I remember looking up
To look up to him
And I remember most the times
He wasn't there
Leonard Snart had never claimed to have the best childhood, but it was pretty okay....until it all went to shit. And he could pin point exactly when that happened, even at the young age of ten years old. It happened, when Lewis was sent to prison for five years for stealing that Emrald. When he got out, he wasn't the same. And it didn't take Len long to figure out he'd never be the same ever again.
I'd be waiting at the door
When he got home at night
He'd pass me by
To go pass out in his chair
Whenever Lewis came home from work - or plotting heists, whatever you wanted to call it - Len would always run to the door to greet him like a good little boy. Unfortunately, Lewis didn't seem to give two shits about him. It only took two weeks for Len to figure out that his father, the one he knew and loved, was gone forever. He'd been replaced by some cold, evil monster that would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. (Even if that meant he'd have to hurt his own kids to do it.)
Lewis would always, always pass out drunk in the chair, when he came home. It was rare to see the man without a bottle in his hand. And with that bottle came the rage. And with that rage came the - what he called - lessons.
Lesson number one, don't wake him up after he'd passed out in the chair. There were consequences for that. There were consequences for everything. (Usually, they were pretty dire in the Snart house. It would seem that Len and his three year old sister simply weren't allowed to do anything, unless they wanted to be smacked.)
And I'd say,
Walk a little straighter, daddy
You're swaying side to side
Your footsteps make me dizzy
And no matter how I try
I keep trippin' and stumblin'
If you'd look down here you'd see
Walk a little straighter, daddy
You're leading me
Fast forward, Len had just been sent to juvie for stealing from the convenience store. (Which he thought was a total over reaction.) He'd met Mick Rory in juvie. They'd instantly become best friends. (Well, that sort of thing happens when someone saves your life.)
Leonard didn't realize it, until several years later, but he was following Lewis down a dark and dangerous path. One that would be extremely difficult to get out of. For years, he had himself fooled. He could make his own choices. He was his own person. Absolutely nothing like his father.
But the truth was everything Leonard Snart was, everything he did, was because Lewis was leading him. He was making Leonard trip and stumble over himself in a fruitless effort to become anything that wasn't Lewis. But no matter how he tried, it didn't work.
He was in and out of prison, just like Lewis. He was a theif, like Lewis. He was a murderer just like Lewis. No matter how many times Leonard denied the it, it was the truth. He was becoming just like his father.
Well he stumbled in the gym
On graduation day
And I couldn't help but feel so ashamed
It was Lisa's graduation day. The class had already sat down, and the principal had already started the ceremony. Leonard was there, sitting in the bleachers. He'd even dragged Mick along. Lisa smirked, figuring he'd probably told him they were going to a bar.
The lead student council member and student body president was half way through their speech, when Lewis stumbled in drunk off his ass, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Lisa!" he yelled. "Lisa! Hey, where's my daughter?! I heard she's graduating today!"
A few of the other graduates turned and stared at Lisa. She shrank back in her seat, hoping Lewis didn't notice her.
"Well where is she, huh?" Lewis said drunkenly.
Leonard walked over, in spite of the millions of people staring and his not wanting anyone to know they knew each other.
"You need to leave," he told Lewis.
"What?!" the older man scoffed. "I'm allowed to see my daughter on her graduation day?"
"Not when you're drunk off your ass," Leonard said.
Lewis rolled his eyes and tried to proceed forward, but the principal had come over and stopped him.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" he asked. "You're disrupting the graduation ceremony."
"I'm Lisa's father!" Lewis said loudly.
"Hardly," Leonard muttered under his breath.
The principal looked back and forth between the two. Something seemed to dawn on him.
"I see," he nodded slowly. "I'm, afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Mr. Snart, or else I'll be forced to call the police."
"Since when is it a crime for a dad to go to his daughter's graduation?!" Lewis said angrily. He tried to walk past again. "Lisa!!"
Lisa shrank down in her seat even further, pulling her cap over her face, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"If I let you stay," the principal said. "You have to sit down and be quiet."
"That's a bad idea," Leonard whispered to the principal.
"Maybe," he whispered back. "But I don't think he'll listen to reason."
"That's not what I'm worried about." He glanced over at Lisa sitting with the rest of the graduating class, hunched in her chair. Leonard only wanted to save her from more embarrassment.
But the principal let Lewis stay and continued the ceremony. People kept muttering about "the old drunk guy in the front row."
And I wasn't surprised a bit
When he didn't stay
He stumbled out before they called my name
The ceremony was half way over. The principal had called most of the students up to accept their diplomas. Luckily Lewis hadn't caused any more scenes....nope. Spoke to soon.
The principal was just getting to the people with last names starting with S, when Lewis started talking on his phone loudly.
"Hello?!" he said. "Hold on, I can't hear you. A heist?"
Leonard rolled his eyes. "Now?" he hissed. "You're doing this now?"
"Well, I'm not doing anything important. Just my daughter's graduation," Lewis said into the phone, ignoring Leonard.
Leonard huffed. "Right. Nothing important. Just an important moment in your kid's life."
"I'll be there in ten minutes," Lewis said, hanging his phone up.
Everyone watched, the ceremony being interupted for the second time that night, as Lewis stumbled out of the gym. He was so drunk, he bumped into one of the band members, knocking over all the instruments and making a giant mess of things.
Lisa sighed and kept her head down, hoping no one would realize he was her father...even if she was the only Lisa in her grade. She wasn't in the least bit surprised though. Lewis never did care enough to attend these sort of things. His criminal record was more important to him than his own kids.
And I thought,
Walk a little straighter, daddy
You're swaying side to side
It's not just me who's watching
You've caught everybody's eye
And you're trippin' and stumblin'
And even though I've turned eighteen
Walk a little straighter, daddy
You're still leading me
Still, Lisa couldn't help but to silently beg him to walk a litttle straighter at the very least. To not be so fucking drunk! Everyone was watching him. Everyone was judging the entire Snart family, because of him. They expected her and Leonard to walk the same exact path as their father....and it was sad because that's exactly what they'd do...
It was actually quite surprising Lisa made it to graduation, but Leonard wouldn't let her drop out of school, so....
But still, Lewis was leading them down that dark path he'd always been leading them down. When her name was called, Lisa kept her head down, hoping she didn't trip. She didn't want people to think she was drunk too. As quickly as possible she took the diploma and walked off the stage. Instead of going back to her seat like she was supposed to, she went over to Leonard and Mick.
"Can we leave?" she asked.
"Yeah," Leonard nodded. "Come on..."
The old man's still like he always was,
But I love him anyway
And if I've learned one thing from him
It's my kids will never have to say
Lewis never did change. Leonard and Lisa never expected him too. So, it wasn't really a surprise, when Len had finally snapped and killed the bastard.
The siblings met months after the events that had lead up to it, after Leonard had been let out of prison (or after he'd broken out, either way.)
They stood in an alley. (The safest place to avoid being seen by cops or attracting unwanted attention.)
Lisa smiled at her brother and hugged him. He hugged her back. Neither of the two usually showed such a effections, but this was a special moment, after all.
"So...he's dead?" Lisa said.
"Yup," Leonard nodded.
"You killed him," she said.
"Yup," he said again.
"Hm." She looked up at her brother, not saying anything. But the question was written all over her face anyway.
"I don't regret it," Leonard said, answering the silent question. "He deserved it."
Lisa nodded. "True," she agreed. "But ...even though he wasn't a very good one, he was still our father."
Leonard shrugged, determined not to feel any sort of remorse for Lewis Snart. So long as he could help it he would not feel guilty! He refused!
Still, somehow or another he found himself being just a tad bit grateful for the man's - although crude - guidance. Should Leonard or Lisa ever meet someone - and he doubted anyone would care so much for people like them, but should someone prove him wrong - and have kids, they now knew exactly what not to do.
Walk a little straighter, daddy
You're swaying side to side
Your footsteps make me dizzy
And no matter how I try
I keep trippin' and stumblin'
If you'd look down here you'd see
Walk a litlle straighter, daddy
You're leading me
When Leonard joined the Legends on the Waverider, the last thing he expected to do was fall in love. It was meant to be one final "fuck you" to Lewis. To prove that he didn't have to be exactly like his father.
But Leonard ended up falling for the White Canary, and subsequently she fell for him. So, years later (after the whole oculus drama and everyone thinking Leonard was dead) they married and had two kids - twins named Laurel and Kaleb.
The day they were born, Leonard watched them through the nursery window, finding it hard to believe any of this was actually happening.
He made himself a promise right there and then. He wouldn't be like Lewis. He wouldn't make Laurel and Kaleb trip and stumble over themselves they way Lewis had made him and Lisa. He wouldn't lead them down this chaotic road of destruction and horror.
He'd do his best to make sure they went down the right path. That they'd never have to be miserable or question whether or not Leonard actually cared for them. He wouldn't play games with their emotions. And he, above all else, would never ever lay a hand on them.
And that was a promise he fully intended to keep.
Yeah walk a little straighter, daddy
You're leading me