I know you, brother dear, and you have been ornery as fuck for the past several months," Lisa said.

Not wanting to discuss his sex life with his little sister - especially since she was right - Len said, "I'll be home later tonight."

~~*~~

Mick picked at the label on his beer bottle as he waited for Leo. No, Len, he had to remind himself.

He'd been surprised when Len had suggested that they meet at Saints and Sinners, but he always did like a dive bar.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Len said, sliding into the booth across from him. "Lisa decided to start pestering me about where I was going as I was heading out."

Mick glanced at his watch. "You're not late, I just got here early."

Len signaled for a waitress and ordered his own beer before returning his attention to Mick.

"You know, now that I know who you are, I can see the kid I knew in you," Len said. "I'm sorry that it took me so long to recognize you."

"S'okay," Mick grunted, feeling a pleasurable warmth in his chest. "So you've got custody of your sister?"

"Not exactly," he paused as the waitress dropped off his drink. "I became an emancipated minor when I was sixteen, needing to get out from under my dad's roof. But I couldn't go too far away because I didn't want to leave Lisa all alone with him. I'd been volunteering at the library since I got out of juvie and Gideon, one of the librarians, hooked me up with her friend, Rip, who owned a bookstore, and got me a job there so that I could afford a shitty apartment when I was emancipated. I still work there four days a week," Len explained.

"The days you don't come to the shop," Mick guessed.

"Yeah," Len agreed. "I got my GED early since I spent all my time around books and started studying engineering at the local college. I'm almost done with my Masters."

"You always did need to know how everything worked," Mick remembered.

"Anyway, Lewis and I worked out a sort of custody arrangement with Lisa after I tried and failed to get legal custody of her. The more time she spent at my place, the less he had to worry about feeding her. But it also meant that he no longer had anyone to take his anger out on with both of us no longer living under his roof, so he wouldn't let her go completely."

"He hit her?" Mick growled.

"Both of us, yeah," Len reluctantly admitted. "And I've got the scars to prove it."

"Want me to teach him a lesson?" Mick asked, flexing his muscles.

"Thanks, but no," Len said. "He's out of our lives now. Rip gave Lisa a job, too, and the second she was old enough, we got her emancipated and she moved in with me full time. She's seventeen now."

As he finished talking, Len let his fingers brush against Mick's. He looked at him through his eyelashes and asked, "And what have you been up to since juvie?"

Mick shifted in his seat as all his blood rushed south. He took a swig of beer, having forgotten the power that look had on him.

"I, uh, ended up with a really good foster family. They were patient and found me a good therapist. Helped me get my GED and into community college. That's where I met the Mardon brothers, the guys who own Elemental. Best thing that came out of that stupid business class I took. When they got the funding to open the shop they brought me in to work behind the counter and in the kitchen."

"Do you mean that you make all those delicious treats you pick out for me?" Len asked, drool threatening to give away how much he enjoyed the sweets he ate at the shop.

Mick's chest puffed out a bit at the hungry look in Len's eyes. "I do," he admitted. "Turns out that I'm really good in a kitchen."

"Next time you're making me dinner," Len declared.

"I'm glad you want there to be a next time," Mick admitted.

Mindful that they weren't in a place where they couldn't do much more than flirt, Len carefully brushed his fingers against Mick's again.

"I'd like to show you just how much I'd like there to be a next time," Len purred.

"Wanna get out of here?" Mick suggested, breathing heavily.

"Thought you'd never ask," Len drawled. They both threw money on the table and tried not to rush out of the building.

Mick dragged Len into the alley next to the bar and pressed him against the brick wall as his mouth slammed down on his. Len's hands fisted in Mick's open coat, dragging him closer as the kiss grew sloppy and more desperate.

"How far's your place from here?" Len asked between kisses.

"I walked here," Mick admitted.

"Good, then we can take my car," Len said, slipping out from against the wall and dragging Mick towards his car.

"Give me the keys. I'll drive since I know where we're goin'," Mick suggested, holding his hand out.

Len rarely let anyone else drive his car, but he didn't hesitate to drop his keys into Mick's outstretched hand.

Five minutes later they were stumbling into Mick's apartment, barely able to keep their hands off of each other.

They made it as far as the couch.

Len roughly pushed Mick to sit in the center of it and straddled him, their bodies pressed as close together as possible while still wearing clothes, as their mouths found each other's again.

Mick ran his hands over Len's close-cropped hair. "Miss being able to bury my fingers in your hair," he admitted as he left open mouthed kisses down Len's neck, biting lightly when he reached that sensitive point where shoulder and neck met.

Reaching up, Len dragged Mick's hands down to his ass. "Got something else for you to hold onto."

Mick bucked up against Len, pressing their bodies even closer together. "Fuck, I've missed you, Leo," he growled, forgetting the new name in his eagerness.

"Missed you, too, Mickey," Len said before recapturing his mouth.

Mick's hands slid around to grasp Len's belt, but Len stopped him. "No, we're gonna come just like this," he said, rolling his hips hard against Mick. "I'm so close already, aren't you?"

"Wanna touch you," Mick huffed. "Need skin."

Hesitating only briefly, Len pulled off his shirt. Mick's eyes widened at the sheer number of scars littering Len's chest and arms, but refused to let that ruin the moment they were in. He dipped his head to take one of Len's nipples between his teeth, biting down gently.

"Yes," Len hissed, holding Mick's head against him as he continued to roll his hips.

Mick ran his hands down Len's equally damaged back and slipped them into his pants beneath his underwear, grabbing his bare ass and yanking him hard against him as he pressed up.

"Shit, I'm gonna come," Mick grunted.

"Yeah, me, too," Len panted.

Their mouths met with a clashing of teeth as they both came in their pants.

"Fuck, I haven't done that since I was a teenager," Len said, sliding off Mick's lap to sit pressed against his side.

"Don't think I've ever done that before," Mick admitted, running his fingers over Len's back.

Len shivered and reached for his shirt, pulling it back on as he got to his feet. "I hate to come and go, but I should probably get back to Lisa."

"Stay," Mick said, catching his hand. "I'm not ready to let you go yet."

Len sank back onto the couch and pressed a kiss to Mick's lips. "How can I say no to a request like that?"

"You can't," Mick answered, wrapping an arm against Len's shoulders. "We'll watch a movie and then we can talk about you leaving."

Len laughed. "So we need to talk about me leaving? I do have a teenage sister at home."

"Operative word being: teenage. She'll be fine on her own," Mick said.

"I have one condition," Leonard said, shifting in his seat.

Mick glanced at him out of the side of his eye. "What's that?"

"Let me borrow a pair of shorts?" he requested. Nodding towards his lap, he added, "This is gonna get really uncomfortable, real fast."

Mick frowned and realized Len was right. "Yeah, good idea. C'mon." They both stood and Mick led Len to his bedroom. Mick rummaged through a drawer and pulled out two pairs of boxers. Handing one to Len, he said, "Might be a bit big on you."

"Still better than what I'm currently wearing, thanks," Len said, tearing his eyes away from the small pile of books on the nightstand. "Bathroom?"

Mick pointed to the door across the hall and Len entered the small room. He poked through cabinets until he found a washcloth and slipped out of his boots, jeans, and underwear. He cleaned himself up before pulling on Mick's boxers, a thrill running up his spine as he did so. He quickly finished dressing and rinsed out the washcloth before heading back to the living room, carrying his boots with him.

Mick was already seated on the couch, DVD ready to play.

"So what are we watching?" Len asked, settling comfortably against Mick's side.

"Thought this was appropriate, given the time of year," Mick said, pushing play on the remote.

"Die Hard?" Len asked as the movie started.

"Best fuckin' Christmas movie ever," Mick said.

"Yippee-ki-yay," Len said as they settled in to watch.

He was going to get so much shit from Lisa the next day, but Len couldn't bring himself to care. Right now, he couldn't imagine being anywhere else than right here; with Mick.

He was certain that there was no one out there that he would fall in love with more than Iris so he wasn’t going to look. It was fortunate for him that Fate had other ideas. Just because Barry Allen thought he knew best didn’t mean that he did. He certainly didn’t know best when it came to his own life.

ColdFlash

Len had never allowed himself to think about a soulmate. He had spent too many years watching his mother be smacked around by her soulmate, his father, to be anything but cynical about them. He had always believed that even if he found that person that he wouldn’t give in to them.

He wasn’t going to become like his mother.

He wasn’t going to be hit and belittled and killed for a soulmate. That was why when he passed his 20s, the age most people met their soulmates, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was nothing if not another statistic and the older you got the less likely it became that you were going to find your soulmate. By his mid-thirties, he had basically forgotten all about the whole soulmate business. It wasn’t for him. Or so he thought.

ColdFlash

Barry Allen breathed a sigh of amazement. He still couldn’t get used to his speed. It was fantastic. It was also fantastic what he could do with it. For the first time in his life, he was stopping crime while it happened instead of looking for evidence after the fact. It was exhilarating, it was amazing, it was exhausting.

He had never known just how much work it was going to be to be a superhero. All of those patrols and crimes and late nights. He also seemed to eat a million calories a day. Cisco had come up with those bars for him but they tasted awful.

For some reason when Barry had been thinking about his future as a superhero he hadn’t remembered all of the bad parts that came with it. Those two only being the tip of the iceberg. Caitlin suggested that maybe it was because he had nothing to do for fun. That if he had a hobby that maybe he would feel better. She also said that he was drowning himself in work to forget about Iris. How ridiculous was that?

ColdFlash

Len was not very amused when some asshole in a skintight leather suit began foiling his robberies. It was severely stressing him out. Mick watched as he made another loop around the living room of their current safehouse.

“Just sit down already and if you check those blueprints one more time I am going to beat your ass into the floor.” Len frowned but folded himself onto the sofa. Despite his racing thoughts, his movements were smooth and languid like they usually were. It didn’t take long before his mind had made the loop of thoughts again. He also found it impossible to sit still. His leg was jittery and he kept checking his watch was synchronized with the clock.

“I swear to God Snart!”

“Oh yeah, yours or mine?” Mick gave him such a dry look that it shut Len up. “Sorry. Just can’t seem to figure it out. How the hell is anyone getting there fast enough to stop us? I have it timed out to the second. It isn’t humanly possible.”

“So maybe he isn’t human. Its all over the news that those meta-things are popping up all over the place. Maybe he is one of those.” Len blinked owlishly for a moment and Mick and then smiled.

“I think that maybe you are right Mick. Now we need to do something about it. Something to lure him out and get him to slip up. Something nice and clever.

ColdFlash

Barry had to admit if only to himself someplace where Joe couldn’t see his facial expressions, that Leonard Snart was a really good thief. Like, a world-class thief. The kind you read about in the papers that never get caught but leaves a calling card to say it was him. He was so good in fact, that Barry was pretty certain that if it wasn’t for his speed they wouldn’t ever come close to catching him.

Even with his speed, he couldn’t see to match the man. Not yet at least. It seemed as though Snart had accounted for every possible little thing including superheroes with superspeed. That was what made him truly impressive.

His butt wasn’t that bad either.

He kept that particular thought to himself. He also tried to keep from thinking about Snart too much. The last thing that he needed out of life was a crush on his enemy. In fact, that might have been in Cisco’s “How to be a Superhero” guide. What was he supposed to do? Not look? There was no, not looking at that piece of perfection.

Also those eyes of his! So cool and piercing. You couldn’t look him in the eye without wanting to swoon. Maybe it was too late for Barry to stop this crush after all.

ColdFlash

Len had every single part of this plan nailed to the second. He had contingencies for his contingencies. He also had the thought that it was all going to go to shit despite his planning. Still, in for a penny, in for a pound. The train was, if you asked him, a stroke of brilliance. Lots of hostages, far from back up and thin walkways that were easy to ice.

So he lured the Flash (really? the Flash? Sounded like he ran around flashing people) onto the train and began to taunt him. A crack about his age (he sounded like he was 17) and cornering him on the train seemed to make everything go to plan. It was a good plan. Even down to Flash’s friends coming to rescue him. He had to hand it to Ramon, that vacuum looked like a large cold gun from the outside. If you weren’t the sort of person to take apart the gun and put it back together the first chance you got it might have fooled you.

Len was the sort of person to take it apart the first chance he got.

He wasn’t fooled but backed off anyway. It was fun messing with the Flash. He would hate to have to kill him because the kid did something foolish. However, he was keeping the diamond. He really was going to enjoy messing with the Flash. It should be a lot of fun, which is something he had been missing lately.

ColdFlash

Barry Allen was an idiot. He flopped down on his bed and groaned. He couldn’t believe he had a crush on Leonard Snart of all people. It was driving him to distraction. At work, on patrol, while fighting with the man.

He was the enemy and Barry Allen was falling for him.

It was fun to verbally spar with the man. He was witting and always had a good comeback. Frankly, the night with the train had been the most fun that he had had in years. The comments, the strategy, trying to outsmart Snart had made him smile. It had also taken his mind off of Iris. For the first time, he wasn’t mooning over her. He was mooning over Snart now but at least he wasn’t mooning over her.

If only he could get the man to stop killing people. He began to think about what could be done. If he could get him to stop killing people than maybe he could change Snart. Maybe they could have something. Barry buried his face in his pillow when he realized where his train of thought had taken him. Now he was thinking about a relationship with that psychopath. What was wrong with him?

He needed to get his head back in the game. This was really beginning to get out of hand. However, his traitorous mind began to come up with ways to get Snart to stop killing people. He had an idea that would make everyone really angry at him but he figured that it might work. He just needed to be fast enough.

ColdFlash

Len was working out the details of a new plan. He wanted to figure out who the Flash was underneath the mask. He figured that the best way would be to kidnap one of his friends. If he could get his secret identity he could mess with the kid all he wanted. He was still ironing out the details but Mick was getting antsy. He wanted to get out and steal some stuff. Burn some stuff.

Len figured that one little heist before he found out the Flash’s identity wouldn’t hurt. The man, despite his speed, could never seem to catch up to him anyway. A little art gallery robbery would settle Mick some and get them a little cash. He was also hoping to get something to decorate his apartment. Its walls were seeming a little bare still and he figured a nice piece would do the trick.

Plus an easy heist would help calm his nerves. Len didn’t really know why he felt so jittery around the superhero but he did. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself. He needed to keep cool.

ColdFlash

Barry Allen was near jumping with excitement that night. He was going to ruin Snart’s heist and make him quit killing people. Tonight was going to be the night. When Cisco was getting ready to send him out, Barry nearly told him. He almost told the whole plan. Cisco was his best friend and would probably understand. At the last minute though, Barry chickened out.

Cisco would just have to find out after it happened.

Knowing that this was probably a really bid mistake but still planning on going through with it, Barry headed out. There was something niggling at the back of his mind. Barry knew what it was. He knew exactly why he was willing to try and get Snart to stop killing people. He just didn’t want to admit it to himself.

When he arrived Barry Allen knew that there was something he hadn’t counted on. It was just Snart at this particular heist. Rory was there too. He had a moment of indecision where Snart was able to get a shot off. He just barely avoided the shot and knew he needed to do something soon. Only one of his tasks could be completed tonight.

He could either get the man alone and make him stop killing people or he could foil the heist and save the art. His mind, or his heart. His mind was too slow for his heart. Before he even quite knew what it was that he was doing, Barry had sped off with Snart coming to land in a forest.

ColdFlash

Len had not expected his enemy to be there. This was a little bit of a small job to attract the city’s superhero. He had just figured that he would take off with the art and deal with the Flash a different time. It seemed that Barry hadn’t figured on Mick being there as he stood for a moment just looking at them.

Len took this moment to fire off a shot. The Flash regained his wits with seconds to spare and dodged the shot. Good, Len would hate to hurt him. Ignoring that particularly troublesome thought, he began to give directions to Mick about what to take and what to leave.

He had barely gotten them out before the world was a blur. When everything cleared he and the Flash were stood in a forest far from where they had been. Len looked around them in confusion. Didn’t the Flash realize that Mick would finish the heist without him? That he technically failed at his job? He looked at the superhero for an explanation.

“Why are we out here?” Len covered his worry with a drawl. The middle of the forest with an enemy is not really where a person ever wanted to be. This was quite concerning and the abused kid that lived in him said to start ducking.

“I wanted to talk to you alone.”

“Oh, really? About what? What could you possibly want to talk about with little old me?” Len punctuated his words with a wave of his hand. It was that moment that Barry basically abandoned his whole speech about people’s lives and how Snart should stop killing them.

“We are soulmates.” It was said softly but with conviction. An irrefutable statement. Snart however, drew back as though he had been slapped.

“We are not! I don’t have a soulmate! And even if I did it wouldn’t be a hero!” Barry was surprised at the vehemence but didn’t let it deter him.

“Yes, we are. Yes, you do. And it is. I don’t know why this has you upset. I don’t know what in your past made you so resistant to the idea of soulmates but whatever it was doesn’t apply to us. We are completely different. I don’t know your history. All I know is that I spent years hoping it was someone else. That it was a girl I was in love with and when she found her soulmate I was convinced that I would never want anyone else. That I wouldn’t want to even try. But I was wrong Snart! I do want to try. I want to give this a try. We could be so good together.”

“Oh really? A hero and a murderous thief? I am sure that would go over well with your parents. Oh hey, mom and dad, I found my soulmate. He’s a killer that has done hard time and steals shit for a living. What are we having for dinner?”

“There is so much more to you than that! Besides, it doesn’t really matter. My mom is dead and my dad is in prison for something that he didn’t do. I don’t even want you to stop stealing! I just want you to stop killing people and to give me a chance. Please, Leonard. Haven’t you ever thought about it? Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to be with someone that you truly loved and loved you back in a way that most people can’t even imagine? All I want is a chance. That’s it. No strings attached, please.”

“How do I know that you are actually sincere?” Barry didn’t even hesitate. He removed his cowl and looked Len straight in the eye.

“Hi, my name is Barry Allen and I am the Flash. I am also your soulmate and I would love to get to know you.” Leonard paused for a long moment and then sighed softly. A barely-there sound that just seemed to make him so human that Barry’s chest ached.

“Hello Barry, my name is Leonard Snart but my friends call me Len. I think maybe I could get to know you a little bit.” Barry’s grin was radiant

ColdFlash

Barry was over the moon. He flashed Len back to the art gallery and made his way back home. He had turned off his mic during his conversation and would now have to face the music. The threat of Team Flash’s anger wasn’t enough to deter him though. He simply went ahead and kept on grinning.

He really couldn’t help himself.

When he arrived it was to Cisco’s glare and Caitlin’s worried expression. Joe looked a little less irritated and a little more like he was contemplating just outright murdering Barry. Barry shuffled awkwardly and thought about what he was going to say. Barry really didn’t want to have to answer to Joe right now. Right now he just wanted to tell his best friends what had happened and share his enthusiasm.

It occurred to Barry that he was, in fact, a grownup. That he could tell Joe to butt out and that it wasn’t really any of his business. He wasn’t going to of course. You just didn’t say that to the man who raised you. However, he didn’t really have it in him tonight to justify his actions.

“Joe, I know that you probably have an entire speech about how I shouldn’t have turned off my mic that includes lots of shouting and chiding but I don’t really want to deal with it tonight. I just want to tell my best friends what happened and then go to bed. I will explain it to you eventually but tonight is not the time. So please hold onto the lecture for another day and go home. I’m spending tonight here anyway.”

Joe huffed and looked a little put out but left. Barry knew that Joe was angry because he didn’t say anything on the way out but he couldn’t bring himself to care. It wasn’t really any of Joe’s business and he wasn’t going to explain. That was just the way that it was. Once Joe had left he turned to his two best friends and began to explain to them what had happened.

Caitlan looked as though she were going to object when he finished. However, before she got the chance Cisco had already lit up and was congratulating Barry. He was enthusiastic enough that it helped settle Barry’s fears about this.

“That is amazing Barry! You have been stuck on Iris forever and now you can move on to the person who is perfect for you. I should have known. He was always too nice, too much banter and smirking. He never even really tried to kill you. Oh, he put in a token effort but he never gave it his all. You could tell he was having just as much for as you were. I can’t believe that you got him to agree to stop killing. That is awesome! Think of how much easier our lives would be if you could just talk the villains out of evil.”

“Well, I haven’t talked him completely out of evil. He is still going to go around and steal stuff. He just won’t be killing people.”

“I don’t think that it would be Snart if he didn’t go around stealing stuff. Besides, stealing is a little less supervillain and a little more mild criminal that likes the thrill.”

“I am not so sure that this is a good idea, Barry.” This came from Caitlin, who until that point had been quiet. “I mean he is a villain and you have no idea if he is going to honor his part of the bargain. Plus your relationship might not work out at all. What if this crashes and burns?” Barry frowned at her for a moment but knew that she had a point.

“If he doesn’t honor his side of the bargain then there won’t be a relationship. If it doesn’t work out then I will try and find someone else. We go back to being hero and villain. However, I am willing to take the chance on the person who is probably perfect for me. I am willing to try and see where it goes. I think that I deserve the same amount of happiness as other soulmates get, even if mine is a thief.” Caitlan didn’t look convinced but allowed the matter to drop.

ColdFlash

“Where the hell did he take you?” Mick nearly growled the question. Len could see that he was upset and worried about Len.

“We went to the forest to have a little chat, that’s all.”

“And what was this ‘little chat’ about? Did he threaten you? Did he hurt you? I’ll burn him to a crisp. I’ll skewer and roast him. I’ll bake him into a meat pie with a hot water crust.” Len shot Mick a disbelieving look. “Sorry, that one got away from me. Got stuck on food but you get my point.”

“Apparently we are soulmates.”

“He’s going into the pie!”

“It's fine. We had a talk and came to an agreement. I stop killing people, he leaves me alone on my heists mostly and we give a go for the relationship.” Mick looked really unhappy about it.

“If he lays one had on you he’s getting roasted.”

“Yes, if he steps out of line, he’s yours. In the meantime, we have heists and dates to plan. Are you going to help?”

“Yeah, I’ll help.”

ColdFlash

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Iris, its fine. We have an arrangement. Plus, I’m the Flash. If he tries something I can stop him with my speed. Now how do I know if the pork chops are cooked all the way through?”

“No it is not fine. The pork should be 145 degrees Fahrenheit, use the meat thermometer. You are dating your enemy! How can you possibly think that this is going to turn out alright? He is a killer!”

“Iris, don’t I deserve to have the same kind of happiness that you do? Don’t I deserve to be with my soulmate? Shouldn’t I get to be happy too?”

“What has that got to do with anything?”

“That has got to do with everything! You don’t get to pick your soulmate! All you can do is give a relationship with them a try! I deserve to have the happiness of being with my perfect match. And no matter what you, or Joe or Caitlan say I am going for it. For the first time in my life I am going to be selfish. I am going to go for what I want. You guys are just going to have to accept it.”

Irish made an unhappy noise and stopped out of Barry’s apartment. Barry checked the time and pulled the rolls out of the oven. He checked to see whether or not the pork chops were done and sighed when they weren’t. Well, he had 15 more minutes before the time he had told Leonard.

He had not planned on Leonard being early.

The knock on his door startled him so badly that he nearly dropped his plate of baked potatoes. Managing to save them before they hit the ground, he swore when his hand touched the hot pan and he burned himself. He put the potatoes on the counter and went to open the door. He had forgotten the stool over by the door and immediately tripped over it. He fell against the wall right next to the door and opened it.

ColdFlash

Len was 15 minutes early, as he always was. He held in his hand a bottle of red wine and was dressed fairly casually. He knocked on the door and waited for the speedster to open it. he had expected a quick opening but instead, he heard a curse. He heard the sound of a pan being set on a counter and the regular footsteps across the floor. Then he heard Barry trip over something and slam into the wall next to the door. Barry opened the door from where he was against the wall and gave Len an awkward smile.

“Hey Leonard, come in.” Len raised an eyebrow and Barry chuckled awkwardly.

“I brought a bottle of wine. It’s a nice red that should go with whatever you were swearing at earlier unless its fish.” Barry smiled again, this time with genuine happiness and gestured for Len to come in.

“Yeah, I’m a klutz. Even at regular speed. Especially at regular speed. Dinner’s not quite ready but it should be done in a few minutes. If you would like to have a seat while you wait, I’ll take the wine and put it on the table.” Len tilted his head in acknowledgment and wandered over to the living room.

Dinner had turned out better than either of them planned. They stayed away from hard topics such as family and talked about the things they had in common. Which was quite a lot. They both liked to go to the movies and would rather eat at home than go out. They both enjoyed their little games of course, but also games in general. Board games, card games, word games.

It was at the end of the date that things got a little weird. Most of the time they would both be the one giving the kiss goodnight. Now, however neither knew which one of them should or would do it. If it happened at all. However, before either of them had the chance to really overthink it Barry just went ahead and lightly kissed Len on the corner of this mouth.

It was barely-there and more of a chaste kiss rather than a proper one. It was enough to bring color to Len’s cheeks. Barry could see that he was just a little embarrassed. In true Captain Cold fashion though, he covered it with a pun and made his exit.

ColdFlash

They had five more dates. Sometimes meeting a couple times a week, sometimes not seeing each other for weeks. For the first time in either of their lives though, they were seeing something forming. They were seeing something begin to build that they could plant the rest of their life on.

Len was beginning to trust Barry, just a little. Barry was seeing that his faith in Leonard hadn’t been completely misplaced and the two of them were working it out. Len had convinced Barry that he should get Cisco to build Lisa a gun. It had taken a lot of wheedling and bribery but eventually, Cisco had given in and made the gold gun for Lisa.

Just as things were going well, shit hit the fan.

Len had believed that his father would be out of his life forever. He had thought that he would never have to deal with the bastard coming after Lisa or himself in this lifetime. Fate had other plans in mind.

ColdFlash

Len really did want to go to Barry. He really did want to get help on this. He was scared for his sister’s life though, so he said nothing. He pretended like everything was fine. He hadn’t planned on his father snatching him and forcing to work a job but he could adapt. He always did.

That did not mean that Barry got to jump in the middle of everything. Didn’t the kid know that this was something that he had to do on his own? Didn’t he realize what was at stake here? Obviously not because there he was asking Len if he was okay.

Len thought about it for a moment and responded with “peachy.” However with the arrival of his father he had had to think quickly about the Flash. He did a bit of tricky business with the cold gun that made it look as though he had killed the Flash and continued to help his father. He only hoped that Barry had gotten the message and would actually obey it. It was unlikely, but it could happen.

ColdFlash

Barry had received the message in fact. How could he not when it had been in big bold letters. However, Len was nuts if he thought for one moment that Barry was going to listen to it. That just wasn’t going to happen. He hunted down Len later at Saints and Sinners. Barry insisted that he was going to help Len. That Cisco and the team were going to get the bomb out of Lisa and that everything was going to be fine.

The two of them had been going out long enough that Barry could see past Len’s frosty exterior and see that he was on the edge. Len was barely holding on and really did need someone to help him. It all went by fast from there. Pretending to be Len’s tech guy, pretending to die, hearing that Lisa was safe and showing up to help Len.

After Len killed his father Barry could see him crack into pieces. He helped him to his feet and flashed them back to Len’s apartment. He could see the exact moment that Len completely fell apart. In an unheard of moment of vulnerability he turned and buried his face in Barry’s shoulder. Barry could feel the tears and lightly rubbed Len’s back. Not holding him real tight as Len was too on edge for something that would feel constraining.

Barry wanted to say something, but there was nothing to say. There were no words that would help or fix this. There was nothing to be done. It was just the way that it was.

ColdFlash

There was a dynamic shift that night. The two of them were a little closer, saw each other a little more, spoke to each other with a little more softness. They were building something that Len hoped would last forever.

That was the reason that he nearly laughed out loud when Rip Hunter tried to recruit him and Mick for a mission to save Earth in the future. There was not a chance in Hell that he was going to leave in the middle of building his own future. Also neither he nor Mick were actually heroes and never would be. So he said no and walked away with Mick. He had a date with Barry.

ColdFlash

Barry was so screwed. So unbelievably screwed. He couldn’t believe what had happened. He couldn’t believe what he had done. How could he have done it? How could he have screwed up the most important thing in his life? What the hell had he been thinking? His only choice would be to hunt down Len and beg for his forgiveness, beg that Len would give him another chance.

ColdFlash

Len liked Sara. He liked her a lot. She was a good fighter, smart, beautiful and good at cards. She also didn’t disregard Mick the way that a lot of people did. However, with all of that she was also observant and she listened in on the rumors. Len was well aware that a good number of people on the ship knew about his relationship with Barry.

Mick, Ray, Stein and probably Jax all knew that he was the hero’s soulmate. That also means that the latter three spent time gossiping about him and his relationship. He could deal with the gossip and the speculation. After all, who wouldn’t want to know the reason that he left such a wonderful person like Barry to run around trying to save the world? He certainly would.

What he couldn’t deal with was Sara’s looks and her subtle questions about it. Only Mick knew the whole story and Len didn’t know whether or not he wanted to tell someone else. It seemed like such a small thing when he looked back on it. However, at the time it had felt massive and he had run off with the Legends.

Mick thought the opposite. He was certain it was a big deal if only because it was Len that it happened to. He was good like that. Maybe if he knew Sara just a little bit better, this would be easier.

ColdFlash

Barry was ashamed over his actions that night. He had wanted to immediately take back the words he had said, but that wasn’t how it worked. The next day he had gone by Len’s apartment to apologize. Then Mick’s apartment, the Lisa’s, four of their safehouses and any decent jobs in the city. It soon became apparent that Len wasn’t any of his regular places and he would need help.

When he arrived at the lab he could see Cisco and Lisa talking to each other. They were sat next to each other speaking softly, their heads nearly touching. Barry knew the exact moment that they saw him there. Barry had believed that Lisa would be angry with him. He had figured that she would yell, and scream and threaten him to stay away from Len. He hadn’t counted on Lisa’s quiet. The way that her eyes were just a little red. They way that she didn’t say anything, just turned away.

He definitely didn’t expect for Cisco to lost it at him.

“WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” Barry winced at the volume.

“Cisco, I can explain what happened!”

“Oh really, you can explain why you broke the one rule no one ever should and laid hands on your soulmate? You can explain the nasty horrible things that you said to him? I’m glad he ran off to save the world! I thought you were a good guy.” The last part had been said softly, all of the steam leaving Cisco in one big rush.

“What do mean he ran off to save the world?”

ColdFlash

“So what really happened between you saying “no” the night before and joining us the next day. Also, I know that you didn’t kill Mick and I think you made the right decision.” Len looked from where he was organizing his hand of cards.

“It’s kind of a long story and thanks.”

“Well, we have kind of a long time before we get out of the vortex. What else do we have to do?”

“It started the night that Rip tried to recruit us for this mission.”

Len couldn’t help the derisive snort as he made his way back to the apartment he shared with Barry. As though he would give up the best thing in his life for a suicide mission. He wasn’t actually a hero, despite what Barry liked to argue.

He began to check off the things that he wanted to do for their date that night. He had a set of plans to woo Barry and make it a romantic evening. It was their anniversary after all.

Two hours later found Len taking the garlic bread out of the oven and setting it on the table. He had just set himself to light the candles to set the mood when his phone rang. He glanced down at it and frowned when he saw that it was Barry. Barry wasn’t yet late so it couldn’t be him calling to give an excuse for his tardiness. He answered the phone and instantly regretted it.

Barry was very obviously strung out and tired. Len could see one of the very bad moods beginning to brew in Barry’s voice. He asked what was wrong and Barry explained that Iris had been hurt in an attack by the Rainbow Raider. Len asked if he could do anything and Barry said that there was nothing to be done. Iris was going to be fine. She wasn’t badly hurt, more bruised than anything, with a sprain and a mild concussion that Caitlan wanted to keep an eye on.

Despite that, Barry was going to stay with her.

Len ended the phone call and sighed as he looked over his painstakingly prepared meal. He blew out the candles and started to pack the food up. Barry could have some when he got home, Len wasn’t really in the mood for food.

ColdFlash

It was nearly 2 AM when Barry arrived at home. He had spent the night looking after Iris and he was exhausted. He had stayed with her until he had been relieved by Eddie, despite her assertations that he could go home. He dropped his stuff off and glanced into the kitchen. A thread of guilt entered him as he looked at the set table and the candles.

He had completely forgotten about their anniversary.

He stripped out of his clothes and crawled into bed with Len. He thought that he had made it without waking his lover. He was wrong though. He just didn’t notice Len open his eyes and check the time on the clock.

ColdFlash

Len woke up only a few hours later at 5 AM and found himself unable to go back to sleep. He rolled over and snagged his phone off of the nightstand. However, he snagged the wrong phone and accidentally picked up Barry’s phone. He was about to set it down when he noticed a new message from Iris. Unable to resist he opened it and read it.

”Hey, Barry. Caitlan let me go about an hour ago. She said that the biggest danger was over. She said that it was a very mild concussion and there is nothing to worry about. I told you that you didn’t have to stay.” Len frowned. Barry blew off their first anniversary for a mild concussion even after Iris told him to leave? Really? Len had carried out heists with mild concussions.

Barry took that inopportune moment to roll over and look at Len. That was the beginning of the end. What began as Barry asking Len why he was reading his text messages devolved into a knock down drag out fight over missing their anniversary and invasions of privacy. It all came to a peak when stood nose to nose screaming at each other, Barry gave Len a hard shove.

Len, not expecting the movement, had stumbled backward and fallen through the glass coffee table. Barry had immediately realized his actions and tried to help Len up off the ground. However Len wasn’t having it. In a cold voice, he told Barry to leave and not come back.

“And that it is how it happened. How it all came to a head.”

“He didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know. I know that he didn’t mean to injure me. Not physically. However, when I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to be abused by my soulmate, I included an addendum. That I wasn’t going to allow myself to be blamed for something that wasn’t my fault. He did, at the height of our fight, he accused me of wanting Iris to suffer. I am not going to put up with that. Not ever.” Sara wrapped her arms around him allowing him to bury his face in her shoulder. To grieve for something he didn’t know he had wanted. Something he would never get now.

ColdFlash

Barry Allen had a plan. The kind of plan that would have everyone in his life trying to lock him up. However, he knew that he had to try. After the legends had brought back the news that Len had sacrificed himself, Barry had been devastated. He had been depressed and unhappy and making bad decisions. This might be one of his bad decisions but he had to try. He couldn’t just allow his soulmate to be dead when he had the ability to change it.

It was a complicated plan that involved lots of running and time travel and hiding. He would sneak onto the Waverider right before they were set to go to the Vanishing Point. He would wait around until the events played out exactly as they were supposed to. Finally, at the last moment, he would swoop in and Save Len from being killed. It sounded simple but it was much more complicated than he had thought.

Despite all of the things that could go wrong, not everything did. He was able to find and get on the ship in more than enough time. He was able to hide out until everything happened the way it was supposed to. He was able to avoid changing time drastically. He had not planned on the time masters. He had not planned on having to fight his way through them and avoid the Legends.

Barry was well aware of the fact that this had to be done right or it would screw up history. He did manage to make it past those. Then he nearly screwed it all up because he forgot that Sara and Mick were there with Len until they had to run away.

ColdFlash

Len knew that Barry was an idiot. He was well aware of that particular fact. That is why he wasn’t surprised to see Barry just out of the corner of his eye. He distracted Sara for a moment and then sent Mick along with her to escape from the end.

He made sure to keep his hand on the device even as he watched Barry begin to build up speed. Len had known that Barry would come for him. He had known that Barry at least cared about him enough not to let him die. Len was able to separate his emotions from the fight from the events of the fight so he let Barry save him.

ColdFlash

Barry began to run building up the necessary speed to get both him and Len back to the Waverider before it took off. This kind of short-term time travel was very tricky for him and he always struggled with it. He saw Len make eye contact with him for a moment and Barry knew that there was no other choice. In a final burst of speed, he snatched Len and timed it so they were hidden on the Waverider in the exact moment they needed to be.

ColdFlash

From that point forward it was pretty easy. Barry ran them to the point in time they were supposed to be. They would inform everyone and everything would work out.

Barry rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Len. Len was gazing around his apartment like he had never seen it before and humming lightly to himself. Barry noticed that Len was studiously looking anywhere but at the speedster.

He knew that it was to be expected but he couldn’t help the shot of hurt that it caused.

Len sighed lightly and turned to his soulmate. He had missed Barry while he had been with the Legends. He had wanted to do nothing more than come back here and kiss his soulmate senseless. Tell him that everything was forgiven and move back into the happy world he had been in.

Life didn’t work that way. For the two of them to work out then needed to have a serious discussion about what went on that night. Len decided that he needed to begin.

His time with the Legends had allowed Len to take a step back from his emotions. To look at the events of that night with a clear mind and unbiased thoughts. What he saw both made him happy and upset him. From an outsiders point of view, Barry hadn’t meant to do it. The had both been exhausted and overwrought. Their fight had escalated and culminated in Barry shoving Len. That wasn’t so bad. Barry hadn’t meant to hurt Len, not really. He had just underestimated his strength.

However, when their fight had been at its height, Barry had accused Len of not caring that Iris was hurt. That was completely unacceptable. Len had worked hard to be the kind of man that Barry needed him to be. He worked hard to be the sort of person that could be a soulmate. He didn’t deserve to have nasty, untrue accusations thrown at him just because Barry was upset.

By the time that he had finished explaining all of this Barry seemed to be more upset than when they had arrived. He took that chance to tell his side of the story. To talk about his lack of sleep. The pressure from Joe about Len being his soulmate and about that night. How Len reading his texts reminded him of Joe not allowing him any privacy. How he hadn’t meant to hurt Len had only wanted to create some distance. By the end of it, they were both worn out. They sat in silence wondering what they were going to do.

“Do you think that we can figure this out, Len?”

“I think we should at least try. Only time will tell if we actually manage it. I just don’t know what we are going to tell all of our friends and family.”

“That can wait till later. I’m sure that everyone is going to have words for me. Especially the Legends and Cisco. I really don’t want to mess this up, Len. I want this to work. And for everything that has happened, and what almost happened with the Vanishing Point, I am really sorry. I never wanted anything like this to happen. I know that I have a lot to make up for and I want to do it. Please give me a second chance.” Len was silent for a moment before answering.

“I expect that you do anything for Mick and Lisa to prove to them you are genuine. No matter how bizarre the task or how much you don’t want to do it.”

“Of course. Anything that they want.”