Chapter Text
Ray has had his heart broken multiple times over the course of his life. Three if he wanted to be exact. Felicity was the most recent and totally his fault. He knew she was in love with Oliver from the start but he thought there was a chance that he could make her love him. It wasn’t really a surprise when he couldn’t.
Anna may have been the closest he would ever get to a happy ending. That was ripped from him when the Mirukuru soldiers raided the city. It had left an open wound that had hurt for months. With Felicity, the wound had been able to scab over and eventually healed. It was still a scar, but it no longer hurt. However, Anna wasn’t his first love, as much as he liked to pretend she was.
The first time his heart was broken maybe rivaled the loss of Anna, if only for the fact that he never got closure. Honestly, he still had no idea why it ended. Despite this, he had moved past it. Or at least he thought he did until he was staring them in the face nearly twenty years later.
For the entirety of Hunter’s speech, Ray was frozen. He tried to focus on the time master’s words instead of the fact that the man who broke his heart was three feet away from him. Obviously, he didn’t mean anything to Snart, or maybe the man had just forgotten what they had many years ago as the man hadn’t spared him a look the entire time either.
After Rip left, he had to ask the group, “So, what do you think.”
“I think that’s five minutes of my life I’m not getting back.” Ray couldn’t prevent his eyes from looking then. Snart was much older now, and there was a drawl to his voice that wasn’t there in their teenage years. He looked the part of a criminal, though Ray really couldn’t be surprised. He had always had the air of a bad boy around him.
Stein was talking then, before Ray could get his brain back in working order. “He just showed us the entire world in flames. You can’t turn your back on that.”
“Observe.” Snart made eye contact with Ray and the man could see there in his eyes that he did in fact remember everything. He just didn’t care.
Relief flooded Ray as he watched Snart walk away from him for the second time. “Well, I think we can all agree that the mission will go a whole lot better without those two.” While he was glad that he wouldn’t have to deal with an old flame on the mission, he had at least hoped that their past held something that Snart looked back on.
As the group disbanded and Ray made his way back to Oliver, he had made up his mind. This mission was exactly what he needed and now there was nothing holding him back.
1990
Raymond Palmer was the type of student who prided himself on his academic achievements. He strived for the highest grades and perfect attendance. He had never been so much as tardy for class in his entire academic career. That is, before today.
Today, while on the way to his locker, he was stopped by the secretary. Apparently he was wanted in the principal’s office; a place he had never stepped foot in. Confused and slightly worried, Ray had no choice but to follow the woman to the administrative offices to be ushered into the principal’s as the final bell rang.
He glanced around the office, taking in the wall of accommodations and shelves of thick books. The principal himself, Mr. Maynard, sat behind the large desk placed at the opposite end of the room. In front of the desk were two chairs, one of them was already occupied.
Mr. Maynard’s eyes were squinted at the teen in that chair when Ray had walked in. A boy, most likely a few years older than himself, with a shaven head and a haughty smirk, stared back at the man, a challenge placed in his eyes.
Upon his entry into the office, the principal broke his eye contact with the other boy to wave Ray into the room. “Ah, Mister Palmer. Please take a seat. This should only take a moment.”
Eyeing the boy in the next chair, Ray took his seat. The other teen glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, smirk widening slightly. His entire aura alluded to the fact that he was comfortable in this situation. This was the type of boy who was use to sitting in these chairs and he seemed to be mocking Ray’s lack of experience.
Mr. Maynard directed most of his speech to Ray as he began to speak, “I’m sure you are curious as to why you both are here.”
The other boy snorted. “Let me guess. It’s pretty boy’s first detention and I’m here to show him the ropes?” The cocky grin on his face betrayed the fact that he knew he was wrong and was in fact just being a smart-ass. However, the mention of detention worried Ray.
Frowning, the principal set him straight, “No, Mister Snart. Quite the opposite really. As I am sure you are aware, your grades have been a little… lackluster, shall we say, since rejoining us this year.” Snart’s smirk turned into a scowl quickly at the mention of grades and Mr. Maynard took his silence as agreement. “Mister Palmer on the other hand has skipped a few grades and yet remains at the top of his year.”
Connecting the dots between his words, Ray frowned. “You want me to tutor him?” He hadn’t meant to put negative emphasis on the last word, yet it was there, earning him a condescending side glance from the boy next to him.
Mr. Maynard nodded, either not hearing the slight disapproval or not caring enough to acknowledge it, “Sharp as ever I see.” He looked to Snart then, “It, as Mister Palmer has said, has been decided that he will be your tutor for the foreseeable future.”
Before Ray could even begin to protest, Snart snorted, “Yeah, I think I’m going to have to pass on that.”
Even though Ray had no desire to tutor someone who obviously could care less, he found himself to be offended by the other’s dismissal. The principal seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he frowned. “I don’t think you understand. This is not a request. You are to meet with Mister Palmer at least twice a week until you are caught up with your current curriculum. Is that clear?”
Snart stood, glaring at Mr. Maynard for a moment before rolling his shoulders and letting out a heavy sigh. “Fine. Until I catch up then.” He then made his way out of the office, not so much as looking back once.
For a moment after he left, both student and principal stared at the closed door. Ray was the first to turn back to focus his attention, and questions, on the elder. “So… Do I really have to tutor him?”
The principal sighed, meeting Ray’s eyes. “Unfortunately, yes. It is a term of his ability to stay at this school. But don’t worry.” Here he gave a soft, encouraging smile. “I chose you not only because you are our top student, but because I think you can get through to him.”
Ray had nothing to say to that, thoughts turning inward to wonder how he could see that from him. His attention was pulled back when Mr. Maynard next spoke, “Be that as it may, do not hesitate to come to me with any trouble he gives you. Alright?” His eyes reflected the seriousness of his tone and Ray could only nod.
“Will do, Mr. Maynard.” He was promptly dismissed from the office with a note to excuse his tarty and a head spinning with thoughts. This semester was looking to be a trying one.