Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Winter gusts blew through Central City, blasting the snow into the buildings until the glass shook with a threat of breaking.

Music, the team had discovered, was Lisa J. Snart's favorite thing in the world. "The Little Mermaid" was her favorite movie and any song from the animated film would instantly stop the baby girl from crying. Even mid-howling wail.
So everyone in the family, the entire family, was well acquainted with the film.

Barry and Len took Wentworth out to the Snart's back yard to play in the snow. They built snow forts and threw snowballs. Barry flopped down randomly to make the occasionally snow angel while Len helped their son make a snowman.
Lisa and Cisco watched from the warm comforts of inside the house while they took care of the twins.

Hours later, the trio stomped their snow covered clothes in the garage before stripping out of the 'waterproof' outer layer and going in to the kitchen for something warm to drink.
"I made you all cocoa," Lisa smiles at their bright red faces, a tray with three mugs in her hands as they make their way towards her. "And before you ask, no Lenny, I didn't forget the mini marshmallows."
"It's about time you remembered such an important ingredient, Lis," Len smirks, taking his cup while Barry hands Wentworth his.
"...You poor unfortunate soul!" Ursula sings from the television where Cisco is sitting with the twins, a bottle in each hand so they can eat at the same time.
"Not that again," Len sighs, rubbing a red hand over his forehead. "We need to go through more musicals."
"You're not the one who had nightmares about waking up with a tale," Lisa shakes her head. "But, if it makes Mini Me happy," she shrugs. "What can you do?"
"Go insane," her brother remarks, taking a sip of cocoa.
"Tank you Ant Wisa fo makin da coco," Wentworth smiles, face covered in chocolate rings. "Now me need ta get dessed."
"I'll take him," Barry hops out of his chair, putting his own empty mug on the counter as he takes his son's to do the same. Len smiles his thanks before returning his attention to his still half-full cup.
As the speedster carries their soggy son up the stairs to change, the twins finish their bottles.
"Nora needs burping," the genius announces, taking Lil'Lisa out of her seat to burp her. The little girl squirms when her line of sight is cut off from the film.
"Careful with Mini Me!" Lisa scolds her boyfriend, walking over to the man to take the baby. "She can't see her favorite part."
"The whole movie is her favorite part," Cisco complains.
Len has finished his drink and walks over to Nora to pick her up. The little girl smiles in his arms, offering up a burp before her father even has a chance to pat her on the back. Nora's hair was like Wentworth's when he was a baby: a small bundle of brown curls. Lil'Lisa had her Aunt's light golden color to her hair; making the baby girl look almost bald in the wrong light.

"All dun!" Wentworth announces as he and his other father return to the living room. "Da, you need a chain too. Wike me an Day."
"You'll catch your death, Cold," Barry smirks at his partner's eye roll.
"She just fell back to sleep," Len hands Nora over to her other father. "If she wakes, it means she needs a diaper change."
"Got it," the speedster nods, smiling at the little face almost hidden in the blankets.
"Day, me howd Nowa, peas?" Worthy asks, scurrying over to a chair so that he can extend his arms forward to take his baby sister.
"Sure," Barry smiles, gently laying his daughter in his son's arms so that the toddler supports the head like he knows he should. "Remember to be careful with her head."
"Dat were da bain is," Wentworth nods seriously. "Nowa an Wisa be smawter den me a dey get bigga."
"Maybe," Barry can't stop the chuckle from escaping. "But I think you'll all be equally intelligent."

The next morning, Len is the first one up. A sore and scratchy throat had woken him. He shuffles into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, hand rubbing at his throat absently as he watches the machine pour out the brew.
Lisa arrives in the kitchen next, Lil'Lisa cradled in her arms and already sniffling as her namesake goes straight to the fridge where the pre-made bottles were stored.
Len pours his sister a cup first while she runs hot water over the bottle to warm it up before giving it to the baby girl.
The crime fighter drinks his coffee black while his daughter finishes her bottle just as quickly. He takes the baby so his sister can add all her mixes to her cup and burps the little one on his shoulder as Wentworth arrives.
"Mawning!" the toddler greets his Aunt and father cheerfully as he opens the lower cupboard where the cereal is kept. "Da, you peas han me a bowl?"
"Su-" Len's throat protests painfully as the word gets caught in it. He swallows before trying again. "Sh-" Len stops, shakes his head. It's no use. Even after a full cup of coffee, his throat feels swollen and like it's trying to stick to itself.
Barry arrives with Nora next, "Morning everyone!"
"Day, de somtin wong a Da," Worthy points to his father, a look of worry on his young face.
"What?" the speedster looks to his partner. "You okay, Len?"
"Fi-" Len coughs, wincing at the pain the action causes. He waves away his partner's offered hand.
"Give me myself," Lisa orders, taking the baby away without waiting for her brother to do as ordered. "Can't risk her catching whatever you've got."
Len frowns, pouring another cup of coffee to sooth his aching throat; every swallow seems to intensify the pain.
Talking is impossible.
"Oh, no," Wentworth puts both of his hands on his head. "De see watch stole Da's boice!"
Barry snorts, catching himself as his partner glares at him.
"What are you talking about, Worthy?" Lisa asks, confused.
"Da's boice is tolen! De see watch has tolen Da's boice!" her nephew shakes his head. He looks seriously to his other father, "Day, we gawt a go get it back!"
"I wonder what Len got in exchange for his voice," Barry almost loses it, but manages to get the sentence out without laughing. "He's got no tail that I can tell."
"Quick!" Lisa's eyes light up as she joins in the mischief. "We have to search the house for the shell holding Dad Len's voice!"
Wentworth books it out of the kitchen first, heading straight for the living room armoire where the decorations were held.
Len pulls out a pad and pen from a drawer and writes, "You two are hilarious."
"Yes, your majesty," Barry bows low, Nora giggles with the motion. The speedster smiles at his daughter, "I have to get your bottle."
"I fownd it!" Wentworth cheers, racing back to the kitchen with a small, white shell he had brought back from his trip to the waterpark. "Hoad on, Da!"
With one strong throw, the toddler shatters the shell to pieces on the kitchen floor. The second the debris stops skittering across the ground, the boy looks up at his father with big eyes, "You bedda now?"
Len violently writes on the pad before showing it to Barry, "YOU CLEAN THIS NOW!"
Barry, who had gone to the fridge to get his daughter's bottle, blinks at the shattered remains of the shell on the ground.
"Oops."

---

Chapter Text

"Laryngitis," Caitlin diagnoses confidently as she unclicks her pen light. "Must've caught it after playing in the snow and staying in those wet clothes too long."
Barry had made sure to fill the scientist in on every detail.
"So, is there disgusting medication he needs to take?" Lisa nearly giggles. "Or should we be hunting down someone for him to kiss?"
"Pardon?" Caitlin looks lost while Len threatens his sister's life with his eyes.
"Len's sporadically been going through Disney princess phases," Lisa is having a hard time keeping a straight face. "Today's apparently the day he plays Ariel."
Len gets up, takes Nora out of his sister's hands, gives her to Caitlin, then crosses his arms over her chest as he raises an eyebrow.
"Mini Me is downstairs," Lisa counters the silent threat.
Len's eyebrow goes higher and Lisa sighs in defeat.
"Fine."
With a triumphant smirk, Len gives his daughter back to his sister.

"What did I miss?" Caitlin asks after Lisa had left.
Barry, who was still in the room and had watched the scene in amusement, answers, "I think Len just threatened to keep the girls away from Lisa if she didn't drop the princess thing."
"That's just childish, Len," Caitlin frowns. "She's only trying to make light of a bad situation."
Len snorts, then winces because it hurts his throat.
"You're right, Caitlin," Barry sighs dramatically, earning a wary look from his partner. "After all, Len doesn't even sing."
Len pulls a bat from out of his closet and swings it at the speedster. Barry easily escapes a possible injury, laughing as he runs downstairs to safety.
"For crying out loud," Caitlin rolls her eyes as she gets to her feet. "I'm going to get you the right medicine, Len, but," she turns to the man as she reaches the door and pauses.
Dropping the bat on his bed, Len then motions for the scientist to continue.
"You did use to take things that didn't belong to you," Caitlin tried for serious but a corner of her mouth is turned upwards.
Len slams the door in her face.

Hours later, someone knocks on Len's door.
Unable to give a response, Len gets out of his bed to open the door himself.
Barry is on the other side of the door, full tray taking up his two hands.
"Right, no voice," the speedster smirks sheepishly. "Sorry."
Len shrugs, hands extended to take the tray.
"I got it," Barry pulls the tray back and out of reach from his partner. "You get back in bed."
Len's eyebrows raise with a teasing grin.
Barry blushes, "I know how that sounds. Shut up."
His partner gives him a pointed look.
"Right, no voice," the speedster blushes a little more. "Would you just...you know?"
Raising his hands in surrender, Len gets back in bed. He grabs a photo from his bed side table of Wentworth holding the twins and points to it with a confused expression.
"They're fine," Barry smiles as he puts the tray down on his partner's lap. "Wentworth doesn't even have a runny nose from the cold. Nora keeps giving me this weird look. I think she knows. LJ is sleeping on Cisco's chest."
Len chuckles, one hand going to his throbbing throat as the other puts the photo back.
"Here," Barry hands over the pills and a glass of water. "Better get these in you while you're still able to swallow."
Len downs the pills and follows them with the whole glass of water. He plops the glass back on the tray to massage his throat with both hands.
"Do you want a hot compress?" Barry asks with a frown. "Or a cold compress?"
His partner shakes his head, looking over the tray's contents. There's a steaming bowl of soup, a bottle of juice, a mini carton of ice cream and a 'Get Well' picture from Wentworth. Len puts the tray to the side but plucks the picture off of it to look it over, a small smile turns his pained frown in the other direction.
"Caitlin says to get some food down before taking more medicine," Barry informs the other man. "At least a few spoonfuls of ice cream to coat your stomach."
Len waves the other man's concerns away and carefully folds the picture so that it can stand next to the photo on the side table.
"I've got the pills, Len," Barry frowns. "So I'll be making sure you've eaten before I give you more."
Len gives the speedster a 'look' then lifts the pill bottle in the air and shakes it so the contents ring out loudly in the room.
"How-?" Barry grabs the bottle back from his partner. "No stealing when you're sick!"
His partner grabs his throat when he wheezes instead of laughs. He gulps down some juice before lifting Barry's keys in the air next.
"Stop that!" the hero's face flusters as he takes his keys back. "Do I have to pat you down?"
Len wiggles his eyebrows with a wolfish grin.
"What kind of medication does Caitlin have you on?" Barry grumbles, checking himself for more missing items as he steps away from his partner. When he doesn't feel anything else missing, he points to the other man, "Stay here. Rest. Get better."
Len salutes with a dramatically serious face.
"Only you could be sarcastic without a word," Barry sighs, walking out of the room.

---

Chapter Text

Len wakes from his nap to a bedroom that is not his. Startled, he throws off the covers to get off the bed and blinks at his attire.
Why is he wearing a pink nightgown?
"It's about time you got your sorry butt out of bed," Cisco's voice growls from the floor.
Why is he-? Len frowns at the little red crab with the genius's face that's looking up at him with a frown.
"What's the matter?" Crab Cisco crosses his pincers at Len. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten what you're supposed to be doing here?"
'What's going on?' is what Len tries to say, but nothing comes out of his mouth.
Cisco Crab rolls his eyes, "Apparently, you've also forgotten that you've traded your voice to the sea witch for this little adventure."
Len growls at the crustacean. He grabs hold of the first thing he can reach, a pillow, and tosses it at the transformed genius.
Cisco runs under the bed with a shout and jumps up onto the furniture at the other side.
"Ungrateful little mermaid!" the crab 'harrumphs' adjusting the shell of his body. "If it wasn't for your father, young lady, I would leave you here to fend for yourself!"
Young lady?
Dread drags Len's heart to the pit of his stomach as he reaches for a mirror.
The ex-criminal blinks at his reflection.
Ariel blinks back.
HE, Leonard Snart, is literally Ariel from the movie.
Well, mostly. Len looks more carefully and realizes that it's his face, but the rest is all princess.

When he finds out what Metahuman did this to him, he's going to ice them where they stand.

"Now, we only have two days to get that prince to kiss you or you'll lose your voice forever," Cisco the Crab, no doubt filling in the spot for Sebastian, speaks up as Len scowls at his reflection.
Len looks at the crustacean confused. That's not how the story went. Ariel was supposed to kiss the prince to stay a human. She already gave up her voice permanently to Ursula.
"I know you think it will be easy, your highness," Cisco rolls his eyes again. "But I am not convinced nor willing to risk my life on the chance that you've smitten the prince with just your looks."

Maybe if Len goes through with the kiss then the nightmare will end. It isn't the most logical plan, but this is all just a demented version of the movie and he knew from the many, many, many times he watched the film that the prince was besotted at first sight like most of the fake princes in movies.
So, Len gets into the least frilly dress that he can. He manages to find a dark blue piece with a high collar and long sleeves. The skirt was a little longer than he wanted, but he would rather have pants in the first place, so he just gathers the unnecessary extra length and goes in search of the prince.
A maid directs him to a room where the prince was waiting for Len-Ariel, and he strides in there expecting to get the kiss over with and see what happens.
Len doesn't expect to see Barry and Joe sitting at the table.

"Wow," Barry's voice is wrong and yet still familiar. The speedster is dressed like Prince Eric, even has his black hair instead of the hero's brown, but the face is definitely Barry.
"You look lovely, my dear," Joe compliments as he stands. The detective is taking the spot of Grimsby, the Prince's caretaker & confidant. He has the right outfit and grey hair in a ponytail.
Len's stomach clenches tightly. He can't kiss the prince now. The prince is BARRY!
"Here," Barry's odd voice pulls out the chair next to his own. "Will you join us?"
As Len slowly walks over to the illusion of his partner he realizes what's wrong about the hero's voice. It isn't Barry's voice. It's Lisa's voice. His sister's voice coming out of his crime-fighting partner's mouth feels more messed up than Len in the dress.

Len sits and Prince Barry pushes the chair for him before getting back to his own.
"Did you sleep comfortably?" Grimsby-Joe smiles pleasantly at Len while a woman enters the room with a tray of food.
'Uh, yeah, sure,' Len's head hurts. He looks at the more forced smiles and remembers the whole 'no voice' thing.
Cisco the Crab hisses at Len from under Joe's dish cover. Len grins at the crustacean of a genius and shakes his head.
"Something the matter?" Prince Barry looks to see what Len is looking at. He sees the crab as it slips back under the cover. "It's still alive!"
"What?" Joe lifts the top and Cisco runs for it, off the table, between the legs of the woman serving the meal and out of the room.
"Well," Barry blinks at the trail of breadcrumbs left by the fleeing food. "That was interesting."
"Perhaps it would be better to grab something a little easier to handle and take the young lady for a ride throughout the kingdom?" Joe pouted at the loss of his meal, but recovered quickly with the air of the aristocrat he represents.

Prince Barry takes Len on a carriage ride to 'show him the sights'. Len gets bored fast and takes the reins from the hands of the slower version of his partner.
Len enjoys jumping the ditch of possible death.

When Lisa's voice suggests they go into a boat, Len wisely avoids the future disaster and brings Prince Barry back to the castle to walk the grounds.

Len's brain keeps going back and forth with the idea of kissing fake Prince Eric in order to get his voice back and possibly get out of the nightmare.
Maybe Dream Killer escaped and this was him being trapped? Len is far from an optimist, but if he was trapped in a Meta-made nightmare, things could be worse.

"I wish I knew your name," Barry sighs with Lisa's voice, eyes looking at Len expectantly.
They've traveled down a winding path to the beach, so Len grabs a stick and writes, "Ariel" in the sand.
"Ariel?" Prince Barry smiles at the name, "That's lovely!"
Len rolls his eyes. He didn't want to write the girl's name, but he didn't want to risk ending the nightmare by writing his own name.
"You're not like any other girl I've ever met," Prince Barry continues as they walk along the shore. "You can't talk, but you have this cool confidence about you. Like you could look at anyone or anything and expect it to do whatever you wanted them to."
Len shrugs. He did most times. This place had him out of his element, but at least it wasn't as hot at the movie made it look.
The prince stops near a group of rocks and sits. Len joins him on the rock and thinks it might be the same cluster that the other met the real mermaid-turned-human.

"I feel like I could tell you anything."
Len turns to Lisa's voice and almost jumps when he realizes the man is staring at him intently. Barry's face is openly begging him to get closer. Len scoots further away.

Then Len thinks about Wentworth, Lisa Joy and Nora. His girls are still so small and his son would know by now that one of his fathers was in trouble.

Steeling himself for the massive amount of awkward, Len scoots back and closer to the prince. He looks up through his eyelashes and bites his bottom lip ever so slightly.
Prince Barry's face go scarlet and he leans in as well.
They both lean closer....

......A massive wave hits them, pushing them both off the rock and to the sandy floor on the other side.
'I hate this movie,' Len curses silently. The prince gets to his feet first and pulls Len up afterwards.

Back at the castle, Len waves goodbye to the prince, pretending to be the shy princess he looks like, right up until he closes the door.
With a roll of his eyes, Len waits until the prince's steps fade away and he sneaks back out of his room. He finds the servant's quarters and steals an outfit from one of the man servants.
He grabs a string and ties the red hair back before snatching a sword from one of the sets of knightly armor and heads back to the shore line.

In the moonlight, the disguised sea witch comes stepping in the sand as the edges of the waves lap at her ankles.

Len drives his sword into her before she finishes her second round of vocals.
He grabs the shell from around her neck as her body falls backwards and he cracks it against the hilt of his weapon. The glowing gold orb floats to his throat and he grins.
"Now that's how to end a story," he drawls.

---

When Len wakes up again, he smiles to see that he's back in his room.
"Da!" Wentworth's head pops into his line of sight. "You bedda yet?"
"I hope so," he smiles as his voice cooperates. It's weak and soft, but at least it's there.
"You got da boice back!" His son jabs the air with his fists, "Yeah!"
Barry arrives with baby Nora in his arms to see what all the fuss is about. He smiles to see his partner awake.
"How are you feeling?" he asks as their daughter looks to her other father with big, curious eyes.
"Better," Len pushes himself into an upright position. "Though, I think I'll eat that ice cream now."
"Me get it!" Wentworth announces, jumping from the bed to run out of the room for his mission.
"Not too fast down the stairs!" Barry warns his son as he bolts out the door.
"Tay!" the boy's voice shouts, getting quieter as he moves down the steps.
Barry shakes his head fondly as he turns his attention back to his partner.
"It's good to hear your voice," the speedster sits on the end of the bed and tilts their daughter so that she can see both parents at he same time. "You slept right through the night. Even LJ noticed your absence."
"How loudly did you turn her movie up?" Len asks, brain explaining his dream.
Barry shrugs, a light pink color accenting his cheeks, "Joe had to call us to turn it down after a while."
"I take one sick day and you guys are already disturbing the peace?" Len chuckles.
Wentworth dashes back into the room, ice cream tub from earlier in one hand and a spoon in the other.
"Heya go!" he proudly offers the items to his father. "Tank you a get bedda, Da."
"Thank you for the ice cream," Len put the tub on the side table then pulls his son in for a hug. Wentworth jumps into the bed to make it easier on his father and get his arms around Len's neck.
"Awe!"
Len looks up to Barry, then remembers he's awake and turns to the door where Lisa's voice is supposed to come from: Lisa.
His sister is lowering her camera from its place in front of her face. Lil'Lisa smiles brightly at her father, little arms reaching for him.
"Someone is popular," Lisa smiles, bringing the baby to her brother.
Wentworth rolls to Len's side to make room for his little sister.
Lisa puts Lisa Joy into Len's arms and he tickles his daughter in the belly as she giggles up at him. Nora coos in approval from her spot in Barry's arms.
A thought pops into Len's head, making him chuckle.
"What is it?" Barry asks, smiling even though he doesn't know what the other man is going to say.
"Oh, nothing," Len shrugs, pulling his daughter in a little tighter for a second and placing a kiss on his son's head. He turns to the two adult's curious looks. "I'm just glad to be part of this world."

---