Mick grunted as Laurel cleaned his face with a damp cloth, running it over his large new scar, going across his cheek and chin.
“We were gonna miss our chance,” he argued.
Laurel sighed, picking up the alcohol and getting a new cloth for it.
“We got the goods,” Mick continued. “‘Sides, Gideon will fix me up.”
She glared at him, rubbing the alcohol more firmly against his face than she needed to, but he didn’t flinch. He’s been here many times before.
Laurel had joined the team months ago. Due to being legally dead in the timeline, she had nowhere else to go except all throughout time, with her sister and the rest of the misfits she had collected.
‘Course that meant they had a mother hen with too much of a conscience around. Mick didn’t kill anymore ‘less he had to, but he was still violent and had a bad temper.
He and Laurel clashed all the fucking time, to the point he heard Sara consider taking one of them off the team.
And now Laurel was cleaning up his face, the sting of the alcohol seeping into his wounds. They were in one of Snart’s old safe houses, and would have to spend the night before heading to the rendezvous spot.
Their loot? A shitty Pokeymom card that’d get so rare in the future it’d cause a civil war.
“Look, sorry I didn’t follow your plan—”
“That’s not the problem, Mick,” Laurel snapped. “You nearly died. And believe it or not, I don’t want you dead.”
“Yeah, ‘cause then who’d you snap at?”
Laurel rolled her eyes, but he swore he saw the corners of her lips tilt up in a smile.
She finally finished dressing his wounds. “There we go. Make sure you don’t bump your face into anything so it’ll heal, at least until we get back to the ship.”
Mick grunted, noticing how her hands lingered in front of his face, barely touching his jaw. She pulled them back, but Mick didn’t let her get too far.
He picked up another cloth and dabbed it on her forehead, where a bloody scratch still was.
“What are you doing?” Laurel asked, bewildered.
“Returnin’ the favor.”
“I don’t need that much help—”
“Shut up and let me be helpful.”
She pouted—that bottom lip should be illegal—but he could see how touched she was by that gesture, and he tried to ignore how warm that made him feel.
(It got long for a blurb but I was having way too much fun with this)
Laurel had gone through a lot and came out on the other side. She had survived her sister's death twice and had even come back from hell herself. She had made peace with the frequent nightmares and the reality that she had been pubically replaced by an alternate version of her. She managed to handle the truth she had a husband in this new world but could only remember the first one. She even went to Sara's less than stellar wedding and managed to help her sister handle the break-up and acknowledge her feelings concerning an old lover. It wasn't overnight, it took a lot of time, but she managed to rebuild a life after five years of being gone. She thought she was doing pretty okay.
So when Sara had been overloaded with work as a Legend, Laurel was more than willing to help her with a small mission. All she needed to do was keep someone from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, preventing a butterfly effect from occurring and causing the future to become a nuclear wasteland. The only thing that bothered her was that she was pretending to be married to someone she barely knew. Mick Rory, criminal arsonist and, surprisingly enough, erotica writer. He was gruff, drank a lot, and always seemed conscious of other people's space. He seemed nice enough, even if he never really talked to her before. He was always so nervous around her. Like he didn't want to make her feel crowded.
Sara had insisted she could take the mission instead, or even call Ray (the only other free Legend) in to be the fake spouse, but Laurel wasn't on board with either option. For one, Sara was, as stated, overworked and barely staying awake as it is, and for two, Ray was on partial paternity leave and there was no way Laurel was taking him away from his wife, even if it was for a quick and easy mission. Besides, she's pretended to be married to her teammates before (the time she and John Constantine had crashed a swinger's party was a recent highlight), and Laurel knew Mick wasn't a big fan of intimacy, so all things considered they'd probably be fine. Until they got to the hotel.
"I regret to inform you of this, Mr. and Mrs. Drake, but it appears we have no rooms specific to your preferences. We can still book you in a room, just not one with two beds." The receptionist looked hesitantly up at her to gauge her reaction. Laurel took a deep breath. They were showing up early to get everything set up. Spending a few days with this man she barely knows and her sister trusts can't be as awkward as she thinks it'll be. She could sleep on the couch or maybe even the potential office chair. She took a glance at her companion/fake husband. Mick just grunted. Well, if he had no problem with this...
Laurel smiled politely, mimicking the way she used to a lifetime ago when she was a lawyer. "You're fine. We'll take whatever room we can get. Thank you."
Mick was known as the dragon of the hellish mountains surrounding Starling. He was the boogeyman you’d tell your children about. Look out, or the Hell Breather will come after you. The only thing he cared for was gold. So, when the sorcerer Damien Darhk offered up endless amounts of gold in exchange for a favor, Mick couldn’t resist. And what was this favor?
Find a way to indebt the future queen of Starling to him. Or, in other words, get her to sell her soul.
So, on her wedding day, he captures the bride right from her room, whisking her away to his lair. She agrees to a deal, although not one Mick expects: kill her husband, and she’ll forever be indebted to him. When Darhk reveals that’s not an option, however, Mick goes for the next best thing. He offers to make his prisoner a potent elixir that will make her marriage less bearable. She agrees, only on the condition it makes her fall in love with the future king. Mick is once again baffled that she wouldn’t choose to make the prince a decent person, but agrees, nonetheless.
As stated, though, the Hell Breather was selfish, and he would come to find that all the gold in the world couldn’t compare to the woman standing in front of him.
Hi, I was wondering if I could request some Canaryfire as a Single Parents AU? Only if you're interested of course!
(You came at the perfect time! Writer’s block has been kicking my ass. But here is the story! Don’t have much to say as an opening statement, except that I love the oc I have created. She doesn’t even show up in the story, but I love her. Hope you enjoy it! AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38856489/chapters/99049293)
Laurel had gone through the ringer. She found out her boyfriend and sister were dead at the same time she found out they had been sleeping together. She decided it was easier to drink the mixed emotions she had away, but that only lasted for a few weeks. Because lo-and-behold, she was pregnant with her dead ex’s child.
The only bright side to that she saw was Ollie wouldn’t be around to argue about it with her. Only her opinion would matter here. Having a kid would surely make it harder to get through law school. Not to mention her parents (who were already going through enough shit) would probably freak out. So, she did the only thing she thought she could do. She got out of Star.
Transferring to Central was rough, but Laurel loved the city. It was so cheery compared to back home. So full of life. Plus, it had a pretty decent nightclub scene.
Her mom drove her to all of her appointments. Laurel had always wanted a kid, and she’d go through with the pregnancy even if she didn’t have Ollie to help her. Besides, it was easier when she lived in a house with a woman who had two of them before. Still, the pains and cravings and no access to caffeine wasn’t very pleasant.
Cerise Lydia Lance was born in early spring 2008 after a few hours in the hospital. As far as the world knew, the father was unknown, although there were many, many rumors. The Queens were aware that Oliver had gotten her pregnant, but outside of Laurel’s family, that was about it.
---
Mick hadn’t wanted to be a dad ever in his life. He’d rather pretend to be stupid and follow Snart around having a good time. He had gone to the High School Reunion on a whim, had sex with Ali on a whim, forgot to ask if she was on the pill, and now she was visiting him in prison telling him she was pregnant. He couldn’t tell her he was mad. Couldn’t tell her to fuck off. He wasn’t his father. He wouldn’t hurt his ex-girlfriend like that. The mother of his child.
They found a way to make it work.
True, most of his daughter’s visits took place in safehouses (Snart and Lisa loved spending time with his kid), but Mick loved Lita to death. He didn’t know what story Ali spun (she said she could take care of it, and Mick trusted her to do just that), but Lita didn’t start asking about his life of crime until later in life.
He couldn’t show up to school events, though. Couldn’t go trick-or-treating most of the time. Mick was selfish, and if anybody found out he had a daughter and was spending time with her in secret, then he could lose any and all contact with her. Forever.
So, he’d take advantage of the visits. Pick up some gifts for Lita along the way (Snart always tried to one-up him on birthdays). Give her the childhood and father he had always wanted. He’d do his best to take care of her. He loved her; more than he thought he was capable of.
---
Laurel was pissed.
Just like she was after Sara’s death. Apparently, she’s so pissed off she’s been banned from going on patrol for a while!
“We don’t need you doing anything you’ll regret later,” Ollie had said.
“I won’t regret it if it helps me find her!”
“I’m not going to let you violently interrogate criminals.”
“I haven’t-”
“But you could.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “I miss her too.”
Laurel had moved back to Star when she found out her sister had died. She became a vigilante to avenge her death and protect the innocent. Protect her daughter. She had told Ollie he had a kid, got him to spend time with her, helped them develop a relationship.
But then Damien Darhk had the fucking nerve to kidnap Cerise. And she was going to kill his immortal ass if it’s the last thing she does.
But, again, she had been told to take a break from patrol. She was pissed but could understand the reasoning. Which was why Laurel was taking her gear and heading to her mom’s house in Central City. She was taking leave from work in order to make this happen. She was going to drop off her luggage at her mom’s and take her equipment to STAR Labs.
Laurel got out of the car and went into her mom’s house, setting her suitcase in the guestroom, hoping she could get out before-
“Laurel?”
-that.
“Hey, Mom.” She slowly turned around to face her mother, who was standing in the doorway to her room disapprovingly.
“Not even going to say hi?”
Laurel scratched her neck nervously. “I... I’ve gotta get to the lab-”
“You can at least eat some lunch first.”
She internally groaned, but let her mom guide her into the dining room. She tapped her fingers against the tabletop anxiously. Her mom came back into the room, holding a closed paper bag.
“Some grilled cheese for the road.”
Laurel mumbled a ‘thank you’ and took it quickly.
“One more thing.” She looked up to meet her mother’s gaze. Her mom sighed before continuing. “I know you’re scared. And I don’t blame you. But you’ve gotta keep a clear head. I want Cerise home safe just as much as you do. Be careful out there. I love you.”
“Love you too.” Despite the crippling fear, Laurel couldn’t help her smile, even as she was shooed out the door. She got into her car, took a deep breath, and started driving towards STAR Labs.
---
Mick had started taking Lita to STAR Labs as part of their visits. Mainly because she had figured out about him being a Rogue, and also because she was a fan of the Flash (ugh). She also liked spending time with Blondie.
Sara had come into their lives a little after they ‘went straight’ (knowing Snart, there were bound to be some heists here and there), and suddenly, the Boss had a girlfriend. Not that Mick cared all that much. He liked Blondie. She was fun. She was also giving his kid self-defense lessons (Ali had given the go-ahead a few weeks ago).
But today was a relaxing day. One of the nerds was helping Lita with her math homework (the one with glasses and a punchable face) while Mick sat next to her trying to follow along. Just as they were getting done with the worksheet (seriously, why were these things so long?!), a woman stormed into the cortex.
Blondie stood up, meeting her half-way. “You got here fast.”
She huffed, holding a duffel bag of sorts. “Where’s Allen?”
“At work. I’ll go get Cisco.” Sara jogged out of the room, leaving the other woman standing there. She set her bag down on a nearby empty desk and opened it, rummaging through it.
“I believe that’s all we have to do today,” the nerd told Lita before walking off.
Lita took a deep breath and closed her book. “Ima run to the bathroom. Be right back.”
She then walked towards the restroom, leaving Mick alone with the stranger. She had long blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a pantsuit and fidgeting with the bag on the table. It might’ve been the beer he had earlier or pure curiosity (probably a mix of both) that made Mick stand up and sit down next to her. She looked up at him.
“Uh...”
“What’s got ya so riled up?” He tried to make himself look as nonthreatening as possible (even though that was pretty difficult).
She scoffed, looking back at her bag. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Mick didn’t take offense to that. A lot of people thought he was stupid. Instead, he leaned in a little closer, giving her time to lean back or push him away (surprisingly, she didn’t), and gave her a toothy grin. “Try me.”
She looked down at her hands and sighed. “My daughter’s been kidnapped.”
He felt his blood boil. “Who did it?”
The woman tilted her head, looking him in the eyes again. “Damien Darhk. Immortal asshole. And if he lays a finger on her, he’s going to wish he was dead after I’m through with him.”
“Mind if I help?”
She blinked a few times, shocked. “You don’t even know my name.”
“Well why don’t ya tell me it so I can help?”
She laughed after a moment, holding out her hand. “Laurel Lance.”
“Ah, Blondie’s sister.” He shook her hand with a small smile. “Mick Rory.”
“So, do you mean that? You’d help me?”
“If he hurts your kid, I’ll help you do whatever you want to him. Now, you need Sunglasses’ help?”
She nodded, not even pausing at the nickname. “Cisco might be new to his powers, but if there’s a chance for me to get another lead, I’m taking it.”
Mick didn’t want to admit it, but if Lita were kidnapped, he’d probably (and begrudgingly) get the nerd squad’s help. And they’d have to help him, otherwise Central’s gonna be lit on fire. “Mind if I tag along on the rescue mission?”
“You...” Laurel shook her head, eyes wide. “You’d do that for me?”
“Look, I get what it’s like to have a kid. And I know if Lita was kidnapped like your daughter is, I’d do anything I could to find her. So, I’ll help ya as long as ya let me.”
She smiled a little. “Huh. Guess you do understand. Alright, you can help. You sure you can keep up with me, though?”
Mick grinned, hearing the challenge (and was that a little flirting?) in her tone. “Never know unless ya try.”
She laughed. “Roger that partner.”
They quickly said their goodbyes, and as Mick drove Lita home and sped back to STAR Labs, he couldn’t help his intrigue. He meant what he said. He’d help her.
He just didn’t know at the time how important that little girl and her mom would be to him in the future.
The slowburn of a potential Canaryfire storyline refuses to leave my brain. Like, these dorks end up falling in love but don’t realize it, and then in the final act realize their feelings and how much they don’t wanna lose each other. They then start dating and join the ‘we’re not married yet, but we act like it’ club
