A / N : Thanks Mel and cartoonlover27!
I'm going to reference stuff from the show in this, but each chapter is mainly a look at what's going on with Fry and Leela between episodes - the stuff we don't see. The first one was set after Rebirth and this one is set after S6E02, In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela. (If you watched the episodes out of order, you can find the full list on The Infosphere.)
Fry doesn't know what he and Leela are now. It nags at him.
He takes her out for dinner a lot but he doesn't know if that's a date, or just him trying to convince Leela he's worth dating.
They kiss sometimes, but he doesn't know what that means either. Maybe it doesn't mean anything.
Then the V-Giny demands she sleep with Zapp Brannigan. Leela doesn't even flinch. She just seems annoyed, like she wants to get it over with. Back at work, things go back to normal. Fry isn't jealous, and he's definitely not mad at her, but something feels wrong. He keeps thinking of their dates, and how when they're over, it's like they never happened. It nags at him.
It's Friday, and they're watching tv on the couch. Fry clears his throat nervously. He asks Leela out to dinner every Friday, and every Friday she says yes. He used to think that was a good thing. Now he's not so sure.
"So, um . . ." He drums his fingers on his can of Slurm and keeps his eyes on the tv, trying to act like it's no big deal. "I was wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat later."
Leela yawns.
"Sure," she says, still engrossed in the tv. She stretches out cat-like beside him, and Fry almost loses his nerve. But he has to say it. He has to.
"Leela?"
"Hmm?"
Fry swallows.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to."
Leela blinks. He's never said that before and it seems to take her by surprise. After all, she's already agreed. It's not like Fry to risk a good thing by giving her an out.
"Why wouldn't I want to?" she asks slowly.
Fry shrugs. "I dunno."
"Don't you want to?"
"No! I mean . . . yes. I want to," Fry babbles. "I just . . . I wanted you to know that you don't have to go out with me, if you don't want to. You don't have to do anything."
He sneaks a look at Leela. She looks perturbed.
"You're broke," she guesses at last.
"Huh? No!"
Fry lays his wallet on the table as proof. This seems to stump Leela.
"Then what's going on?" she demands.
"Nothing. I just . . . you can say no if you want to," Fry clarifies.
This isn't going well. He wants to ask if he's a bad date, and if they even are dating, or if Leela's just trying not to hurt his feelings - but the words won't come out right, and now Leela's mad at him.
"Fine," she snaps. "We won't go. Problem solved."
She storms out before Fry can explain himself.
He stays at Planet Express for the rest of the night. He winds up ordering pizza and watching a movie about man-eating ants, which sucks. It sucks even more because Leela's not there.
And then, all of a sudden, she is.
She's standing in the doorway holding a tub of ice-cream.
"I brought dessert," she says shyly.
Fry moves up to make room for her on the couch, but Leela ignores the available space and wedges herself in beside him instead.
They eat the ice-cream watching the late-night movie matinée on Channel 666. Leela yells at the tv a lot, and when the film's heroine walks right into the killer's lair, she hurls her spoon at the screen. They share the remaining spoon, passing it idly back and forth. As the ice-cream starts to melt it dribbles down Fry's arm and he ends up frantically trying to lick his own elbow, which makes Leela smile.
Her smile is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.
Fry is just thinking this when another thought nudges to the forefront of his mind.
Zapp Brannigan has never seen Leela smile. Not many people have. There's Nibbler and at her parents, but he can't think of anyone else who can make her smile.
Just him.
Him.
The thought is like a balloon swelling in his chest.
Leela falls asleep at 3am with her head on his shoulder. Fry still doesn't know what they are but it makes him happy so maybe, he decides, it doesn't matter.