Disclaimer: I do not own LOT or any of the characters.
Normal life is so boring.
It's only been two months since her stint at the WaveRider, and she's already sick of being home. Her dad and Laurel are either at work, or bringing work home, and Team Arrow has the petty criminals covered without needing her help. She doesn't have a job, doesn't have her own place, doesn't have a friend to hang out with, all because she has been away from home for such extended periods of time throughout her adult life. There's only so much of Netflix and chill and pizza she can tolerate before she is bored out of her mind.
Thank God that Leonard's heist brings him to Star City!
She knows she has been spotted. She can feel the eyes on her even with her back turned to the men. So much for trying not to draw the attention of daddy's mini-army.
"Hello Sara," Leonard greets her when she sits down next to him.
"For fuck's sake, Leonard, a strip club?" She asks, stealing his drink and downing it in one gulp. It's not like she expects a romantic candle lit dinner, or walk through a park for their not-date, and it's not like she doesn't occasionally come here for fun. But the music here is a little too loud for her taste, there's an annoying group of giggling girlfriends nearby, and she just wants to talk to him in peace.
He lifts his shoulders in a casual shrug, and tilts his head to indicate behind them. "Those poor cops have been following me for weeks now. I thought I'd cut them a little slack and let them chill."
She shoots him a dry look. "I can't wait to hear what my dad has to say when he hears I was here, and with you."
Leonard smirks. Quentin Lance would have a heart attack when he hears his precious little daughter is involved with the man at the top of his most wanted list. It's part of the reason why he chose this place- to see how far Sara would go for him, if she would meet him in a shady place that daddy wouldn't approve of. He almost wishes he could watch the exchange between Quentin and Sara, but doesn't comment on it. Instead, he asks, "What place would you have picked?"
She smiles, feeling at home for the first time in weeks as all the noise in the background fades and her senses focus only on Leonard Snart. This is what she should be doing for a job- engaging in verbal sparring with him. She says, just to spite him, "A hot spa, or a tanning salon."
He rolls his eyes. "Normally I'd be on board to see you naked-" She hits him on the shoulder at this, and he pauses for a moment to wince and pretend it hurt. "-But I'll pass on account of the heat."
She twists on the bar stool to face him, and lets her left foot rest on his leg, right below his knee. She sees him gulp, and it makes her dig her toes into his skin to tease him. "Such a gentleman."
He smirks. "What makes you think I'm gentle?"
She kicks him this time. They have this unspoken game, sort of a competition to see how far they can push the limits of their flirtation before someone breaks, and being pretty evenly matched, they've hit a state of stalemate. Not willing to lose now by remotely hinting at the things she fantasizes about when it comes to him, Sara changes the topic. "So why did you want to meet?"
Leonard smiles innocently. "Just catching up with an old-" he pauses to lock his eyes with hers. "Teammate? Friend? Partner in bar brawls? Fellow card player? You pick."
Like she can pick one term to describe what the heck she and Len are! Like there even is a term for it!
"Where's Mick?" she asks curiously.
"Working," he answers curtly.
Sara grins. "Aww, you wanted me all to yourself."
"Yes. Hence the place with at least three dozen people, not to mention your dad's cop buddies," he replies with sarcasm dripping from his words.
God, she has missed this.
Without a word, she rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes, focusing on his smell and the feel of his breathe on her skin. He knows better than to comment on it, and she can always kick his ass if he does. She can stay like this forever, but she knows they don't have that long. "How long are you in town for?" she asks, even though she dreads the answer.
He takes in a deep breathe, leaning his head against hers. "I have no idea."
She can tell from her the look in her dad's eyes that she is in trouble, but she keeps her mouth shut and waits patiently for him to speak. He takes a seat on the chair next to her bed, like she is still fifteen and he is about to ground her, and begins. "Today was an interesting day. My men have been trailing Leonard Snart for a while now. We're on high alert for his next heist. We had intel he'd be meeting his accomplice. Imagine my surprise when I found out that's my little girl."
She winces internally, but wills her only reaction to be an eye-roll. "I'm not his accomplice. We were just catching up. We were team-mates, remember?"
Quentin sighs. "Look, baby, I know you've grown up and you're your own woman now, but Leonard Snart? He's a career criminal. Are you sure you want to be around him?"
"Yes," Sara answers firmly. "Trust me, dad, I've been around far worse people. And Leonard, he's"- she searches for the right word and finally settles on "-changed."
Quentin sighs again. "I see there's no talking you out of it. Just be careful, okay?"
"Okay," she promises halfheartedly. She is in no danger from Leonard, except for the danger of falling harder for him, but she'll take her chances there.
Leonard peers through a tiny crack in his motel room window, and sees the police car stationed there, running surveillance on him, wasting their time.
Mick's abrupt entrance makes him turn around. Without preamble, Mick growls. "If I have to sit on my ass one more day, I swear I'll burn this place down."
"Then we can stay at Ray's bungalow and listen to him talk all day," Leonard answers calmly.
Mick stares at him, like he's studying him, and it makes Leonard self-conscious. He turns back to the window, back to watching the cops watching him, hoping Mick would leave it alone, whatever epiphany he seems to be arriving at.
"We are not really here for a heist, are we?"
It's more of a statement than a question- Mick has already drawn his conclusion, and so Leonard doesn't feel the need to respond. In his defense, he never asked Mick to come, Mick volunteered to trail along when he made the excuse of going to Star City for a heist.
"Did you tell her how you feel yet?" Mick asks, and is greeted, once again, by silence. "So no. You're an idiot."
Leonard directs a glare at him. He did confess to Sara how he had started thinking about a future for them, and judging by the fact that she didn't bring up the topic again, he would have to say her answer is a resounding no. They are going to be stuck in this limbo, between friends and something more. Not that he will tell any of this to Mick. Instead, he says, "I don't do feelings, Mick. Or relationships. Specially long distance ones."
"It's better to live in separate cities and keep missing each other. I completely agree," Mick offers sarcastically before he makes his exit. "Excuse me. I need to gag Ray and drag him to steal something."
This time, they meet on the street and slurp on smoothies, and he makes her pay for it, because this is absolutely not a date and he is not going to be chivalrous. It's quiet, and relaxing, and the drink is just the right amount of cold for him, not to mention the company that he never fails to enjoy. "So how did things go between you and your dad?" he asks conversationally.
Sara deadpans at him. Like he doesn't already know how that might have gone! "He told me you've cased the museum eight times now."
He shrugs, like it's no big deal. "Just being thorough so that it's not Alexa all over again."
She watches him carefully. He's standing out and yet blending in with the crowd of perfectly ordinary people, and it's making her feel like she belongs here for the first time since she got on the Queen's Gambit. She can get used to this feeling.
Sara grins. "I think you're deliberately procrastinating."
"You can thank your dad for that," he answers, titling his head in the general direction of the surveillance that's becoming really old and really annoying.
She knows it's more than that, she knows he's here for her. Curious, she asks, "Have you ever been in a relationship?"
"I went on a few dates with a girl in high school. She broke it off when her dad convinced her I'm bad news." He pauses to steal a glance at Sara, and feels a kind of comfort in his chest at the knowledge that she sees him for exactly who he is, and her dad can never convince her otherwise. With a smile on his face, he continues, "I had a fling with a partner during my early heist days. He got arrested, we lost touch. Never really dated after that. You?"
She begins with a laugh. "I don't even remember how many delinquents I dated in high school. I slept with Oliver when he was with Laurel."
"Ouch, that's cold," he comments with a smirk.
She punches him on the shoulder and continues. "There was Nyssa. She's kind of the love of my life. There hasn't been anyone after that, after I came back to life."
"You're forgetting the cute nurse in 1958," he points out.
She mentally makes a note to kill Stein for spilling the beans on her little crush, and scoffs. "If I had a nickel for every time I kissed a girl."
"Then I'd have to rob you," he completes, grinning. "Now, why are we comparing notes on our love life?"
To get an idea about how fucked up we will be at this relationship thing, she wants to tell him honestly, but she isn't sure if he still wants to give them a shot. For all she knows, he could really be here for a heist, and she can just be misinterpreting everything. She chickens out, and instead says, "Just trying to make conversation."
He quotes her, somehow managing to keep a straight face. "I can tell by the way you've been staring at my ass."
She's been called to a meeting at the Arrow cave, and she has a feeling it's an intervention, from the look on her father's face and the looks that Oliver, Thea and Laurel are exchanging among themselves, and the clear awkwardness radiating from Felicity.
Surprisingly, it's Felicity who actually begins, delving straight into the topic. "So. Captain Cold. I've met him before in Central City. He was about to ice the Flash. After derailing a train. With dozens of innocent people in it."
"And I'm a former member of the league of assassins with a hundred kills under my belt," she counters, crossing her arms in front of her chest, ready to defend Leonard.
"That's not you anymore," Quentin reminds her.
"I know. Leonard told me that," Sara proclaims proudly. "He stopped me from killing Stein to save Star City back in the cold war days."
The team stares at her. This is the first time they are hearing this, and from their reaction, they weren't expecting this.
The moment is interrupted when Ray walks into the room, completely oblivious to the tension in the air. "Oh, hi guys. I just needed a place to stay. Thought I'd crash here, if that's cool with you all."
"Why can't you sleep at your own place?" Felicity asks, and then chuckles. "Don't tell me there's another ant infestation."
"Oh, no, I've fixed the signal that my suit was sending to ants when I miniaturized," Ray assures, "I just have friends sleeping over at my place."
"Why aren't you with them, then?"
Ray deflates, like a puppy that has just been shushed. "They kind of kicked me out because I was talking too much."
Sara has so far been quiet, grateful that she is no longer the center of attention, and slowly plotting an exit. But when she hears that, she stops in her tracks, her head snapping towards Ray. "Wait, Leonard and Mick are staying at your place? Why didn't I think of that?" She turns towards Laurel with a triumphant grin on her face. "Sorry, big sis, I'll be shifting from your couch to Ray's. Now you and dad can't bug me about Leonard anymore. Have fun!"
Ray watches her leave, his eyes wide in panic, knowing from experience that the three forces of chaos together spells doom and gloom for his apartment. "What just happened?"
Mick does a double take when he answers the door and sees who their visitor is. "If it isn't my favorite canary," he says, as he wraps her up in a hug.
Sara raises an eyebrow, shocked at this unexpected display of affection from Mick, and pats him on the back awkwardly. "You came to town and never even visited," she complains, slowly escaping from Mick's grasp and stepping inside.
Mick opens his mouth to tell her Leonard didn't let him come along, sees Leonard standing near the kitchen doorway with his cold gun pointed at him, and shuts his mouth.
Sara kicks off her boots and plops down on the couch. "It's okay. I'll be staying here too now. We'll catch up."
Leonard places his gun on the floor and crouches down next to it. Even Ray's freaking carpet is better than some of the beds he has slept on in prisons. "Not that I'm not happy to see you here, but why are you not staying at Laurel's?"
Sara rolls her eyes. "Just shut up and get the party started. Where's the booze?"
Ray Palmer has four bedrooms in his huge apartment, and she is officially going to make him name her in his will. She gets her own room, with a queen sized bed that has a soft mattress and a mountain of pillows, dim lighting, thermostat and air conditioner all set to a comfortable temperature. And yet, she finds herself unable to fall asleep.
She gives up after trying for a good half an hour, and slowly creeps into Leonard's room. He has the door unlocked, and the lights turned off, but she can make out his figure vaguely on the bed. She hesitates for only a moment, before crawling into bed next to him.
They have been in each others' rooms before at the Waverider, having even laid side by size, talking or just hiding from their noisy teammates. But it's never been at night, and the darkness and the intimacy is making her feel all kinds of nervous. She takes in a shaky breathe as she slips under the covers.
He notices instantly, and turns on his side to face her. "Hey."
It's the calmness in his tone and his blue eyes that finally brings her heart back to a steady rhythm. She smiles at him. "Hey you."
He smirks. "If I had known you'd join me, I would have slept naked."
She rests her head on the pillow, angling her body so that she is facing him as well. She doesn't answer him, she just watches him with her hazel eyes wide open, her thoughts racing a mile a minute. "When you said you started thinking of a future for you and me, what exactly were you thinking of?"
"I've thought about moving here," he tells her honestly. "I want to be close to you. To see you every day. To see you naked." She interrupts him with a tiny laugh, and a light punch to his stomach. He continues, unfazed. "I don't know, Sara. Neither of us are exactly the mushy type. I just want to come home to you at the end of every day."
She stops him again, this time by closing the distance between their lips. To her surprise, he pulls back, and looks at her seriously. "I just want to clarify one thing before we do this. Are I going to just see you naked, or are you going to give us a shot too? Either is fine with me, but I'd prefer the latter."
"Me too," she answers breathlessly. And that's all he needs to hear before he crashes his lips on hers.
"I was wondering when you guys would show up," Leonard says as soon as Quentin has his gun pointed at him. He's in a jewel store in Star City, and it really was a matter of two minutes twenty seconds till the cops showed up, judging by the extensive studies he has done of their response time. He has to say, he is a little disappointed. "The Flash is much faster."
Quentin approaches him carefully. This is the first time he is in the same room as this man, and Detective Joe West has warned him that he's dangerous. He tries to engage him in a conversation. "You know, I don't know how you did it, but you have Sara fooled. She thinks you've changed. She'd be disappointed to see you prove her wrong."
"You can drop the gun, I'm unarmed," Leonard answers smoothly. Never in his life has he been scared of a cop, or of a father, and Quentin Lance is no exception, but he is Sara's father, and he really should at least put in some effort to make a good first impression. "Sara has my cold gun. She mentioned something about ice skating."
Quentin is not going to buy that so easily. He scoffs. "Nice try. Pretty clever, though, I'll give you that. You had me thinking you were gonna rob the museum."
Leonard raises his hands up in surrender, slowly, and faces Quentin, with a sincere look on his face."I'm not here to rob, I'm here to buy something. I was hoping the Canary or Speedy would show up, they could have helped me with it."
"Really? And what might it be?"
Leonard pauses for a moment, carefully contemplating his answer. He can be honest and Quentin may still not believe him. Or he can have a bit of fun. He smirks. "I'm buying a ring. I'm proposing to Sara before we have our kid."
Twenty seconds of shock later, Quentin's fist connects with Leonard's nose.
Sara storms into her father's precinct, ready to raise hell. She sees Leonard, sitting with an ice-pack over his nose to help with the pain, and still refusing medical care, insisting he's okay. She lets the paramedics deal with that and rushes to her dad.
"You punched Leonard?" she demands with a roar.
"I know, I'm sorry," Quentin mumbles apologetically, "I should have known better. I had to cut him loose, and on top of that, he's pressing charges for assault and police brutality."
"The hell he is," she hisses, "I told you he isn't here for a robbery. He was there to buy a necklace for his sister's birthday."
Quentin's head snaps up, first towards Sara, then towards Leonard, then back towards Sara again. "But he told me he was picking out a ring, to propose to you, because he, er, you're pregnant with his child?"
Sara glares at Leonard, barely restraining the urge to punch him herself. "Seriously, Leonard?"
Even through the pain and the blood, Leonard smirks. "Hey, I didn't think he'd actually believe either of us is into the whole vows and picket fences and Full House thing."
"So you two are not getting hitched or having a baby?" Quentin asks to confirm. When Sara shakes her head no, he breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God!" Sara glares at him, and he adds. "He was still buying something with money he's earned by robbing people."
Leonard smiles sweetly. He can actually get used to getting on Quentin's nerves. "Don't worry, I'll now buy it with the money your department will pay me to settle my lawsuits."
A/N: Written for a prompt. Hope you all liked it :)