When Len woke up that morning shivering, he was immediately suspicious. He may have a cold exterior, but he never had a cold interior.
“Wake up, Snart!” Mick shouted through the door. “It's already noon!”
Len also never slept in. Something was wrong.
Instead of answering his partner in crime, Len just stood up, wobbling slightly. He became dizzy very quickly and sat down, taking a deep breath before trying again with the same result. Regardless, he headed toward the door.
He wasn’t wearing clothes, so he took a detour to his drawers, pulling on some pants, long sleeves, and socks. His shoes were outside his door.
He sat on the floor to put his shoes on, seeing as he was so dizzy he couldn't lean over without falling down. He couldn't help but think of the London Bridge. He chuckled to himself at the irony.
“Why are you on the floor?” Jax asked. Len glared up at him, fighting the cough in his throat. “Do you really want an answer, kid?”
Jax shrugged and walked off toward the room where Sara's shouts of annoyance were coming from. Len figured he'd join in a moment.
He stood up, leaning against the walls for support, and started following Jax from a distance, knowing he had better master walking again before Sara found him. Otherwise, she would know something was up.
The dizziness had pretty much worn off at this point, and while he was the opposite of hungry, Len figured he’d have breakfast.
So he made his way to the galley where he found Deserey, Raymond, and Mick.
“Hey, boss. Glad to see ya,” Mick greeted without looking up from his beer. He took a sip. “Can't believe you slept in.”
“Neither can I,” Dez muttered suspiciously. Well, Len was not counting on her to be the one to realize it, but he certainly wouldn't be complaining in her presence.
“How do you know I wasn't just sitting in my room?” Len raised an eyebrow, hoping they agreed.
“Because you were snoring louder than my son and husband combined,” she retorted.
Well, shit.
“I'm going to go check in with Sara,” he told them, completely changing the subject. “I haven't been up to do so yet.”
He turned out of the room and followed Sara's voice, but he listened for a moment before doing so.
“He seem a bit off to you?” Dez asked Mick and Ray.
“It's his business, Sherlock,” Mick replied. “Don’t go poking your nose where it doesn't belong.”
“Is that a threat or a movie quote?” Dez replied.
“Let's just say both. And no, I'm not the one threatening you. It'll be Snart if he finds out you're investigating him.”
“Ooh scary,” she said in a way that indicated she was not remotely scared. Then, after a moment, she asked, “What movie is it even from?”
That's when Len walked away. He probably should've stayed in his room.
…
Later that evening, Dez came to bother him with a bowl of soup and a bottle of medicine.
Len shook his head, throwing a tissue into the garbage. “Nope.”
“But you need it!” Dez complained.
“No, I don't. I'm fine!”
“Lenny, don't lie. It's not a good thing to do,” Dez chastised him.
Len rolled his eyes. “It's also not good to force your will on someone.”
“Still!”
“I don't like taking medicine!”
“Nobody does!” Dez replied.
“Leave me alone!”
“That's the exact opposite of what I'm going to do,” Dez told him. “Just relax and let me take care of you!”
Len sighed, shaking his head. “You don't get it. For me, getting ‘taken care of’ meant a whip. Medicine was medication for my depression that just made things worse. Stop forcing me to relive that!”
Dez stared at his cold exterior, frowning. “That's how it was for me, too. Except I wasn't whipped. I just lived in the streets. If I was sick, I couldn't care for myself. That was when...when an old friend of mine came in. Until she died, anyway.” Dez took a deep breath, closing her eyes in pain. “But these medicines won't make things worse, and Sara's the only one who even owns a whip.”
“Mick does, too, you know.”
“That's a scary thought. But also besides the point. I'm going to take care of you, not by whipping you, but just by being here. And tomorrow, you’ll feel better.” Dez smiled at him, and Len couldn't help but smile back.
“Now, do you want a book?”
“Shut up.”
They both laughed, feeling lighter than before.
Short sick fic I wrote a while back with my friend Emma. Um, yeah. I'm lazy so I won't say much. Hope ya enjoyed.