When Len had signed up to be part of Rip Hunter's little time-hopping super group, he had naturally assumed that in doing so he'd be privy to certain perks and privileges that just naturally came along with being considered a 'hero' by the general populace.
Truth be told Len wasn't expecting anything extravagant, just having the Flash and his pathetic do-gooder friends turn a blind eye to the Rogues jobs every now and then or something like that would be more than enough of a reason to sign up in Len's humble opinion. But considering where he was now, namely sharing a tiny room and an even tinier bed with his... well, whatever Mick was to him anyway, Len wasn't exactly pleased with how things as part of the team were going so far.
"Well... this is awkward." Mick asked as he inched just the tiniest bit closer towards Len, who looked to be just about ready to tumble down onto the floor on the other side of the uncomfortably small bed. "After all, last time we were in a bed together it was for a very different reason..."
"Mick... what did we agree on before we got into this bed?" Len said as calmly as he possibly could, although his unbearably tense shoulders gave away how he was really feeling.
"No talking..." Mick said a little hesitantly, his voice almost childlike as he spoke.
"And what exactly are you doing right now." Len asked, his tone taking on that awful, overconfident way it got whenever he was in full 'Captain Cold' mode. Oh how Mick had grown to hate the 'Captain Cold' voice.
"Talking..." Mick heaved out.
"Exactly. So shut the hell up and go to sleep Mick." Len groaned as he shifted about on the edge of the bed, desperately trying to get comfortable. The faster he fell asleep, the quicker he'd wake up and be out of this uncomfortable (and oddly familiar) situation. It was a win-win solution as far as Len was concerned.
What followed Len's subtle yet effective take down was a truly magical six minutes of blissful silence. Len had to admit, it was both comforting and concerning. Even back when he and Mick were... together, the burly pyromaniac had never been so damn quiet. Usually if he wasn't telling Len about each and every inane little thought that passed through his head then Mick was 'bothering' Len for something a little more intimate than just conversation.
Thankfully, Mick hadn't tried anything like that. Not yet anyway.
Just as Len felt himself about to slip into a deep slumber, the sound of Mick clearing his throat and clearly readying himself to launch into yet another pointless, mind-numbing tirade forced Len out of his relaxed state of being and back into the uncomfortable alertness he'd been suffering from since slipping into this terrible bed.
Clenching his teeth and balling his fists beneath the thin blanket, Len waited for the inevitable.
"Len... psst. Len, you awake?" Mick whispered.
Well, that didn't take long.
"No, I'm asleep." Len snapped back, keeping his eyes trained steadily on the wall a few feet in front of him as the rest of his body prepared itself for a fight. Unless what Mick had to say next was of the utmost importance, Len was going to knock him into next week.
"Can I uh... can I ask you something?" Mick asked, his tone still strangely low as he spoke.
"I've got a feeling you're going too, regardless of what I say next... So shoot." Len forced out from between clenched teeth. For Mick's sake, Len seriously hoped that he was picking his next few words wisely.
"Can I get a hug?" Mick asked, his tone far too innocent for his own good.
Well, Len certainly wasn't expecting that. Truth be told it actually felt like the wind had been knocked from his lungs. The pair had been working together for almost two decades now and Mick somehow kept finding ways to surprise Len. If nothing else, that in itself was impressive.
Normally Len would have to question what Mick's ulterior motives behind that loaded question were. Contrary to popular belief, Mick was not an idiot. While nowhere near as clever as Len, Mick did have this odd intelligence about him. A lot of the time Mick's intelligence was drowned out by the brash, aggressive front that the man put on so effortlessly, but still, if you spent more than five minutes with the real Mick then there was no denying that there was... something there.
Perhaps the fiery aggression (no pun intended) was just an act, but then again perhaps not. Either way Mick couldn't just be asking for a hug, there just had to be something more to it. With Mick, there was ALWAYS something more to it. Mick just wasn't that type of gu-
"Len. did you hear me?" Mick whispered again, snapping Len free from the vicious cycle of doubt he found himself drowning in and back into the moment at hand. Len couldn't tell if he was thankful for that or not.
"Uh-huh..." Len answered, his voice mirroring Mick's low tones as he gave his reply.
"Well, Can I get a hug then or what?" Mick asked again, sounding a little more sure of himself than he did just a few moments ago when he asked for the first time.
Len hadn't even answered yet, but he was just sure he was going to live to regret this.
"Uh... sure." Len eventually said tentatively. No going back now.
Almost before the words had even left Len's lips, Mick made a strange, happy sounding noise as he shuffled over across the bed and started pulling Len backwards into what Len was sure to be an unbelievably warm hug.
Much like a jigsaw puzzle, the pair fit together almost too perfectly. They had done this more time's than Len could count, so honestly they way they reacted to one another's bodies shouldn't have come as such a shock.
Without even saying a word, Len lifted his body up ever so slightly as one of Mick's arm slid under his body effortlessly. Meanwhile, Len grabbed Mick's other arm and pulled it over himself, allowing Mick to gently pull Len's frame back against his chest and into a tight, inescapable hug.
As the pair begun to settle, Len couldn't help but smirk to himself as he felt Mick's knees nudging gently at the back of his own. Only just managing to resist the urge to shrug his shoulders, Len simply allowed himself to be bent to Mick's will.
It was official. He and Mick were spooning.
Not even an hour ago Len was genuinely dreading the idea of sharing a bed with Mick after everything that had happened between them. And yet, here they were, snuggling up together on a tiny bed like they were a real domesticated couple.
As said, if nothing else at least the pyromaniac kept finding ways to surprise him.
"Thanks Len..." Mick eventually mumbled tiredly, a content sounding sigh escaping his barely parted lips as he pulled Len back even closer to his chest.
"Don't mention it. In fact, you know what? Just don't talk... at all." Len teased as he nestled himself back into Mick's arms. This was certainly more comfortable than hanging off the edge of the bed, that much was for sure.
"Ugh fine..." Mick whispered as he pushed himself forward one last time and rested his head down against the back of Len's neck, his lips not quite resting against the tender skin there he begun slowly unwind.
Len would rather flay himself alive than admit it to the man clinging onto him like a baby would to its precious teddy-bear, but this was actually rather relaxing.
"G'night Len..." Mick said, his voice trailing off towards the end as his exhaustion finally begun to get the better of him.
"You're talking again..." Len said, peering one eye open and grinning to himself as he felt Mick heave out a deep chuckle behind him.
"Dick..."