While doing a spring clean of all my other works I decided to polish this up a bit and re-upload, but its still pretty much the same story

"Michael Rory, you put that down right now" I said, feeling like I was telling off my own child. Rushing further into the kitchen, I slowly walked to the table Mick had Jax pushed up against, a large knife pressed up to his throat. I could see that Mick was visibly distressed, and I knew I had to tread carefully or things would wind up getting very bloody. The door slid open, Stein and Ray running in, and thankfully stopping when they saw me flail a hand in their direction.

"Mick, I need you to hand me the knife, and then we can talk, ok?" I gently touched his arm, not making any sudden movements.

He took a second to think it over, then swung the knife at me. My hawk instincts kick in, allowing me to I grab his wrist before he could do any more damage. Dropping the knife, he just slumps to the floor, still wired from the confrontation.

"Go, I will talk to you later" I whispered as Jax fled the room with the others.

"Can you talk?" I say as I drop to my knees and crawl over to his hunched body, shoving the knife away from his reach.

"He kept laughing" he grunted.

"Laughing at what?"

"I can't read. I was trying to make something to eat, Jax walks in and saw me just standing there staring at the recipe, wishing it would make sense. It didn't take him long to realise what I was trying to do, and why I couldn't. He just wouldn't stop laughing" He roars, lurching at me.

I brace both my hands on his shoulders and look him straight in the eyes. I could feel the tension leave his body, sighing in relief that it seemed to have the desired effect and didn't set him off all over again.

"Being unable to read is something you never have to feel ashamed about" I reassure, pulling him into my arms and holding him close.

"It's not like I'm stupid or nothin', my brain just doesn't work right" he says leaning into my embrace.

"Do you want to go to your room and talk some more?" I ask, standing up when the weird angle I was sitting at makes my legs start to cramp up.

"I guess"

A few hours later Snart found us in their room, Mick sleeping off the earlier stress curled up beside me.

"Jax just told me what happened, including how well you managed to defuse that particular bomb. I have to say I'm impressed, anyone else would've just knocked him out" he smirks.

"After four thousand years and many children, I've picked up a trick or two along the way; he's not the first troubled person I've come across, and I can guarantee he won't be the last" I countered, my lips curling up to mirror his.

"He's got pretty severe visual processing issues. Every time he tries to read something, his eyes see the words, but his brain doesn't pick it up; so it tries to fill in all the blind spots, but it ends up coming out random as nonsense" Snart explains.

"No wonder he lashes out every time someone calls him out" I sigh, leaning down I give his hand a quick squeeze. I get up to leave, but halfway out the door I pause and turn back.

"Can you let him know that if he ever needs help with that and your not around, he can always come find me? No judgement" I request. Snart nods once, settling down next to Mick on the bed.

"Thank you" I hear him call out as I turn into the hall. Who knew Captain Cold had a warm, fuzzy centre.