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English
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Published:
2026-05-28
Updated:
2026-06-03
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4,591
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7/10
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How to Steal a Thief's Heart 2; Rough Patches

Summary:

"This is why your father distanced himself from you—because you're too damn emotional!" The words cut deeper than any cold gun blast, leaving a silence in the Waverider’s library that even a jump through time couldn't fix.

 

Picking up immediately after Act I: Guide, Nate Heywood is looking for commitment, but Leonard Snart—a man whose defense mechanisms are as sharp as his tongue—is only looking for an exit strategy. After a brutal fallout leads to a disastrous mission in the Wild West, the Legends are at their breaking point. Tired of the toxic tension nearly getting them killed, Captain Sara Lance initiates a mandatory reconciliation protocol: locking the two in the cargo bay until they face the truth—or each other.

Leonard Snart doesn't do "domestic," and he certainly doesn't do "forever." But as the hours in isolation tick by, the walls he's built his entire life begin to crumble.

 

Can Nate’s persistence break through Leonard’s icy defenses, or will their rough patches finally shatter what they've built together?

Chapter 1: The Arguement(Emotional Damage/Hurt)

Summary:

While on the Waverider, Nate pushes Leonard for a commitment, asking why he won't officially move into his quarters. Leonard bluntly refuses, stating he doesn't want to "play house" or participate in Nate's domestic fantasies. He defends his need for separate space, viewing domesticity as a weakness for a survivor like himself. The argument escalates, Leonard snaps and delivers a deeply personal insult Devastated by the reference to his father's rejection, Nate leaves the room in heartbreak, setting the stage for a period of icy silence between the two.

Notes:

A/N; so Welcome to Act II of How to Steal a Thief's Heart 2; Rough Patches
this is the rough patches of relationship so expect Jealousy, Emotional damage, and Arguing

Chapter Text

The air inside the Waverider’s library was thick with the smell of ozone and sweat. The mission to 1970s London had been a disaster, leaving the team bruised and snapping at each other. Nate leaned against the central console, rubbing a hand over his face. Across the room, Leonard Snart methodically cleaned his cold gun, his face an unreadable mask of ice.

 

"Leonard. We need to talk," Nate sighed.

 

"It been a week since I asked you to officially move into my quarters. Every time I bring it up, you freeze me out." Leonard set his weapon down, turning cold blue eyes toward Nate.

 

"Because I don't want to move in with you. I don't do playing house in a shared bunk, and I don't do whatever cozy couple fantasy you're planning in that head of yours."

 

"It's not a fantasy, it's a relationship!" Nate shouted, stepping into Leonard's space.

 

"But you’re too terrified to let anyone close. You hide behind that gun because you're a coward!"

 

"I am a survivor!" Leonard snarled, his composure shattering. Cornered by the weight of Nate's affection, Leonard struck out with the harshest truth he’d been harboring.

 

"This is why your father distanced himself from you—because you're too damn emotional! " The bridge went agonizingly silent. Nate reeled back as if struck. The mention of his father’s rejection cut straight to his soul. Leonard didn't regret the sentiment—he’d meant every word—but looking at the utter devastation on Nate's face, he regretted the harshness of the delivery. He forced his icy mask back into place as Nate turned on his heel and walked out without a word.