[he isn't really thinking straight. that's his excuse. after everything that'd happened with the earthquake, with all the repair efforts he'd thrown himself head first in to, it'd taken practically collapsing before he was finally dragged away from the chaos and ordered in to a hospital bed.
which is where he still is, far too many bags of glucose later, and a headache that doesn't seem to want to shift.]
Hey, Len?
[his exhaustion is more than obvious in his voice, but it's the least of his worries right now. instead it's guilt that weighs heavily on him. all that time and he's only just gotten around to making this call.]
[ it's almost funny that barry's in the hospital, because that's where len is. for a completely different reason, but the point still stands. when he gets the message, he's in a waiting room, getting some grub and a drink out of a vending machine. ]
Yeah, we're good. [ he holds his phone between his ear and his shoulder, ignoring the little bits of chatter behind him and the occasional pa system announcement that the mic probably picks up. ] Far as I know, Mick never got trapped. I was out within twenty minutes.
[ he doesn't mention the sprained ankle. or what he's been doing in the days since the earthquake. ]
Let me guess--you've been working those fleet feet of yours off trying to help everybody.
[the background noises barely make any real impact on him at first. it's not until there's the all too familiar call on the pa system, something that's a repetition of words he's hearing ring out above him too, that realization sets in and any ease he may've felt at len's first words is wiped away completely.]
You're in the hospital? Why're you in the hospital? You said you were good.
[maybe he'll address the rest later. but right now, he has a much bigger concern to deal with.]
[ he lets his forehead hit the glass on the front of the vending machine with a quiet thud. this is not a conversation he wants to have twice, but whatever higher powers there are in the world clearly hate him. ]
I'm not a patient. Chill.
[ there's a slight pause wherein he debates whether he should explain further. ] I have a particular set of skills that can come in handy around here during a crisis. [ is what he settles on eventually. let barry make of that what he will. ]
[it's enough to have him slump back against his pillows again, relieved both at the fact that len's alright and the fact that he doesn't need to force himself to get up. (honestly, he probably wouldn't make it as far as the door right now if he tried.) there's a moment as he considers trying to push for more. to find out just what those skills are. but if len isn't freely offering that information, barry isn't about to push for it.
yet.]
I wanted to check in on you guys earlier, but I got...sidetracked.
[not that it's particularly surprising. there was an emergency taking place afterall.]
Believe it or not, we are grown men. We can take care of ourselves.
[ amusement colors the light admonishment. this kid and his bleeding heart are going to be the death of him someday. but until then, leonard can't help but be quietly bemused and entertained by just how far barry pushes himself for no reason other than "he can, so why wouldn't he?"
though he doubts barry would put it that way. ]
Why are you in here? You didn't actually run a foot off, did you?
[grumble grumble. he doesn't really see anything wrong with being worried about others. especially not when it comes to the people he's genuinely attached to. even without eudio's influence, len fell under that banner. so it'd felt normal for him to want to ask. to want to just check in and make sure he was still standing.]
Cisco's not here. [which is only half an explanation.] I don't have any calorie bars, so I kind of...collapsed. Because I haven't eaten enough. [when the rescuer needs rescuing. fun times.]
[this is one time where he's actually gladthat joe isn't around. getting told off by his friends is one thing, but he isn't sure he could deal with the west-brand admonishments.]
Like...a hundred-thousand calories if I'm not doing much. Cisco put it at eight-hundred and fifty tacos.
[what he wouldn't give for a table full of big belly burgers right now though]
The docs hooked me up to a couple of IV bags though, so I should be good to go soon.
[ there was going to be a smartass remark in reply to whatever number barry rattled out. maybe something about him needing to just carry a glucose drip wherever he goes. but then he says that number, and leonard automatically does the mental math and-- ]
How the hell do you pay for that on a CCPD CSI's salary?
Barry Allen asking me to rob a vending machine for him. Never thought I'd see the day.
[ he's kidding. leonard knows that barry is absolutely asking him to pay like fifty bucks to actually empty a vending machine, but teasing him is just too tempting. as is hanging up right after he says, ] How can I resist a request like that?
[ a handful of minutes later, he strolls into barry's hospital room, arms laden with what looks like the contents of two vending machines piled on top of a little cart he's borrowed. ]
[for a horrible moment, he's envisioning his nurse turning back up with yet another bowl of the porridge-like concoction they'd been forcing him to eat since waking back up again. so having len walk in instead is something he's more than grateful for. especially with a cart as laden with sugar-filled snacks as that. it's enough to have him perk right up, tiredness pushed away an replaced by a wide grin and buzz of excitement.
you have made his day, leonard snart.]
You did pay for that, right?
[because as much as he may want to dig straight in, he has to ask first. theft is still a crime and he at least needs to try and be annoyed if that's the case. not that it'd stop him from tucking in anyway.]
[ mostly because the handful of nurses he's met at the hospital have been delightful people who take absolutely zero of his shit and he's mildly scared of them in the same way he occasionally gets mildly scared of lisa. he'd prefer not to get a tongue lashing and disappointed look. ]
I'll send you a bill once you're not on an IV. [ leonard tosses a candy bar at barry as he perches on the edge of the hospital bed, unwrapping one for himself. ] Or maybe you can make whatever we've got for insurance here pay for it.
[well, that's good enough for him. he digs in to the candy bar straight away, the wrapper barely removed before he's shoving half of it in his mouth. it's far from being a pretty sight, but it's the last thought on his mind right now.]
I don't think they cover emergency candy runs.
[which...are words that may not be entirely understandable, given that they're said around the mouthful of chocolate he's replacing at the same time.]
You never said what you were doing here in the first place.
[ and that's about when leonard starts looking like he's in one of those, "need a moment? chew it over with twix." commercials as he takes a bite right as barry starts almost-asking about what he's doing here. he holds up a finger, chews, swallows, and raises one shoulder in a very nonchalant shrug. ]
Volunteering. Gotta make sure I rack up those feel-good points somehow.
[his expression softens completely at that, pride showing through despite knowing that he isn't really in any kind of a position to feel that way. but he can't help it. it's times like this, times where len proves what barry's always known, that brings it out of him. len may have an excuse for his behavior, but it's exactly that as far as he's concerned. an excuse. something to save face when really, he's being the person he really is beneath the captain cold persona.
okay, so maybe he's reading far too much in to it and his own personal feelings towards len are playing a part in it all too. but it doesn't make him believe it any less.]
I'm glad you were able to help out. They needed someone who could keep their cool in an emergency.
[ all his motivation for helping out involved (at least at first) the fact that if he doesn't get this wish he dies and the fact that he'd rather stay on management's good side for now. maybe now, a day or so after the initial quake, part of it also has to do with wanting to see the kids he's been helping out with get to go home. but he'll never admit that. the closest he'll get is not protesting too vehemently when barry implies he's doing something just for the good of it. ]
Nice pun, though. [ he smirks a little. ] Solid seven out of ten.
[he doesn't push. doesn't try to get any more out of len than he already has. the entire visit feels too comfortable for him to risk ruining it all by pushing len for details he may not be willing to share.
so instead, he just pushes himself up the bed so he can sit propped by the pillows instead. tapping len's side with his foot, he motions towards the snack pile in a request for more.he doesn't particularly mind what he gets. anything beats his earlier meals.]
Only a seven? You're meant to go easy on me. [see: being in hospital.]
[ with one hand he swats at that foot, and with the other he grabs a bag of chips from their food-loot pile and tosses it at barry's head. ]
I don't have to go easy on you when it's your own damn fault you're in here.
[ he pins barry with the same sort of disappointed look he used to give lisa every time she did something stupid when she was a teenager. he doesn't really expect it to work, but it's worth pointing out that being in the hospital could've easily been avoided. ]
[it's a testament to how out of it he really is that he doesn't realize what len's done until he's being hit in the head. the scowl he throws back is halfhearted at best though, and it isn't long before he's crunching away at the chips. and possibly trying to buy himself time in the process.]
You get that there was an earthquake, right? There wasn't exactly time to go eat.
[or rather, he didn't make time because that meant abandoning potential casualties. even if it would've only been temporarily, he couldn't bring himself to do that. not when every second counted.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
audio. /does more dumb things
which is where he still is, far too many bags of glucose later, and a headache that doesn't seem to want to shift.]
Hey, Len?
[his exhaustion is more than obvious in his voice, but it's the least of his worries right now. instead it's guilt that weighs heavily on him. all that time and he's only just gotten around to making this call.]
Are you guys okay? Did you all get out?
audio. /chinhands
Yeah, we're good. [ he holds his phone between his ear and his shoulder, ignoring the little bits of chatter behind him and the occasional pa system announcement that the mic probably picks up. ] Far as I know, Mick never got trapped. I was out within twenty minutes.
[ he doesn't mention the sprained ankle. or what he's been doing in the days since the earthquake. ]
Let me guess--you've been working those fleet feet of yours off trying to help everybody.
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You're in the hospital? Why're you in the hospital? You said you were good.
[maybe he'll address the rest later. but right now, he has a much bigger concern to deal with.]
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I'm not a patient. Chill.
[ there's a slight pause wherein he debates whether he should explain further. ] I have a particular set of skills that can come in handy around here during a crisis. [ is what he settles on eventually. let barry make of that what he will. ]
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[it's enough to have him slump back against his pillows again, relieved both at the fact that len's alright and the fact that he doesn't need to force himself to get up. (honestly, he probably wouldn't make it as far as the door right now if he tried.) there's a moment as he considers trying to push for more. to find out just what those skills are. but if len isn't freely offering that information, barry isn't about to push for it.
yet.]
I wanted to check in on you guys earlier, but I got...sidetracked.
[not that it's particularly surprising. there was an emergency taking place afterall.]
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[ amusement colors the light admonishment. this kid and his bleeding heart are going to be the death of him someday. but until then, leonard can't help but be quietly bemused and entertained by just how far barry pushes himself for no reason other than "he can, so why wouldn't he?"
though he doubts barry would put it that way. ]
Why are you in here? You didn't actually run a foot off, did you?
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[grumble grumble. he doesn't really see anything wrong with being worried about others. especially not when it comes to the people he's genuinely attached to. even without eudio's influence, len fell under that banner. so it'd felt normal for him to want to ask. to want to just check in and make sure he was still standing.]
Cisco's not here. [which is only half an explanation.] I don't have any calorie bars, so I kind of...collapsed. Because I haven't eaten enough. [when the rescuer needs rescuing. fun times.]
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[ it's definitely the fact that he knew it and ignored that. it's really pretty terrible and has leonard pinching the bridge of his nose. ]
How much food do you need to stay up and running?
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Like...a hundred-thousand calories if I'm not doing much. Cisco put it at eight-hundred and fifty tacos.
[what he wouldn't give for a table full of big belly burgers right now though]
The docs hooked me up to a couple of IV bags though, so I should be good to go soon.
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How the hell do you pay for that on a CCPD CSI's salary?
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[so, inheriting star labs definitely had a few perks. but he's far from being rich.]
Cisco makes me calorie bars, so regular food is more about taste, or spending time with others.
I miss not being able to finish a pizza though.
[#thelittlethings]
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[ what. even he had a point in his early twenties where he could finish a pizza, and he doesn't eat that much. ]
Should see if the magic bureaucrats here can whip you up something. Or at least get you a recipe.
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[because iris would've killed him if he hogged the whole pizza.]
I think they've kind of got bigger priorities right now. We all do. [what with the current state of the city]
Though, uh-- Are you busy right now?
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speaking of which, leonard glances at his watch when barry asks him that question to see how long he's been at the hospital already. ]
Not really. But I'm not busting you out. Nurse Able would kick my ass.
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[because he could take care of that himself if he had the energy too. meaning even he knows that leaving would be a dumb idea right now.]
I was kind of hoping that you'd be willing to pick me up something to eat, or empty a vending machine for me, or something.
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[ he's kidding. leonard knows that barry is absolutely asking him to pay like fifty bucks to actually empty a vending machine, but teasing him is just too tempting. as is hanging up right after he says, ] How can I resist a request like that?
[ a handful of minutes later, he strolls into barry's hospital room, arms laden with what looks like the contents of two vending machines piled on top of a little cart he's borrowed. ]
Somebody order room service?
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you have made his day, leonard snart.]
You did pay for that, right?
[because as much as he may want to dig straight in, he has to ask first. theft is still a crime and he at least needs to try and be annoyed if that's the case. not that it'd stop him from tucking in anyway.]
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[ mostly because the handful of nurses he's met at the hospital have been delightful people who take absolutely zero of his shit and he's mildly scared of them in the same way he occasionally gets mildly scared of lisa. he'd prefer not to get a tongue lashing and disappointed look. ]
I'll send you a bill once you're not on an IV. [ leonard tosses a candy bar at barry as he perches on the edge of the hospital bed, unwrapping one for himself. ] Or maybe you can make whatever we've got for insurance here pay for it.
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I don't think they cover emergency candy runs.
[which...are words that may not be entirely understandable, given that they're said around the mouthful of chocolate he's replacing at the same time.]
You never said what you were doing here in the first place.
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Volunteering. Gotta make sure I rack up those feel-good points somehow.
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okay, so maybe he's reading far too much in to it and his own personal feelings towards len are playing a part in it all too. but it doesn't make him believe it any less.]
I'm glad you were able to help out. They needed someone who could keep their cool in an emergency.
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[ all his motivation for helping out involved (at least at first) the fact that if he doesn't get this wish he dies and the fact that he'd rather stay on management's good side for now. maybe now, a day or so after the initial quake, part of it also has to do with wanting to see the kids he's been helping out with get to go home. but he'll never admit that. the closest he'll get is not protesting too vehemently when barry implies he's doing something just for the good of it. ]
Nice pun, though. [ he smirks a little. ] Solid seven out of ten.
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so instead, he just pushes himself up the bed so he can sit propped by the pillows instead. tapping len's side with his foot, he motions towards the snack pile in a request for more.he doesn't particularly mind what he gets. anything beats his earlier meals.]
Only a seven? You're meant to go easy on me. [see: being in hospital.]
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I don't have to go easy on you when it's your own damn fault you're in here.
[ he pins barry with the same sort of disappointed look he used to give lisa every time she did something stupid when she was a teenager. he doesn't really expect it to work, but it's worth pointing out that being in the hospital could've easily been avoided. ]
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You get that there was an earthquake, right? There wasn't exactly time to go eat.
[or rather, he didn't make time because that meant abandoning potential casualties. even if it would've only been temporarily, he couldn't bring himself to do that. not when every second counted.]
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