Spoilers ahead for Season 2, episode 8. It takes place right after the episode ends. This is how I hope things can turn out for Sara and Leonard. It's got a bit of an established relationship going on.
Also, this is my first Captain Canary fic. Please be kind!
"Don't you think it's cruel doing that to him?" she asks, propping her feet up on the bed in her room.
"Doing what?"
"Making him think he's crazy and talking to a ghost! Mick thinks you're dead!"
"As far as they're all concerned, I am dead," he replies with a trademark Snart snarl that would scare anyone … except Sara Lance.
"But we could tell them that you're not dead, just lost. They could help us," she says, hoping to shorten the nightmare of her disappearing … friend? boyfriend? traveling companion who used to spend nights in her bunk?
"Sara, I don't even know where I am!" he says with even more annoyance. Not so much at her (for his own safety), but at his whole situation. He wants to bang his fist on something, but there are no walls around him and for now, he's just something like a hologram. At least, he supposes that's how she's seeing him. Just a ghost sitting on her floor.
"Len, Gideon keeps losing track of you. Surely Nate or Ray or Martin could think of some brainiac way to get you back into the Waverider. In the present. In the flesh."
"Worried about my flesh, eh?" he says with a twinkle in his eye and a raise of his eyebrow.
"Oh quit being a perv. Even trapped in a time vacuum, you're still an ass."
"Never denied it."
There's a silence between them that should be uncomfortable, but is instead just a moment of peace. A rare commodity in a time ship. Still, Sara slowly brings her feet down and lowers her head into her hands in frustration.
"Assassin?" Leonard asks. "Mind if I ask you a question?"
Sara barely lifts her head. "Sure, Captain, what do you got for me?"
He smiles at the use of their very unconventional nicknames for each other.
"If I … When I get out of this, you think you'll be ready to tell the others about us?"
She's quiet for a beat, and he prepares for the rejection. It was a stupid question anyway. Why would someone as beautiful and strong and amazing as Sara Lance want a common criminal with a shitty family like him and -
"I really would, Len. I'm tired of the secrets."
He winces inside knowing that she means their current situation as well. She's sitting straight up now and she obviously means business. But he's still unsure of how to handle things now that he's found but definitely still lost.
"Come on, Canary, isn't it romantic hiding me in here? We're finally alone, away from the prying eyes of our crew," he offers.
She definitely notes how he called the others "our crew," but ignores it for now. "Leonard, how is it romantic when I don't know where or when you are in space or time, and I can't even touch you." She stands and begins to walk towards him. Very slowly. Very purposefully. She kneels down in front of him. "Can't kiss you. Can't make you scre—"
"Ok, killer," he interrupts. "Let's not start something you definitely can't finish. Those moments were hard enough to find as it is."
"If we tell everyone about us, we can probably just move you into here and not worry about sneaking from room to room. And we can have Gideon work on the sound proofing."
Leonard should have been shocked that Sara basically just asked him to move in with her. But he wasn't. And any snide comment he would have made was interrupted by Gideon.
"Yes, Miss Lance, that is definitely something I can improve upon. An upgrade I know Mr. Rory would appreciate," the AI's voice replies from nowhere.
"Mick knows about us?" Len shouts.
"Mr. Snart, you and Miss Lance may have tried to hide your relationship outside of these walls, but within them, you were loud enough to alert the entire crew," Gideon says with a no nonsense tone.
Sara is biting her lip to stop from laughing. Leonard glares at her.
"Sorry, Len, I think you're louder than me!"
"Gideon, if you offer your opinion, I'll freeze your circuits!" Leonard shouts to the AI, pointing into the air.
"I wasn't going to reply. Though, you have no access to your cold gun at the moment, anyway, Mr. Snart."
Now Sara can't help but laugh. "She's got you there."
"Hush, the both of you," Snart says in his way that lets Sara know all is ok between them … even the Artificial Intelligence that monitors them.
The comfortable silence returns. They're both just happy to be in each other's "presence."
"Sara?"
"Yes, Len?"
"Your family would hate me, wouldn't they?"
She's slightly taken aback by the question, and proceeds cautiously, sitting as close to his image as she can.
"Well, they've never really approved of any of my relationships. That kid in high school, Ollie, Nyssa … wow, I haven't dated much. Regardless, what does it matter?"
"I've never had a solid family. Lisa is the only one I can count on and I know she'll love you. But if the time ever came to … tell them about us … well, I think they'd hate me. Your dad is a cop! I'm a crook. A very talented crook, but a criminal anyway. What could I offer you?" He looks at his shoes, afraid to see the look on her face.
She's nervous about whether he's thinking of furthering their relationship or ending it.
"Leonard, look at me."
He raises his face.
"It's never mattered to me what my family thought. I mean, I did have a pretty major affair with my sister's boyfriend. And I did bring home a girl. So, I highly doubt a thief would surprise them!"
She's hoping he'll laugh, but the small smile he gives is close enough.
"Leonard, who you were and who you are now are two different people. I'm not who I was; 5 years ago on the Gambit, 3 years ago in the League, hell, a year ago on this ship. Who we are now is who people need to deal with now. My family loves me, I love you, so they need to love you too!"
Her eyes grow wide and so do his.
"You … love me?" he asks slowly.
She certainly didn't mean for it to come tumbling out like that, but the cat was out of the bag now.
Sara sighed and continued, "Yes. Yes, I do."
"Well, isn't this just great," he drawls. He sees the sudden change to her face and quickly finishes. "No, what I mean is that you finally tell me and I'm not here."
She's starting to smile again.
"Sara, I've waited longer than I care to mention to hear someone say that to me. And the fact that it's you saying those words, well … it's enough to melt my heart."
He says that last part so sarcastically and yet so sincerely, that she has to laugh.
"Isn't this just the way we do things? How is declaring our love after you've become lost in the time stream any different?" she says. If she doesn't laugh, she'll cry.
"Sara, I'm getting out of this."
"I know," she replies.
"Do you think you could get the brainiacs on it?"
"Of course I will. Mick's gonna be pissed, you know?"
Leonard shrugs one shoulder to show his indifference. "He's as stubborn as I am, probably worse. He'll understand eventually."
The silence returns for a moment, but then he breaks it. "Sara, I'd like to kiss you right now."
"Me too. Think you can steal another kiss once we get you back?"
"I'm a hell of a thief, assassin. A hell of a thief."