(Note: A complete shot in the dark as to where this is in the timeline)
Content: In which Nyssa steals a kiss and Laurel doesn't know what to do about it.

Over the past year, training with Nyssa had easily become one of the Laurel's favorite pass times. At first, it had been because these moments had always made her feel like some small piece of Sara was still with her, but things were different now. Sara was back, and Nyssa had become so much more to Laurel than just a reminder of her sister. They were friends, best friends, and Laurel would be lying if she said she didn't think about this woman all the time.

She looked forward to the training sessions they held in the disused warehouse they'd claimed as their own, not because she particularly enjoyed sparring, but because she loved spending time with Nyssa. She loved the way Nyssa gently corrected her, loved the way she fought, loved the playful banter they kept as they trained, loved taking her to their favorite diner afterward.

Of course, their closeness didn't mean that Nyssa would ever considering going easy on Laurel, as she knew all too well from being knocked flat on her back for the third time that evening.

"Dead." Nyssa declared. She lightly jabbed her training staff into Laurel's gut, eliciting a small "oof!" from her opponent. "Your stance needs to be wider, or else you'll be easily unbalanced."

She extended her hand, and Laurel pretended to reach for it. As Nyssa relaxed, clearly under the impression that they were done for the moment, Laurel took the opportunity to kick out at her legs. Nyssa's eyes widened slightly with the impact, but she hardly moved. Laurel sighed, accepting defeat, and took Nyssa's hand to hoist herself up.

"Nice try," Nyssa offered, a hint of playful smugness in her voice. "But without proper form, that move won't do you much good against someone who know what they're doing."

"It's worked on Ollie, though." Laurel pointed out.

"Like I said." Nyssa replied smoothly, prompting Laurel to let out a loud bark of a laugh.

"That's cold."

"Hardly." Nyssa rolled her eyes, the smallest of grins on her face. Laurel let her gaze linger on it. She'd never known Nyssa to smile much, which was a shame, because her smile really was a sight to behold. "What are you staring at?" Nyssa gave her a look, and Laurel quickly averted her eyes. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." She said hastily, slowly looking back at Nyssa. "You just have a nice smile."

Nyssa said nothing for a few moments, during which Laurel could almost swear that her face had flushed. 

"Well, if you're finished," Nyssa began, and any remnant of a blush disappeared. "How about one more go tonight?"

Laurel almost said no, that she was too tired to get her ass handed to her a fourth time, but there was something in the way Nyssa was looking at her that made her want to stay. She could handle a few more minutes of training. 

"Yeah," She agreed. What was the harm in one last round? "One more."

Laurel quickly scooped up the training staff she'd dropped during her fall and assumed a defensive position, waiting for Nyssa to make the first move. Nyssa came at her smoothly, their staffs clashing together once, then twice, and as Laurel moved to strike a third time, Nyssa's leg swept out and her foot crashed into Laurel's ankle. 

Startled, Laurel let out a yelp and instinctively grabbed onto her friend's sleeve in an attempt to right herself. Her weight brought them both to the floor, Nyssa on top of Laurel. 

"I thought you said that move didn't work." Laurel grumbled as she watched their dropped staffs roll off to the side of the little training area they'd set up. 

"I'm not going to make the same joke twice." Nyssa replied, smirking down at Laurel. Her eyes shone with mischief, something that Laurel had seldom ever seen in her. 

"Ha ha," Laurel said dryly, attempting to push Nyssa off of her. Predictably, Nyssa didn't budge; even after a year of training, Nyssa was still flatly stronger than her. She'd only be getting up when Nyssa let her. "One of these day it'll be you who's pinned."

"Is that so?" Nyssa asked teasingly, her face so close that her dangling hair brushed Laurel's nose. Is this the part where we kiss? Laurel asked herself jokingly, but before she could say it out loud, Nyssa actually began leaning in. 

Their lips pressed softly together, and Laurel had absolutely no idea how to react. On one hand, there was a beautiful, amazing woman whose smile she could never look away from on top of her and kissing her. That thought alone was enough to make her want to melt into the kiss, but on the other hand, this woman was her best friend and her sister's ex girlfriend. They couldn't do this. 

Nyssa pulled away after about five seconds, but Laurel felt like they'd been there on the mat for hours. 

"Nyssa, what the hell?" She asked breathlessly. Nyssa's eyes widened as she scrambled off of Laurel. 

"I thought-" For the first time since Laurel had known her, she actually looked quite spooked. "I- Have I... made things awkward?"

"I mean, yeah, kind of." Laurel said as she got to her feet. "You're my sister's ex!"

"Sara has moved on." Nyssa protested, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "I thought it was time I did the same."

"With her sister?" Laurel asked incredulously. 

"With another woman with whom I enjoy spending my time." Nyssa corrected. "But, I am sorry. I never intended to make you uncomfortable." 

"It's not that I didn't like that, I just-" Laurel struggled the find the words. The kiss had actually be quite nice. It was her first since Tommy, and she hadn't quite realized until now how much she'd missed that type of affection. "We can't."

"Because of Sara?" Nyssa inquired. "I highly doubt she would mind. And even if she did, why does she get a say? This is entirely up to you and me."

"It's not just Sara," Laurel sighed heavily. "It's everyone. What would my father think of me dating someone who kidnapped my mother? And what about the team?"

"You're making excuses." Nyssa said flatly. 

"Excuse me?"

"Laurel, I have feelings for you, and that is the truth." Nyssa told her firmly. "If you don't return them, you can just say it. I won't be hurt. What does hurt me is that you're making excuses, telling me we can't instead of telling me why you won't. Just look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel the same way and we can move on. We can go back to normal as soon as you say it."

"I-" Laurel froze for a moment. Could she say it? Could she look this woman in the eye and honestly say that she didn't think about her all the time? That her smile didn't light up a room? That she didn't love her? 

"Say it, Laurel."

"I can't." Laurel admitted softly. She looked away, suddenly unable to meet Nyssa's gaze. 

"And why not?" Nyssa demanded. 

"Because it's not true." Laurel hugged her chest, staring pointedly at the floor. "I can't say that I don't love you because that's a lie, but I can't say that I do because it would just complicate everything. I've never even dated a woman before, much less a former assassin. And I know you think I'm making excuses, but you can't honestly tell me that people wouldn't talk." She spoke quickly, urgently, as if something terrible would happen if she didn't get this all out right then.  "Maybe Sara would be fine, but I really don't think my father would approve. He still thinks I'm straight, how am I going to come out and tell him I'm dating my sister's ex who kidnapped my mother all in the same breath?"

She drew in a shaky breath, slightly embarrassed by her outburst. 

"Are you finished?" Nyssa said as soon as she could got a word in through Laurel's rambling. Laurel gave her a small nod. "Good. Now look at me." Slowly, Laurel brought her eyes back up to Nyssa's face. "It doesn't matter to me what other people are going think, and I don't know why it matters to you. This isn't their decision. It's yours. I don't care what they want, I'm asking what you want. What do you want?"

Laurel barely had to think about that; she knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to be wrapped up in Nyssa's arms, and to feel Nyssa's lips on hers without worrying about consequences. It was asking for it that Laurel found difficult. Still, Nyssa was right. This wasn't up to anybody else. She could be with Nyssa, she could love and be loved in a way she hadn't since Tommy's death; all she had to do was say she wanted to. 

"I want to kiss you again." Her voice was quiet, like she was telling a secret. 

"Is that all?" Nyssa prompted patiently. 

"I want to be with you," Laurel confessed. "But I don't know how."

"Did you know how to be a lawyer before you went to law school?" Nyssa asked, giving Laurel pause. What was she getting at? "Did you know how to be a vigilante before becoming the Black Canary? No. You learned how to do those things. If you really want this, you'll learn." 

"Okay," Laurel practically whispered. "Where do we start?"

"We start here." Nyssa slowly closed the distance between the two of them and brought one hand up to cup Laurel's cheek. Carefully, Laurel leaned forward until their lips met, her chest fluttering as they pressed against one another. It was short and sweet, and when Nyssa pulled away, Laurel found herself wishing it had been longer.

After separating from Laurel, Nyssa went to collect their staffs, which had conveniently stopped rolling at the bottom of the rack in which they were stored.

"If it's alright with you, I think that's enough training for tonight." She said as she placed the staffs on the rack. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah," Laurel smiled as Nyssa turned around to face her, and Nyssa smiled right back. "Our diner's still open. It can be our first date." 

Nyssa walked back over to Laurel and held out her hand. Laurel hesitantly took it in her own, running her thumb over the back of it. She couldn't believe they were actually going out. If this went well, she'd have a girlfriend. 

"Alright, then," Nyssa replied, turning toward the warehouse's exit. "It's a date."