Chapter Text
After the unhappy break up with Kendra, Ray can’t do it anymore. He wants to be in love, he wants to be able to give everything he has to the person he loves, to the person that loves him. He wants to be there for them when they are sad, when they are happy, when they are struggling with day to day things. He wants to sit down in the evening, put a movie on very, very quietly and just talk to them, tell them how proud of them he is and how happy they make him. And how lucky he is to have them in his life.
But it would appear that he always picks a wrong person for that. In both cases the two women he loved ended up with a person that was their soulmate, so maybe there is something about that. Maybe one can only be truly happy with their own soulmate, a person made especially for them. The non-soulmate couples are few and far in between, and it would seem that Ray isn’t fated for one. With that in mind, he starts to work. Developing a program that scans his mark and compares it to any other signs of mark on the internet – starting from the ‘mark’ dating sides, that were supposed to help people to find the other (or others) sharing the same mark, through the TV news, Facebook and any other profiles and the CCTV.
The moment someone’s mark will be similar to his own, he’ll know.
Ray’s in the middle of the meeting. He’s in the middle of the speech also, and he just glances down on his phone quickly, before turning back to the people in the room. He wants to explain how merging of the companies would help, he has it at the tip of his tongue, but suddenly his eyes widen and he looks back down.
That’s not just any message. It’s from the program, which means potential match is found, and Ray can feel his heart thumping in his chest. He looks back up, and swallows, before he excuses himself, asking his assistant to take over. He’s not even out of the room, when he pulls out his phone again, sliding it open and staring at the picture.
There is a man. A man in a dark black/blue jacket, with sunglasses on his eyes and holding a gun. Holding a gun. Oh god, his soulmate is a criminal. That can’t possibly be, Ray’s sure, because how would a guy like that be the other part of Ray’s soul? Ray never even stole anything as a kid, so the program is faulty, probably and Ray will have to run it through several tests again and –
His eyes catch on the bottom of the screen, where the ‘partial match’ is lightened up. He frowns and pats the screen, getting a bigger picture – there is part of what Ray guesses is a mark – visible on the guy’s neck. The rest’s hidden and Ray breathes a little easier. That doesn’t mean anything. There is no guarantee that this guy is Ray’s soulmate. He probably really isn’t, because yes. Criminal.
Leonard Snart.
Ray is staring at the name on the screen and all the information he was able to get (with Felicity’s hacking skills). Leonard Snart is a criminal. There is no doubt about that, but he is one that doesn’t kill. At least. He doesn’t work outside of the Central City either, which is interesting as well, and he was never caught. That is interesting by itself. Supposedly he did a lot of preparation when it came to his crimes and … Ray knows he shouldn’t be, but he is a tiny bit impressed by that.
He’s still wondering about the guy, about the possibilities. There is no other match found for Ray so far and Ray doesn’t doubt that they aren’t soulmates. He just… wants proof of that. A visual proof, but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t get that. He looked through the net to catch a glimpse of the guy without a shirt, to see the mark as a whole, but nothing. Ray sighs. He knows he won’t like living his life in regret and that his decision is stupid, probably, but that doesn’t stop him at all.
Finding Snart isn’t too hard. The man is good, but with Ray’s new recognition software it’s not difficult. Well, it’s easy to find people working with Snart and following them until they get to what Ray is guessing is the warehouse they are planning whatever criminal thing they want to do.
He’s hiding behind one of the walls, when there is a gun pressed against his back and Ray’s eyes widen as he swallows hard. No, no, no, no, no. He wasn’t supposed to die even before getting to Snart. He wasn’t supposed to die at all, but dying before fulfilling his goal was so much worse.
“Well, well, well.” A voice drawls behind him and Ray’s arms snap up, even though the guy doesn’t ask him to do that. Yet. “What do we have here. Turn around.”
Ray does as he’s told and comes face to face to the person he is looking for.
“Snart.” He breathes out in relief and he can see an eyebrow rising over the top of the sunglasses.
“That’s not the welcome I usually get.” The guy says and smirks, as if knowing something that Ray doesn’t and he nods. “I can get behind that. But you made things just a bit harder for me.” The gun is pressed against Ray’s stomach, feeling so cold, and that is the main reason why he keeps his mouth shut. “You knowing my little hideout? I just can’t let you go now.” Ray wants to say that Snart doesn’t have to kill him. He wants to tell him, that he’s not there for the hideout. He wants to tell him he isn’t working for police and he isn’t there to spy. He wants to tell him…
But before any words can spill from his lips, Snart’s moving and everything goes dark.
It’s a bit of a surprise when Ray wakes up. Firstly, because he doesn’t really expect to be able to do that, and secondly because he’s lying on a –rather comfy- bed. He groans and sits up, his hand running through his hair at the back of his head. The place hurts and he winces.
“Sorry about that.” Snart says and Ray turns to glance at him. “The cold gun is just a bit heavier than it looks.”
So that was what Ray has to thank for, for that headache he is currently sporting.
“You didn’t have to do that.” Ray complains and Snart just shrugs. He doesn’t seem to be too sorry about hitting him either, if that grin and shiny eyes are anything to go by. Ray hates him just a bit.
“So why did you come here?” Snart asks and continues before Ray gets a chance to answer. “Truth would be nice. After all, I know where you live, Raymond.”
Ray swallows.
Just how is he supposed to explain to a ruthless criminal that he’s just trying to figure out if he is or isn’t Ray’s soulmate?
“I wanted to join your crew.”
Len leans back on the chair he’s sitting in, and lifts his gun so it’s in front of Ray’s face.
“Yes, I can believe that.” Snart nods, his head moving to the side a bit. “The owner of multiple companies with more money in bank that he can ever count wants to join a criminal crew. Try again.”
Alright, who does Snart think he is?
“I actually can count how much money I have in the banks. You do realize I have to pay taxes according to all that.”
Snart just lifts an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed and Ray wants to call him an asshole. He doesn’t though, because first, he doesn’t want to risk getting shot, and second, he finally gets a good look on the gun itself.
“That’s a micro-engine gun.” He says, and Snart’s eyebrow lifts.
“You know what this is?” He asks and Ray frowns.
“Not really. This is the first time I see something like this, but it’s fascinating.” It is. Ray’s fingers are itching to touch it, but he’s pretty sure that Snart wouldn’t appreciate that. But Snart smirks, slowly.
“You might be useful after all.” He says and then the gun is in Ray’s hands, thrown without care and Ray struggles to catch it.
“It’s out of juice. You can look at it and think of a way to make it last longer.” The tone makes sure that Ray knows it’s not a suggestion, but he still frowns.
“Why should I help a criminal?” He asks, because he doesn’t want to do that. He doesn’t want to work on a gun that will, possibly, hurt people somewhere in the future. But Snart’s just smirking as if Ray doesn’t have any other choice (which, he probably doesn’t).
“Because you want to get out of here at some point. Alive, I assume.”
“You don’t kill.” Ray says, his fingers tightening at the gun. Snart nods at that.
“I don’t. Can’t vouch for my crew though. They do go crazy when they see pretty rich little Boy Scouts.”
“I completed all twenty-one merit badges, including Nuclear Science. So I’m an Eagle Scout.” Ray huffs and Snart’s staring at him for a moment, before he nods his head in a way that makes it pretty clear that he’s shaking it. Or that he thinks that Ray is an idiot. Ray doesn’t dwell onto that too much.
“Right.” The man huffs and stands up. “Then you shouldn’t have any problem with the gun. You can use whatever you find on that table. Get to work.” He stands up and walks to the door and Ray blinks.
“Aren’t you afraid I’m going to –“ … what is Ray planning to do? Glancing at the work table reveals that there are mostly screwdrivers and hammers and those can be a weapon too, right? Only Snart’s smirking, as if reading Ray’s mind and he shrugs.
“You’re free to try doing whatever you want. Just remember that I’m not that easy to kill,” Ray wouldn’t kill him, he knows that, but Snart probably doesn’t, “and even if you somehow managed to knock me out, there is bunch of guys outside who would want nothing more than to get their hands on you, demanding a pretty little reward for not killing you… and then shooting you in the head, probably.”
… if Snart’s working with people like that, maybe Ray should think of how to contact the police. Or well… maybe the new superhero running around the Central City. The Streak or something.
“On the other hand.” Snart says as he opens the door, “if you stay here like a good boy and do what I’m asking of you, I’m giving you my word that I’ll let you go unharmed. Once I’m done here, at least.”
Ray wants to ask how long that will take. He wants to tell Snart that with what was left on the table, Ray is able to make a freaking phone and call the police, to make sure that the guy is behind bars forever and ever… but on the other hand being here gives Ray the opportunity to see Snart’s mark. Something, he probably wouldn’t be able to do if he got Snart behind the bars, just yet.
So Ray nods and carries the gun to the table. Being preoccupied as he is, he misses the slight narrowing of Snart’s eyes as the man steps out and locks the door behind him.
He also had no idea of Snart turning to another man.
“Well?” The other man asks and Snart shrugs.
“It’s him.”
“You knew that before.” The man points out and his eyes narrow slightly. “So what do you want to do now? Are we changing the plan?”
Snart huffs and pulls away from where he is leaning against the door.
“No. If we want to stay here, we need to get rid of The Streak. Soulmate or not, I’m not changing who I am.”
Mick snorts, as if he doesn’t believe Len, and Len can’t blame him. He wasn’t around Raymond even that long, and he can already feel the tiny part of the bond trying to establish itself.
The mind link is slowly setting into place and Len can already feel Ray humming. Out of tune. Something tells him, it is going to be a long night.