Captain Canary for fall prompt 4 or 6, whichever sounds more fun to you. Thanks!
@sylvanheather also requested #6, so here you go!
You’re one of the actors at a haunted house and I accidentally punched you when you jumped out at me- can I buy you coffee or something to make up for it?
Leonard figured that on the list of Rip’s plans, this one had to be one of the worst.
Despite being assured that Vandal Savage would be attending this small town’s carnival, there had been no sign of him. Which was irritating for several reasons.
One, Leonard had been in position for three hours.
Two, his “position” was as an actor for one of the haunted houses.
Three, it required a costume.
Leonard eyed the vampire cloak with distaste. He’d flat out refused the mummy outfit Ray had held up first, because at least the vampire’s clothes were black. Still, he wondered if he should have gone for something with a full mask if only to hide the number of times he rolled his eyes at this charade.
Never mind that Savage had apparently slipped through Hunter’s incompetent fingers yet again, but that certainly didn’t help Leonard’s attitude.
He’d spent all night startling young adults, getting threatened by the jock boyfriends and nearly losing his hearing with the shrieks of their dates. It was exhausting, but at least he wasn’t stuck with Kendra and Sara up at the front, having to talk to every customer who came by. Mick was somewhere else in the house, having more fun than Leonard, from the sounds of the screams. Martin, Rip, and Jax were guests, moving around the carnival, while Ray patrolled in his ATOM suit.
They hadn’t brought any comms here, figuring the incessant soundtrack of screams and unexpected horror sounds would wreak havoc, so Leonard was stuck here until the end of the night, which couldn’t come soon enough.
There was a faint light behind him as someone walked past the motion detector. Leonard got into position with a silent sigh, counting down the hours until he could get out of here.
A figure stepped around the corner and Leonard moved forward, a half-hearted reach towards them that never actually made contact.
There was a high-pitched noise and then a fist came towards his face from a much shorter figure than he was expecting. He tried to move back, but his foot caught on his cloak and the person socked him right in the nose.
Leonard cursed and fell back, his eyes watering. Through the pain, he recognized the voice in the darkness.
“Oh, my god, Len, I’m so sorry,” the now familiar voice of Sara Lance was saying. Her apology was ruined somewhat by the fact that she was laughing, albeit a little nervously.
“I am so sorry,” she insisted, reaching out for him. The smile was fading, and she seemed legitimately concerned, but Leonard backed up.
“Is there a reason you’re trying to kill me?” he asked coolly.
“Rip sent me to come and get you,” Sara said. “He’s calling the mission.”
“Fantastic.” He felt his nose carefully and though it still hurt, it wasn’t broken.
“I’m sorry,” Sara said again. “I hate haunted houses.”
“Gathered that.”
He tugged off the cloak and started back the way Sara had come. “Try not to break Mick, too.”
---
Later that evening, Leonard was in his room aboard the Waverider, unwrapping a piece of candy he’d stolen on the way out of the carnival. In spite of the evening, or perhaps because of it, he’d put on one of his favorite Halloween films. Beetlejuice was just applauding the Exorcist when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
The door slid open, and just on the outside stood Sara, holding a pair of steaming mugs.
“Lance.”
“Snart,” she said, then stepped in, glancing at the screen before putting one of the mugs on his nightstand. He just watched her, a brow rising.
“A peace offering,” she said hesitantly. “Mulled cider, with a kick.”
He picked up the mug and took a sip. It was good, the spices bursting behind the fresh apple cider. This wasn’t something from a packet or a can, but something she must have done herself.
“Thanks,” he said.
“I’m really sorry, again,” Sara said, staring at her mug. “I do want to punch you sometimes, but that was uncalled for.”
He scoffed but had gotten over it. Had their roles been reversed, he wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t have done the same thing.
“I would have assumed,” he said, keeping his voice judgment-free, “that with all that assassin training, you wouldn’t be so jumpy.”
Sara smiled, shifting the mug in her hand. “You’d think. I’ve never been a big fan of scary movies, and people jumping out at me were usually trying to kill me, so…”
Ah.
“But,” she continued, “that’s no excuse, and I’m sorr—”
“Don’t be. We’ll call this one even, thanks to the cider.”
Her smile got a bit wider. “Okay.”
Leonard found himself almost smiling back at her, but caught it.
“I’ll leave you to your movie,” Sara said, turning around.
“Ever seen Beetlejuice?”
Sara stopped, turning and staring at Leonard, who was just as surprised to hear the words come out of his mouth.
She shook her head. “No.”
“It’s not scary. Give me that cider recipe and you can stay to watch it.”
“Deal,” she said after a second. She pulled the chair out to sit alongside Leonard’s bed.
He passed her a piece of candy and she took it without a word, just a quick smile cast in his direction.
What was a punch between friends?
Lovely fun romp! 😁
