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Chapter Text

Oliver’s struggling to keep his eyes off of Felicity.

Images from a couple of days ago keep flashing in front of his eyes and he seems to constantly need reminding that she’s there and she’s alright.

All he sees when he takes his eyes off of her is the Count, stroking his disgusting hand through her ponytail, holding that needle to her throat, his hands all over Oliver’s girl.

She is his girl, she always will be, but he can’t let it go where he wants it to. God, the Count only knew that she worked for him. He can’t put her in that kind of danger, she’s far too precious to him.

She’s sat at her desk outside his office now, typing away on her computer and he can’t help but smile at the little frown of concentration on her face. She gets this little wrinkle above her eyes and Oliver’s convinced it’s possibly the cutest thing he’s ever seen. She’s so passionate about her work, it’s such a beautiful thing to see.

Her dress is making him as crazy as they usually do. He was speaking the truth to Isabel, Felicity’s skirts aren’t that short, definitely not short enough to be deemed inappropriate but short enough to drive him crazy. This one’s a deep red color, perfect for the fall weather outside and her feet are encased in black heels, her hair devoid of its usual ponytail.

She takes a moment out of her typing to swoop her hair over one shoulder, revealing her long neck to his eyes and Oliver groans, thinking about how he’d like to trail his lips across the skin there, leave his mark on the spot just below her ear.

The sound of the elevator arriving at the executive floor brings them both out of their respective hazes and Oliver returns to the file he was supposed to be reading, trusting Felicity to direct whoever it was if they needed him.

“Mrs. Queen! I wasn’t aware you were visiting today.” Felicity’s startled voice makes Oliver raise his view to indeed see his mother stood by his assistant’s desk. One look at the terrified look on Felicity’s face has Oliver out of his chair and his office door in seconds, stepping forward to embrace his mother.

“Mom! You didn’t tell me you were coming by today.” He greets, kissing her cheek and she smiles, shucking off her coat and holding it out to Felicity who takes it immediately, stalking past them to hang it on the coat rack that sits inside Oliver’s office. They’d agreed to put it there because dealing with people’s coats isn’t what Oliver expects of her, just like she doesn’t get him coffee. She’s his partner, not his secretary.

“Yes, well, I’m afraid I need to speak with you and Miss Smoak immediately,” Moira tells them and Felicity frowns, looking over at Oliver helplessly.

“Me?” She asks, stepping out of his office and Moira raises an eyebrow.

“Your name is Miss Smoak is it not?” She asks condescendingly, and Oliver takes a deep breath.

“Mom.” He says warningly and Moira’s eyes snap to him in surprise, humming slightly. She then stalks into his office, settling on one of the chairs in front of his desk. Oliver moves closer to Felicity, catching her arm lightly before she turns to follow his mother. “I’m sorry about the coat thing.”

“It’s fine, Oliver.” She smiles at him reassuringly and he shakes his head.

“No, it’s not. I respect you more than that.” He tells her honestly and she smiles, letting her arm slide out of his hand as she heads into the office herself, leaving Oliver to follow.

Moira is tapping away on the tablet she’s pulled out of her purse and there’s a significant ping from Oliver’s phone in his pocket and the tablet sat on his desk. Moira gestures towards them and Oliver digs his phone out as Felicity unlocks the tablet, both clicking on the message that’s just come through from Moira.

It’s a link to a gossip site, the most popular in Starling, Oliver notes. This is the only site that his mother allows herself to lose sleep over, she considers most of them trash not worth acknowledging but this site has a considerable following.

Oliver Queen Back to His Playboy Habits?

Right underneath the title is two pictures of he and Felicity, one of them leaving the office and the other of them leaving Verdant. He recognizes the one from the office as last week. Felicity had been rambling on about bringing Isabel down when her mouth had slipped in its usual way, a double entendre slipping out that had made Oliver laugh. It was that moment that the camera captured, his head thrown back in laughter and clutching her elbow for support. The other one is only a few days old. Oliver had gone down into the bunker to find Felicity running searches but she’d been shaking, visibly upset. The bags under her eyes had let him know that she hadn’t slept since the Count at QC the day before and he had bundled her shaking frame in his old hoodie and driven her home, staying with her until she fell asleep. The picture showed her drowning in his hoodie and her tucked under his arm, looking up at him with those wide vulnerable eyes that always made him want to kiss away her pain. The look on his face was pure adoration and Oliver briefly wondered how many people had caught him looking at Felicity with that expression on his face.

“As you can see, this is a real issue,” Moira speaks up and Oliver frowns, not having moved past the pictures. He scrolls down, skim-reading the article and frowning at the accusations that Felicity was sleeping her way up the company and that he was allowing her to take control. There were quotes from ‘anonymous’ sources at QC stating that they were always together and Felicity acted above her ‘station’ as an assistant. That particular comment has Oliver growling. “Oliver!”

“It’s rubbish Mom. Felicity and I are friends, this job is far below what she’s capable of and she took it as a favor to me because I rely on her expertise.” Oliver explains, sitting down in his chair and nodding for Felicity to sit in the chair next to his mother. She shoots him a look and stays standing, fidgeting uncomfortably when Moira’s glance turns to her.

“Is this true Miss Smoak?” She asks, a perfectly plucked eyebrow raising and Felicity nods her head.

“Yes, of course, Mrs. Queen. I was actually set for a promotion in the IT department which I’m telling you would have been a much better idea because the supervisor down there is still as incompetent as he’s ever been. I have to go down there like twice a day to fix the system when someone inevitably crashes it and…” She rambles away and only stops when Oliver places a hand on her arm, steadying her.

“Felicity.” He says softly and he notes that Dig may have been right when he pointed out a couple of weeks ago that he seems to have a voice reserved especially for Felicity.

“Well, be that as it may. We have to do some sort of damage control on this. Oliver, your position at this company is tenuous as it is, we need to stabilize this. There’re two options here. We either move Miss Smoak to another department and the two of you make a conscious effort to not be seen together in public…”

“No,” Oliver states soundly, looking to Felicity’s whose eyes have blown wide. “Like I said, I rely on her and I am not reducing the amount of time I spend with her outside of work Mom. We’re friends.”

He knows that his speech is a little preachy but still, having Felicity out of his life like that is not something he even wants to consider the possibility of. She’s the light in his darkness, he needs her.

“Well, the second option is a little more… shall we say, intimate.” Moira states and Felicity coughs, blushing as the attention shifts to her.

“Intimate?” She asks and Moira nods, looking the two of them over.

“We address this as if the two of you are in a serious relationship. It will help show the public, and the board, how much you’ve grown from the boy you used to be and it will hopefully stop the gossip from spreading. Committed relationships are far less interesting to the press than a scandalous fling. We’ll release a press statement, emphasizing the fact that the relationship began after Miss Smoak became your assistant and that the reason it was kept quiet was to protect her professional reputation.” Moira announces and Oliver chances a look over at Felicity who’s jaw is slightly open in shock.

“Mom…” He starts but his mother cuts him off, holding up a hand.

“Those are your two options. I am going to use Miss Smoak’s computer to type up a draft press release whilst you two discuss your options.” She states and in a whirlwind is out of the room, settling herself at Felicity’s desk. She closed the door behind her and the two of them are left alone.

“Felicity, I…” He starts but her hand flies out to stop him, just like his mother’s moments ago.

“Oliver, we need to take this seriously. Your mother’s right, if the board catches wind of this, you’re only going to fall further in their eyes and that will only boost Isabel which ugh…” She groans and Oliver chuckles, settling back into his chair.

“I don’t want to have to avoid you.” He tells her honestly and she melts a little, her shoulders loosening and her gaze turning softer as she looks at him.

“I don’t want that either. Especially because that would make how we spend our nights kind of awkward, oh frack, your mother shut the door right?” She freaks and Oliver chuckles, watching the way she relaxes once she spots the door firmly closed.

“I don’t want to make you do anything you’re uncomfortable with.” He assures her and she smiles, turning to look at him.

“Oliver, we’ve already somehow got the press convinced that we’re sleeping together. I don’t think it’s going to take too much more to convinced them we’re in a relationship. So it’s what? A little handholding and the occasional stuffy gala? Unless you’re so repulsed at the idea of dating me, even if it is fake.” She trails off, her voice gaining that vulnerable edge and Oliver’s heart tugs.

“Hey. Nothing about you could ever be repulsive, I just want to make sure that you’re comfortable with this.” He tells her, standing from his chair and walking over to clasp her hand in his own. “I respect you and your integrity.”

“Are we really going to do this?” She asks, looking up at him and he shrugs.

“The ball is in your court.” He tells her and she takes a deep breath.

“Then I guess I am the fake girlfriend of one Oliver Queen.” She speaks determinedly and Oliver smiles, squeezing her hand in his.

“I assume you’ve made a decision?” Moira asks as they step out into Felicity’s domain in the office.

“Send the press release out,” Oliver speaks with determination in his voice and his mother smiles, nodding her head.

“Miss Smoak?” She asks and Felicity looks up at her, a little scared.

“Yes?” She asks and Moira smiles a little.

“What are your plans for Thanksgiving?” Moira questions and Felicity raises an eyebrow.

“Lighting my menorah? Hanukkah starts on Wednesday.” Felicity explains and Moira hums, taking a deep breath.

“I don’t wish to undermine your religion Miss Smoak but it would be very beneficial to this story if you came and spent Thanksgiving with us. We’re taking a week at our cabin in the mountains in New Hampshire.” Moira explains and Felicity nods, having known of the plans as she organizes Oliver’s schedule.

“Mom, that’s asking a lot. Isn’t this a big deal? You said something about them not falling on the same day for over 100 years.” Oliver asks Felicity, looking down at her and she shrugs her shoulders.

“Yeah, but I never really do Thanksgiving. My mom was throwing out ideas about me going back to Vegas but honestly, it’s a trip I’d like to avoid.” She tells him truthfully and he nods, having noticed that she really doesn’t ever mention her mom.

“Miss Smoak, I assure you, we won’t stand in the way of you celebrating Hanukkah. You may have to guide us a little in the traditions but, if you don’t mind a few extra guests, we would be happy to celebrate with you. I understand that I’m asking a lot of you but I just want to cement my son’s place in this company, and yours as well. I can see how he relies on you and I don’t wish for that to be jeopardized. I can see the bond the two of you share. I don’t beg, I have too much pride for that but this week and a few well placed social media posts will do wonders to blow this storm over.” Moira tells her and Felicity smiles. Oliver is shocked, he’s never heard his mother be so candid with someone outside of their family before.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll come.” She says quietly and Moira smiles, clapping her hands.

“Excellent! I’ll get this finished and sent up to PR. Oliver, I don’t want your sister knowing this is a ruse, she’s not the best at keeping secrets.” Moira states casually and Oliver freezes. If Thea doesn’t know that this is all a ruse, then he and Felicity are going to have to actually sell this the entire time they’re at the cabin.

“Oliver?” Felicity asks as she follows him back into his office and he sighs, turning to look at her.

“I’m so sorry for all of this.” He tells her and she shakes her head, stepping towards him and running her hands up his arms. They stop at his elbows cupping them softly and he allows himself to place his hands on her waist, watching the way that she shivers slightly as the tips of his fingers brush the skin revealed by the cut-out at the back of her dress.

“Hey, we’re a team. If this was the other way around and I needed your help, you’d do it right?” She asks and he looks into her eyes, so full of trust and he sighs, nodding.

“In a heartbeat.” He tells her honestly and she smiles, her head tilting in the way that always makes him grin.

“Then let me do this for you. We’ll figure it out, we always do.” She assures him and he sighs, breaking her gaze.

“But my sister… we’re going to have to act like…” He sighs and one of her hands moves, rubbing his arm in a way that immediately calms him.

“We’ll figure it out.” She repeats, more determined this time and he nods. “I need to go and reclaim my computer from your mother. We’ll work out on how we’re going to sell this as not so platonic later, okay?”

He nods and reluctantly lets her go, gripping her fingers until they slide out of his. “Felicity?” He asks when she reaches the door and she hums, turning around. “I think you and I both know you’re lying when you say that what we have is purely platonic.”

She smiles and blushes a little, looking down at her feet. “Later.”

“Later.” He promises, watching her go with a smile.

Chapter Text

Later, unfortunately never comes. Moira ties Felicity up all afternoon, keeping her busy with the press release and Oliver has to admit, it’s something that will definitely draw the press in. It’s respectful to them both and makes a clear point of stating that the relationship had nothing to do with Felicity’s move from the IT department to the executive floor.

Moira finally leaves at around five, telling them that she’ll see them both on the tarmac on Monday and she warns them that the release has caused a press bundle at the door of the building.

“You really don’t have to do this.” He tells her as they head down the elevator and towards the lobby.

“It’s a little too late for that now,” Felicity tells him with a chuckle, thinking of the press release that was sent out an hour ago.

“I’m being serious Felicity. We can find a way out, find another way.” He tells her softly and she smiles at him using her words against her for the second time.

“Oliver, it’s the only way to handle this. We can’t have the press thinking you’re back to your ‘Ollie’ days, it’ll be detrimental to your reputation and we can’t give people like Isabel that kind of power.” She assures him and he sighs, looking down at her.

“I’m asking a lot of you.” He admits and she nods, smiling a little.

“You are, but I’m willing to give it to you. Plus, an all expenses paid trip to the New Hampshire mountains and avoiding another awkward Thanksgiving and Hanukkah with my mother? It sounds like a win-win situation to me.” She winks and he chuckles, placing his hands in his pockets.

“You really don’t get on that well with your mom?” He asks and she chuckles, taking a deep breath.

“My mother is… well, she’s my mother and that’s kind of the only way to describe her. We’re just very different. I’m a lot like my dad which winds her up because he walked away and never looked back when I was seven.” She explains and Oliver frowns, his hand almost unconsciously coming up to rest on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.” He tells her and she smiles, shrugging. “I had noticed you don’t talk about your family a lot.”

“There’s not much to talk about. You and Dig are my family now.” She tells him honestly and he smiles at her, his thumb brushing over her shoulder in a comforting manner.

“You’re my family too.” He replies and she smiles as the elevator sounds and the doors open.

“You ready?” Felicity asks with a grin and he chuckles, skimming his hand down her arm to grasp her hand.

“As I’ll ever be,” Oliver replies and she smiles as their fingers lace together. Moira had been right that the press release would have sent the paparazzi barrelling to QC’s doors. Throngs of them wait by the glass front of the building, already snapping pictures of them and no doubt zeroing in on their joined hands. “Don’t let go.”

She nods and tightens her grip on his hand, her other coming to grasp his wrist as they step outside. Dig had been waiting by the door and he leads the way, shoving through the crowd which parts just enough to let them through but they’re still so close.

Tight spaces haven’t been Felicity’s forte since the Undertaking. They remind her too much of being alone in the Foundry when the world was shaking and feeling like the walls were going to collapse on her. The shouts of the paparazzi don’t help either, it just adds more to the sensory overload as cameras flash and they get right in her personal space.

Oliver’s a tiny bit ahead of her, trying to keep the path clear for her but someone steps in front of her just as he’s passed and throws a microphone in her face. She makes the mistake of looking up in shock and when their eyes meet, that’s when he pounces.

“Miss Smoak! What do you say to accusations from within QC that your relationship with your CEO is a plot to advance your own position? How does an IT girl from Vegas find herself as the executive assistant to the CEO of a major corporate company?”

She’s looked away but he’s still blocking her path, shoving the microphone in her face and she resists the urge to whimper at the overwhelming feelings. Her arm goes taught as Oliver steps too far ahead for slack and it’s the jolt that turns his attention to her, his face a picture of anger as he uses his free hand to nudge the reporter back into the throng. With a growl towards the man, he drops Felicity’s hand and instead pulls her into his side with an arm around her shoulder. Hers settles on his back, sliding under his suit jacket as the need to feel that he’s actually there overwhelms her.

“I’ve got you.” He leans down to whisper in her ear and that’s the picture that’s slammed across every website and gossip rag in the morning. The protective embrace and their eyes locked, the trust between them evident as he guides her to the car.

“That was intense.” She breathes deeply as the door shut behind them and Oliver turns to her, checking to see that she’s alright. “I’m okay, just a little overwhelmed.”

“I’m sorry.” He tells her and she chuckles, looking over at him.

“If we’re going to get through this, you’re going to have to stop apologizing so much or you’re going to drive me crazy.” She laughs and he smiles at the sound.

“For the record, I think you’re both crazy,” Dig speaks from the front of the car and Felicity smiles at him through the rear-view. “Seatbelt, Felicity.”

“Why do you never remind Oliver?” She pouts and Dig chuckles, throwing Oliver a glance.

“Because I care a lot less if he goes flying through the windscreen.” Dig quips and Oliver chuckles, meeting his friend’s eyes in the rear-view. They would both do anything for Felicity, that they both know for sure. “I’m not moving until I hear a click.”

Felicity grumbles but does her seatbelt up, Oliver does his as well and they drive away from the company.

His phone starts to ring and Thea’s face and name appear on his screen. “Speedy.”

“Oliver Jonas Queen! How could you not tell me you have a girlfriend?” His sister asks, her voice a little shrill and obviously annoyed.

“Thea, we were keeping a low profile to avoid the press and I don’t know if you know this, but you can be a bit of a blabbermouth.” Oliver chuckles, smiling at the gasp his sister lets out.

“I am not twelve years old anymore Ollie! I can keep a secret!” She states indignantly and Oliver hums, not believing that particular statement from his sister. “Are you with her now?”

“Yes, Felicity is here.” He comments, emphasizing her name which Thea hasn’t said yet. He looks over at the girl in question and smiles softly, it only widening as she smiles shyly back at him.

“Good! Put me on speaker.” Thea demands and Oliver rolls his eyes at the command but does what she asks.

“You’re on, Thea.” He tells her and smiles reassuringly at the nervous look on Felicity’s face.

“Felicity, hi! Do you want to come shopping tomorrow? I’d love to get to know the girl that my brother has been secretly dating for months. Mom told me you’re coming to the cabin and I need to get some last minute stuff.” Thea comments and Oliver raises an eyebrow at Felicity, shrugging when she looks to him.

“Thea, I’m not sure…” He starts but Felicity shakes her head, her hand resting on his arm.

“It’s fine Oliver. I’d like that, Thea. I need to grab some stuff too and I won’t be freaking out so much about what to bring if I can see what you’re taking.” She answers and Oliver smiles at her. He knows she’s nervous, he can hear it in her voice, but she’s soldiering on, for him. The thought makes his heart flutter in a way he didn’t know was possible.

“Excellent! I’ll get Ollie to send me your address and I’ll pick you up at 10?” Thea asks and Felicity smiles.

“Sure, that sounds good,” Felicity replies and jumps a little as Thea’s squeal bounces off the doors and roof of the car.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye Ollie!” She calls and the line goes dead, leaving the two of them looking at each other.

“I’m sorry about that.” He tells her and she raises an eyebrow.

“What did I say about apologizing?” She purses her lips and he chuckles, shaking his head. “Anyway, what I said is true. I do need to grab some things to take with me and having your sister with me will help to gage levels of formality. Is Roy coming to the cabin too?”

“Yeah, Mom really likes him. Don’t know why.” Oliver grumbles and Felicity chuckles, rolling her eyes at the overprotective big brother.

“Anyone else?” Felicity asks, realizing that she hasn’t really gaged too much of what this trip will entail.

“Nope, just the five of us.” He smiles and Felicity does too, nodding her head. She could handle four other people.

“We’re here.” Dig comments as he pulls up in front of Felicity’s townhouse and they share a look.

“Pizza? We can work out the details of all this.” She asks and Oliver nods, undoing his own seatbelt.

“Dig?” He asks and their friend shakes his head.

“I got dinner plans. Go ahead.” He tells them and Felicity smiles, leaning forward to kiss his cheek before heading out of the car and up the steps to her house. “Oliver?”

“Yeah?” Oliver asks, turning to look at Dig from where he’s climbing out of the car.

“Be careful. Don’t break her heart or I will break you.” He tells him and Oliver nods, knowing that Dig’s being very serious.

“Got it.” He replies just as seriously. “Dig, you know that’s the last thing I want to do right?”

“I know man, but I can’t see this plan ending any other way.” Dig grumbles and Oliver sighs, wishing him a good night before stepping out of the car and heading up the steps to follow Felicity.

“We need a story,” Felicity tells him an hour later. They’re sat on the sofa in her living room, her feet curled up underneath her and a small smile on her face at the pizza on the plate in her lap.

“A story?” Oliver asks and she rolls her eyes.

“A story. Like how we got together.” She explains and he hums in understanding, nodding his head.

“Well, lies work best when they’re mostly truthful. So, we tell the truth, just bend it a little. I broke my laptop just after I got back from the island and we met when Walter recommended that I speak to you in order to fix it. You helped me settle into a world five years ahead in technology, we became friends and things just went from there.” He weaves and she nods her head.

“Yep. That’s good, okay. We’ve been dating for two months?” She asks and he nods his head.

“Are you opposed to pet names?” He asks and Felicity shakes her head, thinking about how she likes the sound of her name on his lips, however.

“Just nothing condescending, no Princess or anything.” Felicity shudders and Oliver laughs, shaking his head.

“Got it. I’m fine with anything.” He tells her and she smirks.

“Okay, Princess.” She quips and he laughs, shaking his head in amusement. “What about physical contact and all that? Are we just going to play it by ear?”

“Like I said, the best way to tell a lie is to have it be mostly truthful. We make ourselves think we’re dating for the week and it will go smoothly, we won’t get caught out.” He reassures her, not noticing the flash of her eyes and the slump in her shoulders.

“Okay, yeah, sure. Sounds good.” She tells him and he does notice that her voice is a little less enthusiastic.

“Hey, did I say something?” He asks, reaching out for her hand and she smiles a little, shaking her head.

“It’s fine, I promise. You should go, I want to get to bed. I have a big day tomorrow.” She tells him and he raises an eyebrow, not wanting to push her but not being okay that there’s something obviously wrong.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll see you on Monday, okay? We’ll pick you up.” He tells her and she nods, a small smile on her face.

“Bye Oliver.” She tells him as he grabs his jacket and heads for the door.

“Bye, don’t forget to lock the door.” He smiles and she nods, standing up.

He closes the door behind him, not stepping away until he hears the lock click. He wonders what the hell he’s got himself in for and walks away from Felicity, even though it’s the last thing he wants to do.

Chapter Text

Felicity wakes with a groan, the Sunday morning light streaming in through her window and she realizes that she must have forgotten to close the blinds the night before. She checks the time and sighs at the 08:36 blinking back at her.

Right, shopping with Thea.

This whole situation is so baffling and Felicity wishes she’d had a little longer to process before having to pretend that she’s dating her boss and best friend.

She thinks over that statement and smiles. Oliver is her best friend, he and Dig are her family and she loves them. But she knows that she loves Oliver in a different way than she loves Dig, like he said yesterday, things between them have never been purely platonic.

Felicity can’t let herself get swept up in this game of make-believe, this is all to help him and herself, seeing as her professional reputation has taken a hit in the past few months. She just hopes that this will work.

Putting on a brave face, she jumps in the shower and begins to get ready for her day shopping with Thea Queen. The thought sends another swarm of doubt crippling through her. Thea is the fashion queen of Starling City, at just 18 years old, her outfits are plastered all over the gossip magazines as fashion ‘dos’. Felicity takes a moment to remember that this is the world she’s stepping into.

Felicity has met Thea before. It’s kind of difficult not to run into the owner of the club that your secret lair is based out of. She’s always managed to work her way out of an awkward situation, she’s normally there when Oliver is so Felicity makes up some lie about meeting Oliver for coffee or to help him with tech or something. A few times, Oliver’s asked her to upgrade some of Verdant’s systems for Thea and the young girl has been lovely and grateful so Felicity’s not freaking out. That much.

She does, however, have less than an hour and a half to get ready to meet her.

With that realization, it takes her half an hour to choose an outfit, standing in front of her closet and digging through dresses, skirts, and blouses until she finally pulls out something that she thinks might work. She hasn’t worn jeans in over a year she thinks but she pulls on her trust Abercrombie pair that she bought in college and never looked back from. They still fit her like a glove and the sleeveless white blouse she pulls on goes well with a pink necklace that matches the color her nails are currently sporting. She finds her pink heels which are the same color and slips those on as well, knowing her black coat is hanging by the door.

Makeup is quick and easy as always and she paints her lips the same color of pink, smiling at the final result in the mirror. She still looks like her which is good but the jeans are a little more casual than her usual office look and she thinks that’s appropriate.

With half an hour to spare, she heads into the kitchen to grab some breakfast, checking her phone which is lying on the counter charging.

She frowns at her background picture, wondering if she should change it. She shoots Oliver a text, asking his opinion and then scrolls through her pictures to see if she has anything appropriate.

She laughs at the few she has of him and Dig messing around in the Foundry but they’re a no go obviously. Smiling, she finds a picture she took last year. It was whilst she was teaching Oliver about how to use his new phone and he had been baffled by the idea of a front camera and selfies. Insisting they took one, Felicity had held the phone up and smiled. She’d expected him to look at the camera but he’d also grinned and it’s one of her favorite pictures, their heads pressed together and his dumb beanie on her head from where she’d swiped it earlier in the evening. With a grin, she sets it as her background and sends a screenshot to Oliver as an example before pouring herself a bowl of cereal and making coffee.

The doorbell rings about twenty minutes later and Felicity heads to the door, checking the peephole like Oliver and Dig always remind her to do. It’s Thea, stood on the stoop with a smile on her face and Felicity unlocks the door, smiling at the younger girl.

“Hi!” Thea grins and Felicity does too.

“Hey, come in.” She tells her and Thea smiles, stepping inside the house and looking around.

“Thanks for agreeing to come with me. I can’t believe Ollie hid this from me for such a long time!” Thea pouts and Felicity smiles sympathetically, shutting the door behind her.

“I’m sorry about that. It just made more sense to keep it hidden, although a lot of good that did us.” Felicity sighs and Thea smiles, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

“I’m excited that you’re coming this week though! It’ll be nice to have another young girl around and I might need a buffer between Ollie and Roy.” Thea groans and Felicity laughs, gesturing Thea in and onto a stall at the breakfast bar in her kitchen.

“I’m excited too.” Felicity lies, she’s far more nervous than anything else. “And I’ve got your back.” That part’s definitely true, she won’t let Oliver get all overprotective big brother on poor Thea.

“Thanks! I love your place.” Thea comments and Felicity raises an eyebrow. Her humble townhouse is a far cry from the Queen mansion and she highly doubts that Thea’s being honest about her like of the place.

“It’s not much but it’s home.” Felicity smiles, moving to place her bowl and cup in the sink. She’ll deal with them later, she decides as she collects what she needs for the day.

“I wish I had my own place.” Thea remarks and Felicity smiles, the youngest Queen’s testament making more sense now. It’s not the place she likes so much of the idea of it. Felicity gets it, she’d left home at 16 and that still felt too late.

“It’s a lot easier now that I actually know what I’m doing. You should have seen what I was like when I first moved to Cambridge, my roommate must have thought I was a complete slob.” Felicity chuckles as she grabs her phone from the counter, noticing a text from Oliver.

You mean like this? I don’t have any of the two of us, I like the one you have though (1 attachment)

Felicity snorts at the picture he’s set as his background image. She hadn’t even realized that he had taken it. She recognized the coffee shop they’d visited a few weeks ago. They’d barely slept and Felicity had gone home to change into a t-shirt and yoga pants before they headed to get coffee to try and stay awake. They’d been there for a while and Felicity had taken her book out of her bag as Oliver answered emails on his phone, the two of them settling into a comfortable silence. She didn’t realize he’d snapped a picture of her but she likes it, the straw of her iced coffee caught in her teeth and she’s smiling at the book she’s reading.  

I didn’t even realize you’d taken that!

“You okay?” Thea asks and Felicity looks up from her phone with a smile.

“Oh yeah, just your brother. You good to go?” She asks as Thea smirks at her, shaking her head at the look on her face.

“Yeah, are you alright for me to drive? Ollie told me your car’s a little small.” Thea comments and Felicity rolls her eyes, grabbing her keys to lock the door behind them.

“That’s fine but your brother’s a liar. It’s only small for him because he’s huge… tall, I mean tall. Like ridiculously tall. Once I had to give him and Dig a lift home and I swear, it was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. You’d think I drive a clown car.” Felicity rambles a little, locking her door behind the two of them as they step outside into the cold November air. Thea chuckles at her, looking at her with an expression Felicity can’t quite make out.

“You’re cute, I can see why Ollie likes you.” She smiles and Felicity does too, following the girl to her car.

Felicity finds that she really enjoys herself. Thea’s fun, she has great taste in fashion and she’s a pro at dodging the paparazzi. By the time they head to a fancy bistro for a late lunch that’s actually kind of bordering on dinner, Felicity’s tired but happy.

They’ve been just about everywhere. Thea pulls her into boutiques, shoe stores, lingerie shops, all of which have Felicity’s bank account stretching a little but Felicity figures she can just eat spaghetti-o's for most of next month. The things she finds are worth it.

She was right about having Thea with her helping to gage the formality of the situation. Most of her bags are filled with sweaters and casual clothes as well as a new pair of hiking boots, the prospect of which has Felicity quivering. However, there’s a fair few filled with gorgeous dresses, skirts, and blouses which Thea assures her will be needed for dinners and trips into the nearby town. They even managed to get a mani-pedi and Felicity is happy with her new blue and white themed fingers and toes.

“Why don’t you call Ollie and see if he wants to join us? He looked like a kicked puppy when I left this morning.” Thea comments and Felicity startles a little at the revelation. She knows she was abrupt with Oliver last night but it felt justified. His comment about thinking that they’re actually dating hit a little close to her heart, as if it were something he would never actually do.

“Yeah, okay.” She smiles and balances her bags in one hand before pulling her phone out of her purse. It rings once before he picks up and she chuckles, wondering if he was waiting by the phone. She suddenly realizes that this is going to be their first run of pretending and they need to be believable else this whole thing could fall apart before it even starts.

“Felicity?” His voice in her ear calms her immediately and she smiles at the sound of it, unable to stop herself.

“Hey, Thea and I just got done and we were wondering if you wanted to join us for lunch, well kind of dinner at this point. You know, it’s strange that there’s a word for brunch but not for a meal in between lunch and dinner, like that’s any stranger than brunch. I wonder whether that will be the next big thing, you know how brunch like blew up last year…”

“Felicity.” He interrupts her ramble in that damn soft voice of his that has her putty in his hands.

“Sorry.” She blushes, looking over to see Thea smiling at her affectionately. Well, at least she doesn’t think she’s crazy.

“I’d love to join you and Thea. Where are you?” He asks and Felicity frowns, looking around.

“Um, Jackson and 3^rd?” She guesses and Thea nods, smiling at her.

“I know the place, Thea loves it there. Give me ten minutes.” He tells her and Felicity smiles.

“Okay, see you then.” She says softly.

“See you then.” He repeats and Felicity smiles as she hangs up the phone.

“He’s on his way.” Felicity smiles, juggling her phone a little as she tries to put it back in her purse but Thea gasps, grabbing it from her. “What?”

“I haven’t seen my brother smile like this since before…” Thea trails off, the space not needing to be filled and Felicity frowns. Sure Oliver’s not the most smiley of people, in fact, he smiles sparsely but every so she often she elicits one of those wide grins from him like he’s sporting in the picture that’s her new background.

“Really?” Felicity frowns and Thea slips Felicity phone back into her purse for her, pulling her own one out of her pocket.

“This is the best I get,” Thea tells her, showing her a picture of the two of them. It’s a really sweet shot. They’re sat up against a window in a high rise. Oliver’s arm is around Thea and her arms around banded around his waist. Oliver’s not looking at the camera or Thea but off to the side, his more frequent small smile on his face and Thea is gazing up at him adoringly in a way that Felicity’s found only younger siblings can quite master.

“That’s a really cute picture.” Felicity grins, distracting Thea from the previous conversation and Thea smiles.

“It’s one of my favorites.” She states and Felicity nods, shivering a little. “Come on, let’s go inside. Ollie will find us.”

By the time they’ve been seated and are settled with bags down and coats off, Oliver’s walking through the door, a small smile on his face. Felicity feels the nerves rise in her but as he reaches them and plants a kiss on her temple in a move that feels so natural even Felicity feels like they’ve been doing it for months, the nerves rush out of her body completely.

“Well, you two certainly hit it pretty hard.” He chuckles, handing his coat to the waiter with a thank you and kissing Thea on the cheek in greeting. He gestures to the numerous bag tucked under the table and Felicity blushes a little whilst Thea merely shrugs.

“We had things to get Ollie! It’s not as simple as throwing a few sweaters and pants in a bag for us, unfortunately.” Thea rolls her eyes and Felicity chuckles, nodding her head in agreement when Oliver looks over at her. He quirks an eyebrow, silently asking if she’s okay, and she nods, smiling at him.

“Glad to see you didn’t completely traumatize my girlfriend, Speedy.” Oliver comments and Thea rolls her eyes.

“To be honest, she was quicker than me and I’m in flats.” Thea comments, swinging her ballet flats out from under the table and Felicity laughs.

“Ah, the one thing my mother did teach me, how to walk in heels. She bought me my first pair when I was eight.” Felicity comments and Thea’s mouth drops open whilst Oliver raises his eyebrow again. He likes that he’s learning more about her, already he feels closer to her.

“Eight? Ouch.” Thea grumbles and Felicity laughs. There’s a chill and she unconsciously scots a little closer to Oliver. His arm goes around the back of her chair and she’s grateful for the warmth the loose embrace provides.

“Did you call and tell her you weren’t going home for Hanukkah?” Oliver asks softly, looking down at her and Felicity bites her lip. “Felicity…”

“It wasn’t ever set in stone anyway and all I told her was that I’d think about it. I should call her, shouldn’t I?” She sighs and Oliver smiles sadly at her, bumping her shoulder with his.

“Just think about it.” He tells her and she nods, smiling at Thea’s concerned expression. “Speaking of Hanukkah, Mom wants to know whether you’ve got a menorah you can bring or whether you want her to get one when she goes into town on the first day.”

Felicity cannot quite believe that Moira Queen is paying this much attention to making her feel comfortable but she guesses that the future of her son’s reputation is kind of in Felicity’s hands.

“Oh no that’s fine. I’ll find mine.” Felicity smiles up at him.

“Mom’s really doing her research. I hope you’re going to have a nice time.” Thea reassures her and Felicity shakes her head with a smile.

“She really doesn’t have to go to so much trouble…”

“Hey, it’s important to you. We want to make sure you have a good time.” Oliver tells her, using his free hand to turn her face towards his so that their eyes meet. Felicity nods her head slightly, trying not to nuzzle her head into how he’s softly stroking her cheek. Gosh, why does this feel so fracking natural? He smiles and drops his hand, looking under the table at the bags. “So, did you get everywhere you wanted to go?”

“Yup, I think so.” Thea smiles, looking over to Felicity who nods, her hand resting on the table.

“Even had time for the salon I see.” He smirks, looking down at her nails. “Those were pink yesterday.” He looks down at her as Felicity smiles up at him, amazed that he notices something as small as her nails. Sure, they were bright yesterday but she’d had real boyfriends who hadn’t even realized when she’d dyed her hair a completely different color and now her fake boyfriend noticed when her nails had changed?

“Oh my god.” Thea comments and they both turn to her with confused expressions on their faces. “You didn’t even notice that time Laurel broke her leg and came to the house with a bright pink cast on her leg. Now, you notice nail color? Who are you?”

Oliver snorts and rolls his eyes, leaning over to kiss Felicity’s hair. “Guess I just needed to find the right girl.”

Believe it for the week. Damn, this is going to be harder than she thought.

Chapter Text

“Oh frack!” Felicity cries at the time blinking up at her from her alarm clock. Oliver’s going to be at hers in five minutes and she’s still throwing things into her handbag. She’s glad that private jet hand luggage does not have to be TSA approved because she does not have time to find her travel sized bottles.

Finally, she thinks she’s ready and checks her appearance in the mirror. Thea assured her yesterday that even Moira Queen ditches business wear for a coast to coast seven-hour flight. She’s opted for yoga pants and a long t-shirt, cinching it in with a belt that she’ll definitely take off during the flight. She’s got a change of clothes in her shoulder bag, having been assured by Thea that it was also a good idea. Felicity knows that they’re landing at a commercial airport despite leaving from a private airfield and she knows that Moira Queen wouldn’t be caught dead in public looking anything less than perfect. Felicity doesn’t want to be the one in yoga pants when they step off of the plane.

The doorbell rings and Felicity pulls the door open.

“I’m ready I swear!” She tells Oliver who’s stood in her doorway with an amused smirk on his face. He watches her rush around a few times before catching her arm.

“Felicity.” He says softly and she stops, looking up into his eyes. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She smiles and steps happily into the hug that he pulls her in for.

“Everything’s going to be fine.” He whispers in her ear and she takes in a deep breath, reassuring herself of the words.

“You’re right. I’m freaking out over nothing, just that we have to convince your sister and her boyfriend that we’re dating for a week and I…”

Oliver looks at her with a slightly guilty look and Felicity stops talking, raising an eyebrow.

“What’s that face for? What haven’t you told me?” She asks and Oliver raises his arms in surrender.

“Hey, I didn’t know until this morning! But um… my grandmother may also be joining us.” He tells her, scratching the back of his neck with his hand as her mouth drops open.

“Your grandmother? Oh, frack, old ladies always see straight through ruses like this! She’s gonna notice in a second!” Felicity groans and Oliver chuckles, stepping closer again and capturing her chin in his hand gently. He forces her to look at him and she sighs, keeping their gazes locked.

“My grandmother is going to love you, just as my sister already loves you after spending one day with you. My mother has an inordinate amount of respect for you. This is going to be fine.” Oliver’s voice is smooth and secure. He believes in this plan and Felicity believes in him. She decides she’ll tackle it like a mission and nods her head, reaching up to grasp the hand that’s holding her chin in her own. She squeezes it and smiles.

“Thank you,” Felicity tells him and he nods, the trust passing between them easily.

“You need shoes.” He comments, looking down at her sock encased feet.

“Frack!” She cries and runs into the bedroom, finding the sneakers she’s planning on wearing on the flight by her bed.

“The suitcase by the door yeah?” Oliver’s voice calls and Felicity confirms his question as she gathers her purse, shoulder bag, and coat, heading back out into the main area of her townhouse to see her bag gone but Oliver smiling at her. “Everything locked?”

Felicity smiles at his concern for her security and she nods, lacing her fingers through his when he offers his hand to her. Might as well start now, she thinks as she locks the door and they slide into the car.

Dig isn’t driving. Oliver tells her that he’s given him the week off and that starts now apparently, not wanting to have dragged him out of bed early in the morning just to drive them to the airfield. This driver pulls up the partition and they settle in for the short ride but they stop sooner than Felicity expected.

“This isn’t the airfield?” She asks when Oliver takes off his seatbelt.

“You think we’d start this without coffee?” He smirks and she grins, undoing her seatbelt and practically tugging him into Starbucks. She loves the independent coffee shop down the road from QC but sometimes, she likes the consumerism and wide range that Starbucks offers.

She tells Oliver this and he laughs, indulging her wish for the largest iced coffee she can get and ordering a plain one for himself. She pulls him over to the side station once the drinks are made, pulling the lid off of hers to add sweetener.

“Isn’t that awful flavoring you’ve got in it sweet enough?” Oliver asks as he watches her.

“Do not diss pumpkin spice. We must enjoy the season whilst it is here.” She tells him and he laughs, pulling his phone out of his pocket and snapping a picture of her adding sweetener to her coffee. “What are you doing?”

“Instagram. Mom reminded me that I should be updating. Don’t worry, your face isn’t in it.” He assures her and types away for a second, before pocketing his phone.

Felicity’s phone buzzes with the notification that she’s been tagged in a photo on Instagram and she opens it up. It’s a pretty aesthetic shot, not something she’d expect Oliver to take but it’s harmless enough. The caption is a little cheesy but she knows the media will lap it up.

“You good?” He asks and she nods, placing her lid back on her coffee as they head back out to the car.

Felicity’s finished hers by the time the car pulls onto the tarmac and Oliver is laughing at her as they step out the car, rolling his eyes at how quickly she consumes caffeine.

“It just tastes so good! You know if you allowed yourself some sugar, you’d probably be able to stomach it a little better and quicker.” She comments, taking her bag from the driver with a thank you. Their suitcases are shepherded immediately onto the plane but Felicity keeps hold of her other two bags, knowing they’ve got the stuff she needs for this long flight.

“But then, my teeth would rot and I’d be as hyper as you are.” He chuckles and she turns to him with a mock glare.

“Felicity!” Thea grins and pulls her in for a hug as they approach Oliver’s family stood on the tarmac.

“Oh, hi Thea.” Felicity greets, surprised at the hug but grateful for it. The teasing she and Oliver have been doing all morning is confusing her and she’s grateful for the presence of his family, even if they are under their scrutiny.

“This is my boyfriend, Roy.” Thea introduces and Felicity smiles, nodding her head at him.

“Hey, you fixed the system at Verdant right?” He asks and Felicity nods.

“That’s me.” Felicity smiles and jumps a little as an arm goes around her waist but she relaxes when she realizes that it’s Oliver.

“Felicity can do practically anything if you give her a computer and Wi-Fi.” Oliver smiles down at her proudly and she grins up at him, suddenly realizing how close they are.

“Oh ye of little faith, I can do with a tablet.” She winks at Roy and they all laugh. “Good morning Mrs. Queen.”

“Please, call me Moira dear,” Moira tells her and Felicity nods her head, her eyes blown a little wide at both the request and the moniker applied to her.

“Of course Moira.” She smiles, not even realizing that she’s resting her head against Oliver’s chest. She does notice however that Thea was right and Felicity is surprised at Moira’s relaxed look. It’s not quite the yoga pants that she and Thea are both sporting but seeing as Felicity’s never seen her out of a business suit, the jeans are still a shock.

“My mother is meeting us there. She lives in New Hampshire anyway so she’s just getting a car up to the cabin.” Moira explains and Felicity nods in understanding, having wondered where the surprise extra guest was.

“She’s gonna love you,” Oliver whispers in her ear and Felicity smiles up at his comment, glad for his faith in her because she has very little in herself.

“Shall we?” The matriarch asks and they all nod, making their way onto the jet. Felicity’s been on it before, the trip to Russia coming back to her all at once. Worrying about Dig and Lyla, the encounters with the Bratva, Oliver, and Isabel… ugh.

She’s thought over what he told when they got back to QC a million times. He thinks he can’t be with someone he could really care about. At the time, she hadn’t let herself get her hopes up that he could have been talking about her but since that comment, it’s like they somehow opened a switch. The hands on her shoulder as she works have gotten more frequent and he’s softer with her, that voice that he only seems to use around her coming out more and more.

Then there’s what he told her in the office the other day, that thing’s between them can’t be called platonic. She can’t deny that, her stupid mouth has made her attraction to him clear on so many mortifying occasions but for so long she’s assumed it’s one-sided. He respects her and she knows that… and then there’s the Laurel of it all.

Frack, this whole thing is so complicated.

He’s turned her whole world upside down twice in the past year, coming into her life in a whirlwind and then leaving in a similar fashion. To lose him again… Felicity can’t even fathom it.

“Fe-li-ci-ty.” His voice breaks through her haze and she blinks, realizing that she’s been stood in the walkway staring into space like an idiot.

“Sorry! I just… my mind wandered.” She blinks and he frowns, his hand gripping her arm lightly.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asks, frowning and she nods her head, faking a smile which she knows he’ll see straight through. “Come on.”

He pulls her down into comfortable seats, her leaning back into the soft leather with a sigh.

“What’s wrong?” He asks and she shakes her head.

“I called my mom last night.” She tells him. It’s not what’s bothering her but it’s a good excuse because the conversation had not gone well.

“Oh?” He asks, prompting but not pushing and she resists the urge to smile at that. He’s giving her the space if she wants it but is also letting her know that he’s happy to listen if she wants him to.

“She wasn’t upset about my not coming, especially when I told her why.” Felicity rolls her eyes and Oliver frowns.

“That’s a good thing right? That she wasn’t upset?” He asks and she sighs with a small smile, nodding her head.

“Yes and no. It just… it got to me. She would have kicked up a fuss if I’d told her I had to work or anything else but because it was to do with a man, suddenly it’s all okay and it’s ‘oh baby, you go have fun! Oh, baby, I’m so happy for you!’” Felicity sighs, thinking of the way her mom had fawned. “I told you we were different and my mom has never really forgiven me for the fact that I don’t see clubbing dresses as everyday attire.”

“Hey, you don’t have to be funny for me,” Oliver tells her and she smiles.

“Seatbelts on, kids,” Thea calls from where she and Roy have settled in practically the other corner of the plane.

“On it, Thea,” Oliver calls and they both clip into the seats.

“Where’s your mom?” Felicity asks, not seeing the Queen matriarch and Oliver gestures to a curtain at the end of the aisle.

“There’s a private suite down there. She’s probably working on something.” Oliver shrugs and Felicity nods, looking out of the window as they head down the runway and into the skies.

Tight zip ties around her wrists.

The stiff conference chair of QC beneath her.

A hand running through her hair.

A creepy English accent speaking in her ear.

“You know, a pretty little thing like you. I might just find a way to keep you.”

“Oliver…”

“Oh no, your friend Oliver isn’t here. Does he care for you? Oh but you care for him. I wonder how it might make him feel to walk in to see your pretty little body wrapped around me. Maybe I can call him again and he can listen to you cry.”

Dirty fingers running across her collarbone.

“Don’t…”

Her voice, dim and quiet, too terrified to muster anything else.

“Don’t what my pretty? You’re at my mercy now, no one here to stop me. Would anyone even hear you scream this far off the ground? Felicity.”

“Please, no…”

“Felicity.”

“Let me go…”

“Felicity!”

Her eyes fly open and all she can concentrate on is the hand on her shoulder, the pressure feeling too much like the Count’s had.

“No, no! Let me go, please!”

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s me. It’s okay, you’re okay, everything’s okay.” A familiar voice sounds and Felicity looks up to see Oliver’s eyes, looking at her in concern.

When she spots it’s him, she tries to reach out for him but something around her waist stops her and she cries out, panicking at the restraint.

“Hey it’s okay, it’s just your seatbelt.” He explains softly, unclicking it and she’s in his arms in a heartbeat. The feeling of protection and warmth loops around her along with his arms. “I’ve got you.”

“He was…” She sobs but Oliver merely hushes her, a hand rubbing up her back and through the ends of her hair.

“I know but it was a dream. He’s gone. Everything’s okay.” He reassures her and he easily maneuvers them so that she’s sat on his lap as she clings to him. “Thea, can you grab a blanket?”

She’s aware that he’s speaking but Felicity can only concentrate on the steady beating of his heart, he’s here, she’s okay, they’re both okay. A warmth settles over her shoulders but she can only whimper, driving herself further into Oliver’s chest. She concentrates on his heart, her hand fisted in his t-shirt as if she’s worried he’ll disappear if she doesn’t keep a hold of him.

“Felicity.” His voice is soft, whispered in her ear and she whimpers, shaking her head even though he hasn’t asked anything of her. “Okay, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

“Ollie?” Thea’s voice is scared and Oliver looks to her for a second, smiling a little to reassure her.

“You remember when I left the trial last week?” He asks and Thea nods, frowning a little.

“There was an attack at the company, the news said the guy was killed by the Arrow.” Thea recites and Oliver nods, pressing his lips to Felicity’s temple as she whimpers.

“Not before he could take a hostage,” Oliver tells her softly, keeping his voice low to try and stop Felicity from hearing. Thea’s face floods in understanding and she looks at Felicity in concern.

“Oliver…” Felicity whispers and Oliver’s attention is completely back on her in a heartbeat, adjusting the blanket around her and stroking his fingers through her hair.

“Hey, look at me.” He tells her softly and Felicity finally tears her face out of his chest, their blue eyes locking. Oliver feels his heart wrench at the vulnerable look on his face. God, he’d do anything to bring her smile back to her face. “We’re both fine. He’s gone.”

She nods her head and Oliver knows she’s trying to convince herself. She’s so strong, always has been but he knows that this has really rattled her. This wasn’t like the Dollmaker, they weren’t expecting her to be taken and the Dollmaker had a clear intention. The comments the Count had made about her, they made Oliver sick to his stomach.

Cupping her face softly in his hand, he leans forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes flutter shut and she takes a deep breath, her breathing finally calming a little as he pulls back before hugging her close. Both of their eyes slip closed and Thea smiles a little, adjusting the blanket around Felicity’s shoulders so that it covers both of them before she moves back to her spot cuddling with Roy.

Felicity yawns as she wakes up and frowns at the sight of a chest in her eyeline. She pouts and leans her head against it, wondering why it’s so hard. Has she been kidnapped again? What kind of kidnapper is into cuddling?

She looks up and catches sight of a very familiar jaw, a jaw that she’s definitely had dreams about. Geez, hopefully, this week of fake dating will help her release some of her tension because she’s clearly too wound up in her feelings for Oliver if she’s dreaming about his freaking jaw.

With that thought, where she is and what happened the last time she woke up comes back to her and she flushes in embarrassment. Oliver handled it nobly and she thinks that she’s so glad they’re friends, even though she definitely wants more.

He’s fast asleep and she chances pressing her lips to the underside of his neck. He groans a little and his arms tighten around her. Taking a deep breath, Felicity realizes that she needs to get out of this situation before she does something she’ll regret. The chair on the other side of the aisle looks appealing and Felicity knows she can get started on the books she’s brought with her. It takes a little bit of wriggling but Oliver’s arms finally loosen and she slips off of his lap. She finds her bag and pulls a book out, throwing it onto the chair before turning back to look at Oliver.

He’s so handsome, even whilst asleep and Felicity wonders when she started finding snoring men attractive. She chuckles a little and adjusts the blanket so that it’s tucked around him but she startles when he grabs her wrist. He moans a little and pulls it up to kiss the inside of her wrist.

Great, she thinks, he’s dreaming about some woman. Probably Laurel.

“’Licity.” He groans and she freezes, looking down to see one eye open. Oh, he’s awake, that makes more sense. Oliver Queen does not dream about IT girls. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, you big lug.” She chuckles, smiling at his concern. “Go back to sleep, I’m just going to read my book over there.”

“’at’s far away.” He comments and she rolls her eyes, not being able to resist leaning in to kiss his cheek. She tells herself it’s because she’s spotted that Thea’s awake and is watching them out of the corner of her eye.

“Go back to sleep.” She repeats and he hums, kissing her wrist again before letting it go. His eye closes and he turns his head to the other side, where she’d just been resting. She watches him breathe deeply through his nose and a soft smile settle on his face.

Rolling her eyes with an affectionate smile, Felicity slides into the chair she’d thrown her book into, opening it up and starting to read. She allows herself to get caught up in it, letting her stress float away and focusing on the story in front of her. It makes her feel lighter to leave the Oliver of it all in the chair across the aisle and turn her attention to something completely different. Geez, when did her life start to revolve around Oliver Queen?

She’s distracted by the unmistakable click of a camera and she looks up with a frown, turning to see Thea crouching in the aisle. She initially thinks she’s taking a selfie in front of a sleeping Oliver for blackmail which certainly seems like a Thea Queen move but Thea smiles and turns her phone screen to show Felicity the picture she’d just taken.

It’s nice. Felicity is engrossed in her book and you can’t really see her face, just the outline of her and her crazy bedhead.

“You should post it on Instagram.” Thea comments and taps away on her phone. “I’m sending it to you.”

They’d exchanged everything the day before, numbers, Facebook, Instagram and all the rest of it. Felicity briefly thinks that when Robert Queen had in-flight Wi-Fi put on his company’s jet he definitely wasn’t expecting it to be used to update social media accounts. Probably more in-flight conference calls and actual business research.

“Maybe but you should do it anyway.” Thea replies and Felicity realized she’d spoken aloud again. Darn her dumb mouth. “Go on, post it!”

Felicity chuckles and downloads the picture from where Thea’s sent it to her. She quickly uploads it to Instagram, using one of the same words that Oliver had in his caption earlier. That should give the media something to play with.

“Done.” Felicity smiles and Thea plops down into the seat across from her. Felicity laughs as the young girl immediately stretches her feet across to put them in Felicity’s lap.

“Are you okay?” Thea asks, nudging Felicity’s stomach with her toes and Felicity chuckles, briefly noting that the youngest Queen makes herself comfortable very quickly.

“That’s kind of a loaded question these days but I’m getting there.” Felicity smiles and Thea nods, biting her lip as she looks over.

“Did he…?” Thea trails off but Felicity knows immediately what she’s asking and shakes her head.

“No, but he talked about it. The Arrow got there before he did anything.” Felicity explains honestly, her eyes flicking over to Oliver.

“And Ollie?” Thea asks, obviously remembering how Oliver had stormed out of the court. It makes more sense to her now.

“Yes.” Felicity keeps her answer short, lest her mouth runs off and accidentally reveals Oliver’s secret.

“Leave her alone Speedy.” Oliver’s groggy voice speaks out and they both turn to look at him, his tired face looking over at the two of them. He raises an eyebrow and Felicity smiles, reassuring him that she’s okay.

“It’s fine Oliver. I can handle a few questions.” She smiles reassuringly at Thea whose expression had turned to one of worry at her brother’s words.

“Sorry, I wasn’t really thinking,” Thea tells her and Felicity waves her off. Thea removes her feet from Felicity’s lap and looks to the back of the plane to see her boyfriend still passed out. “We’ve got around an hour left.”

“Are you going to change?” Felicity asks and Thea shakes her head, looking down at her stripey t-shirt and yoga pants.

“Nah, I’ll throw on a hat to tame the bed head but Mom’ll probably be full business as usual,” Thea replies, plainly letting know Felicity her options. The blonde looks over to Oliver who shrugs his shoulders.

“It’s up to you.” He tells her and Felicity rolls her eyes. “What?”

“That’s like the least helpful answer ever.” She tells him and Oliver looks to see his sister nodding in agreement. “Thea, I need your help. I brought options.”

Oliver watches them go and wonders whether this was a bad idea after all. Getting the two women who had him wrapped around their little fingers together? This week is not going to end well for him.

Chapter Text

Felicity changes, she knew she would. She just can’t bring herself to meet Oliver’s grandmother in yoga pants and an old t-shirt, no matter how comfortable they are. Thea steers her away from the more formal outfit she brought, a work dress and heels, but they agree on Felicity’s other option.

“Oh, this is really cute.” Thea grins as she pulls the white skirt out of Felicity’s bag. She shoves it into Felicity’s arms along with the baby pink knit sweater and tights and ushers her into one of the private sections to change. Felicity does quickly, grateful for the mirror hanging on the wall.

She combs through her curls, groaning at her wild bedhead but Thea appears with a woolly hat that will work perfectly for the mountain weather. 

“You’ll probably want to take it off when we get inside but it’s the best I can do.” Thea smiles and Felicity smiles back at her.

“Thank you, you’re a lifesaver. I don’t know why I’m freaking out so much.” Felicity sighs, although she knows exactly why she’s freaking out. This plan has to work, it’s so important for Oliver’s place in the company.

“I get it, we can be intimidating. It took me almost a year to get Roy to come to the mansion.” Thea chuckles and Felicity smiles, thanking the small girl again. “Oh it’s nothing, I live for makeovers, even small ones like this. Not that you need a makeover, you’re gorgeous.”

Felicity smiles at Thea’s reassurance and pulls on her heeled boots, sorting out her makeup before she steps back out into the main part of the plane. Oliver has moved over to where Thea and Roy were sat and the latter appears to have woken up, their soft voices filling the cabin.

“Hey.” Oliver smiles warmly when he spots her and she catches his eyes sweeping over her, making her blush.

“Cute skirt Barbie.” Roy comments and both Oliver and Felicity whirl around to glare at him.

“Don’t call me Barbie.” She deadpans and Roy raises his hands in surrender, turning to look at Thea with a scared expression.

“Don’t look at me, you earned that.” The younger Queen snorts, setting down in the seat next to her boyfriend. Felicity sinks down into the one next to Oliver, twiddling her thumbs.

“Hey, you okay?” Oliver asks, frowning as she turns an obviously fake smile on him.

“Yeah sure, why wouldn’t I be okay? It’s not like I’m about to meet your grandmother or anything and spend an entire week with your mother who I was like 99.9% sure hated me until like two days ago. No, that’s totally normal, which is why I’m totally okay and why I will stop talking in 3, 2, 1…” She rambles and hides behind her hands in embarrassment. Roy is looking at her as though he can’t quite believe what he’s just seen whereas Thea has a sympathetic look on her face which possibly just makes it worse.

“Damn, your lungs must be huge…” Roy comments and Felicity whimpers at the comment, hating how pathetic she sounds.

“I thought you wanted my brother to like you?” Thea asks and Roy shrugs his shoulders, looking over at his girlfriend with a smirk. “Yeah well, this isn’t helping. Shut up.”

Oliver tunes them both out and turns to Felicity, attempting to tug her hands away from her face. She holds them there soundly though, not wanting to face him properly.

“Felicity…” He sighs and she shakes her head, turning away from him. “Fe-li-ci-ty.” He sounds out and finally manages to reveal her face, though he’s not sure the soft pout on her lips helps. God, why does she have to be so adorable?

“I’m an idiot…” She groans and Oliver chuckles, reaching out to tuck a wayward blonde curl behind her ear. All part of the act, right?

“That’s not a word anyone could ever associate with you.” He tells her truthfully, smirking at the small smile that quirks at her perfectly painted lips. “My mother does not hate you, my grandmother is not going to hate you. You know why?”

She shakes her head, her lips forming that pout again and Oliver briefly notes the urge that rises in him to kiss it away.

“Because you are impossible to hate. Anyone who’s ever had a conversation with you can attest to that fact. You are smart, charming, intelligent, funny, beautiful. My mother sees that, my grandmother is going to see that. It’s practically impossible to not fall in love with you.”

The words tumble out of his mouth before he really knows what he’s saying but he doesn’t regret them, even as Felicity’s eyes blow wide at his last comment. It’s the truth, even though Oliver knows he can’t do anything to seriously act upon it. Falling in love with Felicity was as easy as breathing, it just happened. The cute, sweet IT girl wormed her way into his heart and took a seat right in the middle of it, with an eternal freaking lease. God, now he’s even rambling like her.

“God Ollie, that was actually really sweet and heartfelt. What is happening to you?” Thea jokes and Oliver rolls his eyes. Felicity, however, takes a deep breath, sitting up properly. Oliver smiles at her and she manages a small quirk of her lips, taking his hand in hers.

“Thank you.” She tells him and he smiles warmly, lifting their joined hands to kiss her knuckles softly.

“It’s what I’m here for.” He replies and she smiles, allowing herself to lean her head against his shoulder. She tells herself it’s all part of the act but she knows, as Oliver loops their joined hands over her shoulder so that she’s more comfortable, she does it without even thinking about this crazy fake relationship they’ve got themselves in.

“Ah good, Felicity you’ve changed. You look nice.” Moira comments as she sweeps out of whichever private compartment she was in, making Felicity lift her head from Oliver’s shoulder. Thea was right, she’s back in her business suit getup with a deep purple dress and blazer. “Thea, aren’t you going to change as well?”

“So Ollie’s allowed to stay in sweatpants but I have to put on a freaking skirt? No thank you.” Thea comments and settles back in her seat.

“Thea…” Her mother warns and Thea rolls her eyes, pulling a baseball cap out of her bag along with her winter coat.

“Believe me, Mom, this is fashionable. I’m not going to end up on the ‘Fashion Don’ts’ page of Cosmo.” Thea smirks and Felicity blanches when she realizes that Thea’s joke is actually a real possibility for this family.

Rich people are so wild.

“I know right?” Roy smirks and Felicity blushes when she realizes that she’s spoken aloud again. Darn mouth of hers. She wonders if she can convince Oliver to buy her a sewing kit for Hanukkah just to sew it completely shut.

“If this backfires, you are not using my PR manager Thea. You can sort it out yourself.” Moira tells her youngest who shrugs, knowing that her outfit is absolutely fine.

“Have you spoken to Grammy?” Thea asks and Moira smiles, nodding her head.

“She’s at the cabin already but she asked me to stop in town for some food so I thought we could get some lunch there as well,” Moira tells them and they all agree, not that any of them would dare to disagree with the Queen matriarch. Except maybe Thea.

“Sounds good Mom, that little pub we found a few years back sound alright?” Oliver suggests, keeping Felicity tucked into his side even when she tries to sit up.

“Yes, then Whole Foods. Please excuse me, I’m going to speak to the pilot.” Moira sweeps towards the other end of the plane from where she appeared from.

“Your mom is going to go to Whole Foods?” Roy asks and Thea rolls her eyes.

“Yes, she does know how to be a normal person Roy.” His girlfriend replies and Roy snorts.

“Not shopping at Whole Foods she doesn’t.” He retaliates and Felicity snickers whilst Oliver and Thea merely look confused.

“What’s wrong with Whole Foods?” Oliver frowns and Felicity shakes her head with a laugh, turning a little under her arm so that she can pat his cheek patronizingly.

“Nothing, so long as your bank account is at least in six figures at all times.” Felicity retaliates and Roy laughs, reaching out a fist for Felicity to tap hers against. Oliver frowns and she smiles, taking pity on him. “Let’s just say I didn’t step inside a Whole Foods until I started working at QC and I entered a much higher tax bracket.”

“I’ve never been in one.” Roy comments and Thea frowns. “Don’t frown at me like that. When I first met you, you guessed that a single banana would cost $2. A single banana.”

“It does at Whole Foods,” Felicity smirks and Roy laughs.

“Alright, alright, make fun of the unadjusted trust fund babies.” Oliver rolls his eyes good-naturedly and Felicity smiles up at him, relaxing back into his side.

Roy, however, does not let up. “So this pub we’re going to, do they serve kombucha or am I gonna have to drink water?” He asks in a preppy voice that only makes Thea raise an eyebrow.

“You keep this up and I am not getting in that hot tub with you.” She comments and Roy immediately shuts up, settling back against his seat.

“So grocery shopping?” Felicity asks quietly, looking up at Oliver and leaning her chin on his shoulder. He smiles down at her, the hand that is around her shoulders twisting a blonde curl around his fingers.

Don’t overthink, Felicity tells herself, just act natural.

“Mom likes to pretend we’re normal when we’re here. No housekeepers or cooks. We do everything ourselves, well, apart from cleaning. We used to but then Thea got too messy.” Oliver smirks over at his little sister who glares at him, crossing her arms across her chest.

“I see that it’s gang up on Thea-day. That’s fine. Felicity and I will make our own fun.” Thea comments and Felicity smiles at the younger girl.

“Oh really?” Oliver asks, smirking down at his fake girlfriend who nods seriously up at him.

“Did I not tell you I was leaving you for your sister?” She asks innocently and Oliver snorts.

“Oh, yeah, what kind of fun are you gonna have?” He asks and even though the comment is loaded with innuendo, Felicity merely smiles, looking over to Thea.

“Oh you know, braid each other’s hair, paint each other’s nails, pillow fights in our underwear…” She smirks but both she and Thea gasps at the dopey looks on Oliver and Roy’s faces. Felicity slaps Oliver’s chest and he frowns.

“What?” He asks and Felicity snorts, rolling her eyes.

“That is not what girls do when they’re alone.” She tells him and he shrugs.

“Oh yeah? You talk about boys?” He smirks and she rolls her eyes again, briefly noting how close their faces are.

“They rarely come up.”

Oliver chuckles and kisses the end of her nose, unable to help himself. Her joking ‘it’s on’ face is so adorable. She’s got him hook, line and sinker.

“We’re landing,” Moira comments as she re-enters the main cabin, settling in one of the chairs on the other side of the aisle. She sends them an approving look which only makes Oliver feel kind of strange. The fact that his mom is in on the rouse just makes it awkward when they act coupley, especially when it is not intentional. Oliver and Felicity separate to do up their seatbelts, that strange awkwardness passing over them again but they combat it as only they know how, chatting casually as the plane descends onto the tarmac.

The paparazzi present at the airport don’t shock Felicity.

They’ve landed in a very rich area, and with Thanksgiving so close, she assumes a lot of the 1% head to their cabins for a getaway. Honestly, the idea of owning another house when yours is as big as the Queen mansion is insane to Felicity and she knows that that’s not even the extent of their properties. Oliver has mentioned numerous apartments and another house in Monaco. Sure, her salary at QC is more than she thought she’d be making by now, but inside, she’s still that Vegas girl who grew up with her mom in a one bedroom apartment near the wrong side of the strip.

“You okay?” Oliver asks and she nods, glancing outside at the paparazzi again. “Hey, I’ve got you. They’ll back off once we leave the airport, the town is gated and then the cabin’s really secluded. This’ll be the only time we have to deal with them. I promise.”

She nods and takes a deep breath. “Sorry, I’m just not great in crowds. Not since the Undertaking.”

“The claustrophobia?” He asks and Felicity nods, watching his face drop. “I’m sorry I left you there alone.”

“Hey whoa, mister. Don’t you go adding this to your list of things you’re blaming yourself for! I’m a big girl, I can handle it.” She tells him, forcing him to look at her with a hand on his cheek.

“You shouldn’t have to.” He tells her and she can see the pain on his face, this is really bothering him.

“Hey, I chose to do this with you. That was my decision and you gave me every opportunity to walk away.” She tells him and he sighs, nodding his head. “Alright?”

“Alright.” He tells her but she knows this won’t stop the guilt in him.

“You guys okay? Looking pretty serious over here!” Thea smiles as she walks over, her hand linked with Roy’s.

“Yeah, we’re fine. I’m just not great with crowds.” Felicity offers as an easy explanation, looping her arm around Oliver’s back casually.

“I’d say you get used to them but you really don’t.” Thea grimaces and Felicity chuckles when Oliver shoots his sister a look.

“Come on, let’s go get some food,” Moira tells them and Felicity watches as Roy steps up to offer Moira his arm. She smiles at him and loops her arm through his whilst Thea looks at Oliver and Felicity a little warily.

“Hey, I have two arms Speedy. C’mere.” Oliver tells his sister when he spots her apprehensive look and Thea smiles, looping her arm through Oliver’s. His other arm loops around Felicity’s shoulders, pulling her close into his side to make sure she knows that he’s got her. He doesn’t want a repeat of their last encounter with the paparazzi.

It’s a relatively easy walk to the car, especially in comparison to the vultures who stake out QC pretty much every day. The Queens, whilst recognizable nationally, don’t have that much of a presence here as they do in Starling so the paparazzi are content with a few shots of the girls’ outfits before they get to the car that’s waiting for them.

Oliver was right about the Queens doing everything ‘normally’ as he put it.

“Hey Mom, I’ll drive,” Oliver tells Moira as they reach the car and Felicity reluctantly pulls away from his warmth. It’s absolutely freezing and she didn’t do up her coat before they stepped outside. Roy helps the airport attendant load their luggage into the trunk whilst Thea and Felicity huddle together. Moira hands over the keys and climbs into the passenger seat, leaving the three youngest passengers to settle in the back seat.

“You okay?” Thea asks softly as Felicity shivers even after the door closes.

“Yeah, just cold,” Felicity reassures her and laughs as Thea pulls her into a hug.

“Alright, break up the love fest. Seatbelts on please.” Oliver tells them and the girls laugh, separating to make sure their seatbelts are on before Oliver pulls away from the airport.

They drive up the mountain, winding around the roads and as they get higher and higher, Felicity can practically see the weather changing. She watches in amazement at the snow falling as they near the town. It never really snowed in Vegas, they’d possibly get an inch or two on the odd year but it mostly just got cold and Starling is very much the same so Felicity has only really seen snow like this a handful of times in her life when she was much younger on visits to her grandparents for the holidays.

Oliver isn’t wrong about the gates around the town. They’re waved through pretty quickly when the security sees who’s driving but Felicity is a little shocked at the fact that there is security surrounding an entire town.

It’s not big by any sense but it’s got everything you could want. They pass Whole Foods and even a Target. Felicity laughs as Roy whispers to her across Thea that he didn’t think people this rich even knew what Target is which earns him a slap across the head from his girlfriend. They drive past some very nice-looking restaurants and a few streets of houses which are all absolutely gorgeous, especially in the snow that’s falling around them.

Finally, Oliver pulls into the parking lot for a small-ish pub, named The Crown and parks easily, cutting off the engine. He’s out of the car quickly, opening the door for his mom even quicker before he rounds to the side that Felicity’s sat on.

The feminist and the girl raised by a single mother in her is telling her to refuse the offered hand but the look on Oliver’s face is so different from how she usually sees him that she cannot resist allowing him to help her out of the car. She quickly pulls on her coat and zips it up this time, even though they’re parked rather close to the entrance and loops her arm through Oliver’s offered one, grateful for the support in her heeled boots on the snowy parking lot surface.

The pub is very nice, very English, Felicity notes at the pictures hanging on the walls and the fires lit all around the room. It’s relatively busy, enough that no one turns when they walk in, which is a nice reprieve from what life’s been like in Starling since the press release.

“There’s a booth over there.” Roy points out and they head over, settling in for what Felicity will admit is a very nice meal, even though the price points on the menu kind of make her eyes blow wide.

The best moment, however, is when Felicity heads up to the bar to order everyone another round of drinks and Thea snaps a hilarious picture from her perspective of how Felicity and Oliver don’t break eye contact whilst she’s waiting to order, even though they’re on opposite sides of the room. Thea is still laughing when Felicity returns with a tray of coffees and she has to smile at the photo which the youngest Queen immediately uploads to her Instagram, making Felicity note that the media have been well fed today.

Once their meal is done, they all climb back in the car and Oliver drives back towards the gate where Whole Foods is, pulling easily into the relatively busy parking lot. It’s right across from Target and she and Roy share a smile when they notice how few people are going into the cheaper store.

It’s nice to have someone else there who isn’t used to the Queen’s lifestyle. It’s not that Felicity begrudges them their money but there are some things that no matter how compassionate a person can be, you just don’t understand when you’ve lived your life with everything at the flash of some cash.

“Oliver, Thea, let’s go make a plan of action?” Moira asks as she pulls a cart out and Felicity realizes she’s speaking to her children, leaving Felicity and Roy to hang back.

Felicity has to smirk at the look on Roy’s face. She had pretty much the same expression when she first walked into the Whole Foods in Starling.

 “Why’s everything decorated so posh? It’s a grocery store.” Roy hisses and Felicity snorts, looking around at the high-end finishings.

“This is how the other half shop,” Felicity smirks at her play on words which has Roy rolling his eyes.

“More like the other 1%, this is insane. Felicity, that bottle of wine is $70!” He hisses, gesturing to a display at the front of the store which is indeed advertising a bottle of wine reduced from $80 to $70.

“They sell wine that expensive in other grocery stores,” Felicity tells him and Roy crosses his arm, a disbelieving look on his face. “Come on Ken, we have to fit in with the upper echelons this week.” She smirks and Roy rolls his eyes at the nickname, laughing as she tugs him forward towards their respective ‘partners’.

“Mom wants to get this done without Thea and I whining apparently,” Oliver explains and Felicity smirks at the implication that the grown Queen siblings would follow their mother around a grocery store whining.

“So we each have a task!” Thea smiles and Felicity laughs, Moira’s got her children down pat, she’ll give the Queen matriarch that.

“Okay, what are we on?” Roy asks, playing along.

“Dessert! Let’s go!” Thea grins and Felicity laughs as the girl tugs her boyfriend into the store, Roy throwing a helpless glance over his shoulder at Felicity who just gives him a thumbs up.

“Think you two can handle breakfast?” Moira asks and Felicity nods with a smile. “You’re doing admirably by the way.” She comments as she pushes her cart away and heads towards the fresh produce section.

“Because that doesn’t make it weird,” Felicity comments once she’s out of range and Oliver laughs, picking up a basket with one hand and wrapping his other lightly around her wrist.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Oliver immediately shoots down Felicity’s idea of Pop Tarts which she thinks is rather rude but goes with him as he collects all the ingredients for pancakes, waffles as well as other things such as bacon and sausages. She briefly thinks that she’s really going to need to go to the gym when she gets back to Starling because all of the foods Oliver is picking up are not gonna be good for her stomach.

“Breakfast shouldn’t involve ingredients.” She grumbles as they head to get juice, Oliver’s hand in hers even though Thea and Roy are nowhere to be seen. Felicity tells herself that it’s in case they run into them but realistically, their hands just gravitated towards each other.

“All breakfast foods involve ingredients.” Oliver snorts, looking at the selection of juices and Felicity tries not to roll her eyes at the number times she can see the word ‘organic’. It’s freaking juice, isn’t it all organic?

“No, Pop Tarts do not involve ingredients. For me at least. You just put them in the toaster and then bam! Sweet, sugary goodness.” Felicity smirks and Oliver quirks an eyebrow, shaking his head amused.

“Why do I get the feeling you really don’t cook much?” He asks and Felicity blushes, shrugging her shoulders.

“Haven’t really tried since I almost blew up my dorm my first semester at MIT.” She explains and Oliver turns to look at her, a shocked expression on his face.

“Blew it up?” He questions and Felicity rolls her eyes, gesturing to him that it was nothing.

“It was just a small fire, it was fine. No one was hurt, except for my pride.” She explains and Oliver smiles, shaking his head as he selects an orange and apple juice.

“I’ll handle the cooking then.” He tells her and Felicity grins, rocking in her boots a little.

“Probably a good idea. I was sixteen, I’d like to add!” She adds, not wanting to seem like too much of an idiot.

“I get the impression not much has changed in eight years.” He smirks and Felicity blushes. “Come on, we just need granola.”

“Granola? Isn’t that like bird seed?” She pulls a face as he tugs her towards the cereal aisle.

“It’s good for you.” He comments and Felicity frowns, pulling a box off of the shelf and turning to put it in the basket. “No, not that one.”

“Why not?” She frowns and Oliver just grabs it from her, releasing her hand to point to the description on the front which very clearly states it has nuts in it. “Oh.”

“Good thing I’m here hey?” He smirks and Felicity shrugs.

“We’ll see whether I actually eat that bird seed.” She comments and Oliver laughs as they head towards the checkouts, their hands gravitating back towards one another. They’re the last ones there and Moira smiles as they approach.

Felicity smiles at the amount of junk food piled high in Thea’s own basket and she realizes the youngest Queen has grabbed an entire separate basket for it.

“Thea…” Oliver rolls his eyes as he loads their breakfast items onto the conveyor belt.

“What? It’s not like Mom was gonna get it. I need my junk.” Thea grins and Felicity does too, glad someone else is on her page here and not all the Queens are health nuts. They all help to load everything up but Felicity and Roy step back as the three Queens seem to fall into a familiar rhythm as they bag it up.

“So, how was your first Whole Foods experience?” Felicity questions, snorting at Roy’s shudder.

“Eye-opening.” He comments and Felicity laughs, looking over at the three Queens. “You nervous too?”

“About meeting Mrs. Dearden?” She asks and Roy nods. “Terrified. But hey, you’re gonna be fine.”

“I just… this isn’t the world I’m used to. I grew up in the Glades, I’ve lived there all my life. There’s never even been room for dreaming of a life like this.” Roy explains and Felicity smiles, rubbing his arm reassuringly.

“Hey, you swung Moira round to liking you, like she loves you. You’ll do the same with Mrs. Dearden. I get what you’re saying though.” Felicity smiles reassuringly and Roy looks her over.

“No offense but you’re like all corporate.” He comments and Felicity laughs, crossing her arms.

“I wasn’t always. I was raised in a one bedroom apartment off the rough end of the strip in Vegas. My mom worked nights, not like that. At least I hope not like that, I never asked, I didn’t want to know.” Felicity rambles and catches herself at the baffled expression on Roy’s face. “I went to MIT on a scholarship program, my mom and I, we teetered with the poverty line a lot whilst I was growing up. Looks aren’t all they seem.”

“I’ve been learning that a lot recently.” Roy comments and Felicity smiles at the way his eyes drift over to Thea. “Sorry for jumping on you.”

“Don’t worry,” Felicity reassures him just as the Queens finish and Moira pays.

“You guys ready?” Thea asks as she comes over, sliding her hand into Roy’s and smiling widely at Felicity.

“Yeah, we’re good.”

Oliver is pushing the cart which forces Felicity to fall into step with Moira.

“I’m glad you’re here Felicity.” She tells her and Felicity blanches, looking up at the older woman. they’re not in the range of Thea and Roy so she’s speaking truthfully.

“Of course, I’d do anything for Oliver,” Felicity tells her honestly and a small smile quirks at the matriarch’s lips.

“I certainly can see that.” She comments and Felicity doesn’t quite know how to take that comment. “My son is lucky to have such good friends.”

“I’m the lucky one Mrs… Moira.” Felicity smiles, catching herself when Moira sends her a look.

“Okay?” Oliver asks as they reach the car, catching Felicity’s arm as his mother walks away.

“Yeah totally.” Felicity smiles and Oliver nods, dropping his hand down to hers and squeezing it as they all start to help load the bags into the trunk. It’s a squeeze with their suitcases and Roy and Thea end up with a few bags on their laps but they manage to make it fit.

Felicity can’t stop her mouth from dropping open as they what can only be described as an estate. The cabin is not a cabin at all, but a house rivaling the size of Queen Mansion but with a more woodsy feel to the architecture than the castle that Felicity has always thought Queen Mansion emulates. It’s stunning and the snow around it makes it even more beautiful.

The door opens as Oliver parks the car and Thea squeals, clamoring over Roy to be out of the car in an instant and she throws herself at the elderly woman who exits the house.

“Grammy!” She cries and there’s loud laughter from the both of them as they embrace. As they pull back and hold each other at arm’s length, Felicity can see the elderly lady properly for the first time.

Oliver hasn’t spoken much about his grandparents, but Felicity knows that Olivia Dearden is the only one left alive. She did a pretty intensive background check on Oliver and like she’s told him a million times, if it’s online, she can find it.

Olivia’s hair is gray and shoulder length, falling straight and she stands around Thea’s height, dressed in the same style as her daughter with a pantsuit and heels which Felicity admires at her age. She has a kind smile on her face as she caresses Thea’s cheek, rambling on about how grown up she is and how she can’t believe both of her grandbabies are adults now.

“Mother.” Moira greets and Felicity climbs out of the car as the two women embrace, moving to help Roy start getting the bags and suitcases out of the trunk. However, before she can lift the grocery bag, Oliver takes it from her and places it back in the trunk, lacing their hands together instead.

“That can wait, come on.” He smiles reassuringly down at her and Felicity blinks up at him before composing herself and nodding her head.

“Okay, yeah, sure. No big deal.” She states, more to herself than anything else and Oliver chuckles, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

“You got this.” He whispers to her as they walk over and Felicity smiles, grateful for his unwavering faith.

“Oliver! My beautiful boy! Goodness, you get more handsome every time I see you!” Olivia gushes and Oliver chuckles, leaning in to hug her. Felicity feels awkward standing there by herself but he’s back at her side in an instant, wrapping a protective arm around her.

“Grammy, I’d like you to meet Felicity Smoak.” He smiles and Felicity notes the lack of defining their relationship. It makes sense, she guesses, and she tries to shove down the sting of rejection.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Dearden, if you are half as wonderful as the other members of your family, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” Felicity smiles and the elderly woman’s mouth quirks.

“Well, beautiful and polite. Have you finally got it right my dear boy?” Olivia smirks at Oliver before batting away Felicity’s outstretched hand and pulling her into a hug. “It’s lovely to meet you, dear, please call me Olivia or Grammy if you’d like.”

“Thank you, Olivia, that’s very kind.” Felicity smiles, stepping back from the hug a little dazed. She’s touched at the gesture but she doesn’t think she can call someone else’s grandmother ‘Grammy’.

“Nonsense sweetheart. I can already see why you have my grandson so infatuated.” Olivia smiles and Felicity blushes prettily, looking up at Oliver with a soft smile. He smiles down at her and she has to admit, he’s got this adoring look down pat. It’s hard to remember that they’re acting.

“Grammy?” Thea asks and Olivia turns to meet Roy so Oliver and Felicity move to help Moira with the groceries.

“Just so you know, this is not a cabin. Cabin implies a small shack in the woods, this place could rival Queen Mansion.” Felicity comments as they begin to unpack everything, gesturing to emphasize her point with the cucumber she’s transferring to the fridge. Oliver snorts and grabs it from her as he stacks everything neatly.

“It’s in the mountains and the outside is lined with wood. Ergo, cabin.” He smirks and Felicity rolls her eyes.

“Agree to disagree on that one mister.” She smirks and Oliver chuckles, nodding his head.

“Sure.”

It doesn’t take them long to get everything put away and once they’re done, Thea and Roy have come inside with Grammy, all of their bags now piled neatly by the door.

“Alright, Oliver, why don’t you show Felicity to your room? I thought you could go in the master suite.” Olivia comments and Felicity frowns.

“Oh, I don’t want to put anyone out.” She frowns, turning to look between Moira and Olivia who both shake their heads.

“Nonsense dear, it’s far too large for one person to stay in,” Moira comments casually with a shrug and Felicity turns to look at Olivia.

“I’m in the room that’s been mine since my husband’s passing. I’m far more comfortable there. You two lovebirds take the master. Thea, I assume you want your usual room?” Olivia asks with a smirk and Oliver laughs loudly at the indignant look on his sister’s face.

“That has bunk beds!” Thea complains and Felicity chuckles, following Oliver to help him grab their bags. He insists on taking the suitcases but she swings her handbag and shoulder bag onto her own shoulders, following him up the stairs as they leave the playful argument behind.

“You good?” He asks and Felicity smiles at his near constant checking on her. It’s nice if getting a little annoying but she likes that he’s making an effort to ensure that she’s comfortable in such a familiar environment for him.

“I’m fine. Your grandmother’s lovely.” She smiles as they walk along the long corridor and Oliver chuckles.

“Just wait until she gets going, she has her moments, I assure you.” He smiles and Felicity does too, admiring how carefree he seems in this environment. It’s a pleasure to see, she never noticed how tightly wound up he always is in Starling until she notices that his shoulders hold less tension now and he’s smiled more over the last day than she’s seen him smile in weeks back home.

“I’m sure. Are you named after her?” Felicity questions as Oliver directs her off of the main corridor and down a shorter one that is more dimly lit but still lined with the occasional table ordained with flowers.

“I am. Despite how it seems, she and my mom are really close.” Oliver explains and Felicity hums as they approach a set of double doors.

“I just assumed it was a rich people thing.” She replies and he chuckles, rolling his eyes a little. He places his own suitcase on the floor so that he can swing the doors open, revealing the most incredible room Felicity thinks she’s ever seen.

It’s enormous, with the furniture declaring obvious separate areas around the large space. Nearest the door is what appears to be a living area of the room’s own, which Felicity knows to be a rich person thing, with comfortable looking white sofas and a plush rug that Felicity thinks she could happily sink into. The hardwood floors lead round to a mostly open space just in front of the large bed with white sheets to match that of the living area. There’s a warm looking blanket draped over the bottom of the bed which reminds Felicity of the cabin she was expecting to see. The outside wall of the room is entirely glass and Felicity can see blinds rolled up at the top of the windows. It opens up onto a balcony which Oliver opens the door to when Felicity moves over that way.

“Wow,” Felicity comments as she steps outside onto the wooden balcony. It overlooks the landscape and gives an absolutely stunning view of the mountains, as well as the town they lunched in that afternoon.

“Pretty, right?” Oliver asks and Felicity smiles, nodding her head. Her mouth drops open however as she turns to look at him and she spots the large hot tub in the corner of the balcony. It’s positioned so once inside, the occupant can still admire the view the balcony gives.

“That is amazing!” Felicity grins, running her hand over it and Oliver laughs, tugging her over to the edge of the balcony on the other side and gesturing around to where Felicity can almost see a pool and another, larger hot tub.

“That’s the one Thea was going on about earlier. She’ll probably drag us in later.” He explains and Felicity nods, throwing one last look at the tub on their balcony before she shivers and heads back inside.

The bathroom is also incredible with an enormous claw-footed tub that also allows for a stunning view of the mountains and a shower that Felicity thinks could most likely fit ten people inside.

There’s also a walk-in closet and a small room off of the closet that appears to be a room dedicated to vanities which Felicity gawks at before noticing her expression in the many mirrors and flushing.

“You like it?” Oliver asks as they head back out to the main room and Felicity is amazed at the nervousness in his voice.

“Oliver? If anyone didn’t like this, I’d have to question their sanity.” She laughs and smiles as he visibly relaxes. “So, do we unpack or is this a living out of your suitcase kind of situation?”

“We can unpack.” Oliver chuckles and they move together easily, moving their belongings from their suitcases into the walk-in which still has Felicity gaping. Their clothes barely fill it, in fact, it still looks empty by the time they’re finished but Felicity can’t help but notice the rush she feels when she sees Oliver’s clothes next to her own. It feels normal, domestic, and her heart rushes at the thought of this being one of their apartments or even a home for the two of them further down the line.

Whoa, okay, she stops herself from letting herself get wrapped up in that fantasy and blushes deeply when Oliver frowns at her.

“You okay?” He asks and Felicity nods, walking out of the closet and back into the main room.

“Totally fine, totally. Just thinking, you know me. The brain’s always whirling.” She smiles in what she hopes is a reassuring way and she can tell that Oliver doesn’t buy it but he lets it go which she’s grateful for.

“Oh…kay…” Oliver draws the syllables out before he turns to the bed. “So um, I can take the couch if you’d like.”

“Oh no! Don’t be ridiculous, I’ll take the couch. This is your family’s house.” Felicity insists and Oliver shakes his head.

“And I’m the reason you’ve been dragged here over the holidays. I’ll take the couch.” He insists and Felicity rolls her eyes.

“Oh yes, such a hardship to be dragged to an idyllic non-cabin the size of a mansion in the snowy mountains. I don’t know how I’ll cope.” She states dryly and delights in the tug of a smile pulling at Oliver’s lips. “The bed’s huge, I’m sure we can both manage.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” Oliver tells her and Felicity rolls her eyes.

“Like I’d ever be uncomfortable sleeping with you.” She blurts out and her eyes widen, her hand flying to her mouth. “I mean next to you… I mean… oh god, why am I like this?”

Oliver chuckles and tugs her into a hug, kissing the top of her head like he’s done a million times. Felicity wonders, briefly as she allows her mind to fly, whether it’s his way of allowing himself to explore something of the way he feels towards her. Not that he likes her like that, how could he when there are Isabels and Laurels around every corner. No one chooses the IT girl when you could have the model stroke businesswoman.

The door slams open and Thea bursts in, her face practically melting at the sight of them.

“Oh my god, you two are so cute! I can’t believe you kept her from us for so long Ollie!” The younger Queen squeals and Oliver rolls his eyes, keeping his arm tight around Felicity’s waist when she tries to move away.

“Do you need something Speedy?” He asks, a slight clip to his voice that Felicity isn’t used to hearing when he speaks to Thea.

“Grammy made tea and cake. She wants to get to know Felicity and Roy better so you both need to come downstairs.” Thea comments and leaves the room with a dramatic flounce.

Felicity looks at Oliver a little scared and he smiles reassuringly, clasping her hand in his tightly. “I’ve got you. I promise.”

Chapter Text

“You like the room?” Olivia asks as Felicity and Oliver step back into the living room where indeed there is tea and cakes spread out on the coffee table. Oliver moves immediately towards it, pouring two cups of tea and adding the amount of sugar and tea he knows Felicity’s likes in one cup.

“It’s absolutely stunning.” Felicity smiles, looking at Oliver seeing as she has no idea where she’s supposed to sit.

“I’m glad you like it. Here dear.” Moira smiles and gestures to the loveseat which Felicity happily sinks down into, accepting the cup of tea from Oliver with a thank you. He goes to sit next to Thea on the couch but is stopped by a subtle nod towards Felicity by his mother and instead sinks down next to her on the loveseat, their sides pressed together in the small space.

“So, my daughter tells me you are savvy with a computer?” Olivia asks, looking towards Felicity who nods with a small smile.

“Yes, I have masters degrees in Cyber Security and Computer Sciences,” Felicity explains with a soft smile as Olivia’s eyebrow raise in obvious admiration.

“You have masters degrees? I do not intend to be rude but how old are you?” Olivia asks and Felicity chuckles.

“I graduated MIT at 19, I’m 25 now though. An exception was made for me whilst I was there, early admission and an advanced programme.” Felicity explains with a blush, not wanting to sound like she’s bragging but Olivia simply lets out a low whistle which makes her laugh.

“I knew I didn’t want to go after her.” Roy hisses to Thea which only makes the younger Queen laugh as she pats her boyfriend’s leg sympathetically.

“My goodness, this sure is a diversion from the norm isn’t it, Oliver? I’m glad you’ve finally found someone with a brain between her ears, a pretty extensive one at that. I think you might be just what my grandson needs, he always did need someone to keep him on his toes.” Olivia winks and Felicity laughs, shooting a tentative glance at Oliver who is merely grinning at her adoringly. He’s really got this acting thing down.

“I do my best. I still can’t get him to show up on time to anything, however.” Felicity quips and Oliver rolls his eyes.

“You were an hour late the other day because you got too wrapped up in your techie stuff.” Oliver retaliates and Felicity gasps dramatically.

“I was upgrading your computer!”

“I only asked you to wipe the virus!”

“I could not leave that poor baby in the state you had her in! She was working at a pace that even Ada Lovelace would have cringed at. Do you realize what you do to your computer when you never clear your download history or even shut it down properly? You stuff the poor thing so full that she can barely breathe! It’s practically murder Oliver.” Felicity rambles, her attention focused so solely on her friend that she doesn’t notice the amused look that Olivia shares with Moira and Thea or the highly confused one on Roy’s face.

“You can’t murder a computer Felicity, it’s not a living thing.” Oliver chuckles with an affectionate roll of the eyes and Felicity glares at him.

“You are lucky none of my babies are around to hear you right now.” She retaliates and Oliver chuckles. The expression in his eyes changes and he leans forward, placing a hand on her cheek and brushing his lips against her forehead in a very similar way to the one he placed in her hair not twenty minutes ago. However, instead of letting herself get lost in him, this one draws Felicity back into the room and she flushes at the amount of attention on them. “Sorry.”

“You’re absolutely fine, dear. You two should certainly relax a little, we’re with family here. A little cuddling never shocked me, I’m not that old.” Olivia assures her with a wink and Moira smiles behind her cup of tea.

“Besides, it’s nice to see the two of you let loose once in a while. There’s always so much going on at QC.” Moira smiles and Felicity flushes deeper. For some reason, the fact that Moira knows this is all a hoax scares her more than the fact that none of the others do.

“Now what about you, young man?” Olivia asks, directing her attention towards Roy who straightens up simultaneously with Felicity relaxing. However, seeing as she and Oliver are so close together, that pretty much means she sinks into his arms.

Oliver chuckles and takes her cup away from her to stop her spilling it everywhere before wrapping his arm around her. Almost instinctively, she curls into his side. She ditched her shoes in the room, so she swings her tight covered feet over his legs and leans her head against his shoulder. He stiffens for a second before he relaxes, his other hand coming to rest lightly on top of her leg.

“This okay?” She whispers quietly and Oliver hums contently, his thumb rubbing a soft circle over her knee. Felicity tries to ignore how crazy that makes her and turns her attention back to the conversation.

“I can certainly admire a self-made man, dear boy. I think it’s admirable you’re getting your life back on track.” Olivia is telling him and Felicity notes that the young man seems a lot more relaxed after those words. She doubts he just told Olivia the whole story but it certainly seems like he was at least honest.

“Well, Thea had a lot to do with it,” Roy admits and looks over at Thea with a similar look to Oliver’s adoring one. Maybe that’s where he learned it from, Felicity wonders and she shifts a little, her hand falling against Oliver’s but she makes no move to move it like she normally would. Their skin presses together and Felicity didn’t realize that hands touching could send such a spark through her.

“My granddaughter certainly is remarkable.” Olivia smiles and Thea rolls her eyes bashfully.

“Well, I for one are glad we’re all back together. However, I have been eyeing up that hot tub since we got here and I haven’t been in one since last time we were here…” Thea rambles and Olivia laughs, rolling her eyes.

“Go have fun, all of you. Moira and I can catch up.” Olivia smiles and Thea whoops, standing. She looks at Roy but heads instead for Felicity, dragging the blonde out of her brother’s arms and up towards the stairs.

“Um, Speedy?” Oliver asks as Felicity is ripped from his arms.

“We need to collaborate on which bathing suit to wear,” Thea tells him as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world but he can’t help but melt a little as Felicity sends him an apologetic glance over her shoulder.

“My stuff is in our room too?” Oliver questions and Thea rolls her eyes.

“I’ll throw one of your generic bathing suits out. Geez, Ollie, it’s ten minutes away from your girl. Chill.” Thea grins and Felicity’s giggle is the thing to calm him down as the two of them disappear from sight.

Sure enough, Thea throws a pair of his board shorts out and Oliver changes in the downstairs bathroom, grabbing a few towels from the hall closet before heading outside. Even Oliver realizes that it’s freezing so he turns the hot tub on and climbs in, it only taking a few minutes to warm up.

Roy joins him quickly, looking at him nervously so Oliver gestures to the opposite side of the hot tub and the younger man climbs in, the two of them sitting in silence for a while.

“How long does it take to change into a bathing suit?” Oliver finally asks, making Roy jump as his voice cuts through the silence.

“Knowing Thea? At least half an hour.” Roy jokes and Oliver goes to glare but then realizes he’s right about his little sister and chuckles instead. It’s at that moment that the back door opens and the two girls walk out, both of them covered by thick white robes.

Thea shucks hers almost immediately and climbs into the tub, sidling up to Roy and barely giving him a chance to see her deep red bikini. Oliver is glad for that but he turns his attention to Felicity who is shifting her weight nervously by the side of the hot tub. He slides over and smiles in a way that he hopes is encouraging.

“You okay?” He asks and Felicity nods, fiddling with the ties of the robe around her waist.

“Yeah, just… you’re sister’s pretty insistent, huh?” Felicity asks and Oliver chuckles, rolling his eyes before he gives Felicity an honest look.

“You can go change if you’re uncomfortable. I’ll deal with Thea.” He tells her and she smiles at him before shaking her head.

“No, it’s fine. I bought it after all. I just… I’m glad your mother and grandmother are inside.” She comments but before Oliver can wrap his head around what she said, Thea speaks.

“Come on Felicity, strip and get in.” Thea grins and Felicity chuckles a little but straightens up and pulls on the robe. It falls open and she wiggles her arms a little before it falls to the floor. She’s wearing a skimpy bikini that has Oliver’s eyes bugging out of his head. The top exposes most of the top of her breasts, the fabric tying in a knot between them and the strands falling down onto the top of her toned stomach, and the bottoms are barely there, secured on her hips by bows on either side that Oliver just wants to undo.

What makes it either better or worse, Oliver can’t quite decide, is that the entire thing is green. His shade of green. The dark color contrasts perfectly with her pale skin and Oliver can’t stop the low groan that involuntarily bursts out of his throat as she bends over to pick up her robe and place it next to Thea’s on a nearby deck chair.

“Damn Barbie.” Roy comments and Oliver immediately glares at him, making the boy wither before he turns his attention back to Felicity, offering her his hand to step into the hot tub. She smiles shyly and takes it, sinking down next to him but keeping his distance which Oliver is glad for. It’s not that he doesn’t want her close. It’s that he doesn’t think he’d be able to keep his hands off of her.

“God, do you two need to be reminded that you can relax in every new room you go into?” Thea asks with a giggle and Oliver rolls his eyes, taking a deep breath. Felicity giggles loudly and that does nothing to help his present situation. He closes his eyes as he feels her move closer and her arm swings around his shoulders, both of her legs swinging over one of his so that she’s practically in his lap.

“We’re just used to having to hide,” Felicity explains effortlessly and Oliver hums, wrapping his arm around her and trying not to groan at the feeling of her skin under his fingers. The water bubbles around them and Felicity looks up at him, the question in her eyes obvious. Oliver nods and forces himself to relax, reminding himself that this is all fake and his little sister is right over there.

That seems to help and he takes a deep breath as Felicity’s curls brush against his bare chest, her locks tickling his scars. He stops himself from wondering what it might feel like for her lips to brush against the same spots and instead places his hand on her knee tentatively. It’s bare beneath his fingers but the pressure from the bubbling water helps him to calm a little.

Thea and Felicity chat away about everything from the newest movie coming out to the inner workings of Thea’s laptop. Oliver resists the urge to groan when Thea asks that particular question. He knows Felicity can talk for hours about her favorite things in the world and of course he does not resent that, it’s kind of adorable but unfortunately for him, her technobabble is also incredibly sexy to him. It takes everything in him to slow his breathing, especially as she involuntarily cuddles closer at the cold gust of wind that blows over their heads. They both sink a little deeper into the hot water and the ends of Felicity’s hair start to float in the water.

Oliver moves immediately in what probably looks like practiced ease, remembering one of her babbles on the way back from Lian Yu about how she hates getting her hair wet in swimming pools or hot tubs but the sea is fine, and gathers her hair up on top of her hair. He holds it there with one hand and uses the other to pull the ponytail holder off of Felicity’s wrist before securing her hair in a messy bun.

She looks at him in a little shock but he can tell she’s not mad by the look in her eyes.

“Oliver Queen, savior of the city and of my hair.” She whispers with a light chuckle and Oliver can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of him. Smiling she moves closer, leaning her head against his chest and humming and he lets himself kiss the spot right in front of the bun he just made.

“Damn Ollie, I swear, have you just been a closeted romantic this entire time?” Thea asks and Oliver rolls his eyes.

“It’s like I told you the other day Speedy, I just needed to wait for the right girl to come along.” Oliver smiles and Felicity turns to look up at him. Their eyes meet and Oliver finds he can’t look away from the affection he finds in her baby blues. It warms him like her presence always has, and it makes him believe that maybe, one day, he might be able to give them both what they truly want for real.

“Oh god just kiss already.” Thea scoffs and Felicity blushes, looking down.

“Seriously, you guys don’t have to hold back in front of us,” Roy tells them and Oliver resists the urge to wince. If they don’t kiss now, his sister and her boyfriend will know something is up but Oliver truly doesn’t want their first kiss to be like this. Not in front of his sister, not for a hoax.

“Do you kids want some hot cocoa?” Moira’s voice calls out and Oliver has never been more grateful for his mother’s presence as she exits the cabin carrying a tray with four mugs full of steaming cocoa. “I made it with Nutella, just like you like it, Thea.”

“Yay! Thanks, Mom!” Thea grins, taking a mug from the tray as her mother nears.

“Thanks, Mrs… Moira. That’s very kind.” Roy states politely, taking one as well and Moira smiles as she rounds to the side of the tub where Oliver and Felicity sit. They’ve distanced themselves a little but their legs are still pressed together.

“Oh, I…” Felicity stumbles, not wanting to appear rude but not wanting to have an allergic reaction in the middle of nowhere in front of Oliver’s family. She’s also very conscious of how little clothing she’s wearing in front of the Queen matriarch, especially as she knows that this is all a hoax.

“Mom, we would love some but Felicity’s allergic to nuts.” Oliver swoops in carefully and Moira stops, letting out a breath.

“Felicity dear I am so sorry. Oliver did tell me and it completely slipped my mind. Give me a few minutes and I’ll make you another that you might actually be able to drink. My head’s been all over the place recently.” Moira sighs and Felicity smiles, shaking her head.

“It’s totally fine Moira. I’ll come and give you a hand.” She tells her and stands, turning to look at Oliver as he frowns at her.

“Do you want me…?” He asks but Felicity shakes her head, taking a mug and handing it to him before leaning in to kiss his cheek.

“You stay here, I’ll be fine.” She grins and rushes out of the tub, wrapping the bathrobe around her tightly before following his mother inside, chatting happily and Oliver wonders whether that was her masterful attempt at a getaway as the feeling of her lips lingers on his skin.

Chapter Text

Felicity gets her breathing under control as they head back towards the house.

She doesn’t think she’s ever been more grateful to see Moira Queen in her life.

It’s strange. Oliver kissing her has been secretly something she’s wanted for almost a year now but once they got close to it in the hot tub, she freaked. She, of course, wants Oliver to kiss her but for their first time to be in front of his sister and her boyfriend when it’s all just a hoax to help prevent the loss of both of their reputations?

That’s not what she wants at all.

“Felicity dear, I’m just making cookies.” Olivia smiles as she enters the kitchen and Felicity is suddenly aware that she’s in a robe. Both Olivia and Moira have changed into more comfortable clothes but they’re both definitely wearing more than a bikini and a robe.

“Go change dear, I’ll get started on some cocoa you can actually drink.” Moira smiles at her, obviously noting her awkwardness and Felicity smiles, glad that the matriarch picked up on it. She rushes upstairs and quickly changes into a pair of yoga pants and an old t-shirt from MIT. She honestly doesn’t know whether it’s hers or whether it was at one point Cooper’s, her clothes were so baggy back then anyway but it’s comfortable and it reminds her of home.

“They’re both so happy. It’s lovely they’ve both found someone so wonderful.” Olivia is speaking as Felicity heads back into the kitchen, shivering a little at the cold but she smiles when her footsteps draw attention back towards her.

“How can I help?” She asks and Moira smiles at her, stirring a pot on the cooker.

“I’m pretty much done here. You can help Mother with the cookies though.” Moira tells her and Felicity smiles, turning towards the elder Dearden who gestures her over.

“How are you in the kitchen?” Olivia asks and Felicity blushes, shaking her head.

“I’m not the aptest cooker but my baking’s okay.” She replies and Olivia chuckles.

“I’m sure you can stir some cookie dough, here.” The older woman smiles and pushes the bowl towards her before heading for the cupboards. Felicity takes the wooden spoon in her hand and starts mixing the ingredients already in the bowl together easily. “My cookies are Oliver’s favorites.”

“They are?” Felicity asks with a smile and Olivia chuckles as if remembering something.

“Oh yes. The way that boy used to beg me to make them. He’d look up at me with those eyes all wide and go ‘Grammy, please, I just want to cuddle and eat your delicious cookies’. He was a rascal from day one that one.” Olivia laughs and Felicity does as well.

“That’s a scene I certainly can imagine.” Felicity lies, finding it practically impossible to imagine her stoic friend as a small, adorable child.

“He was a sweetheart but he got into enough trouble, especially with the Merlyn boy. Inseparable those two and they caused enough trouble to tear a town apart.” Olivia smiles and Felicity does as well, knowing how much his friendship with Tommy meant to Oliver.

“He used to hide behind the sofa when he knew I was going to get home from work and then run full throttle to hug my legs. He called it his ‘Ollie Attack’. He did it every day.” Moira speaks up from where she’s still stirring the cocoa and Felicity smiles over at her.

“I still would if I could reach your knees.” A deeper voice speaks and Felicity jumps as Oliver appears behind her. He’s shirtless with a towel tied around his waist and she squeals as he rubs his wet hair on her dry neck.

“Oliver Jonas Queen! Why is your hair even wet? We were sat above the water level!” She squeals and he chuckles, stopping her from squirming away by pulling her close with his arms around her waist.

“Then you left and I got bored.” He shrugs and she rolls her eyes, dropping the wooden spoon back into the bowl which catches Oliver’s attention. “You’re making your cookies, Grammy?” He asks, looking over to his grandmother who laughs and reaches over to pat his cheek.

“Only if you go put some clothes on and get your poor girl a sweater. She’s been shivering since she changed and your wet hair on her neck doesn’t help.” Olivia reprimands and Oliver smiles, running his hands up Felicity’s bare arms which she will admit are rather cold.

“Will do, just don’t let this one too close. She’s a disaster in the kitchen.” Oliver grins and before Felicity knows what’s going on, he dips his fingers into the batch. Instead of placing it in his mouth as she’d expect, he plops it on the end of her nose and then eats it off of there, soothing the spot he nips with a gentle kiss afterward.

Before she can say anything, he’s heading up the stairs and she’s left stuttering, feeling cold from the loss of his arms around her and her nose tingling from the memory of his lips.

“That boy I swear.” Moira’s voice pulls her out of her trance and she flushes a deep maroon color at the knowing look Olivia sends her.

“He’s in love Moira. He was so stoic when I saw him last year, it’s nice to see a little of the boy I remember.” Olivia comments and Felicity swears she flushes darker if that’s even possible at the insinuation that she’s made Oliver more like his old self.

Whilst Oliver changes, Felicity helps Olivia roll the dough into small balls and the trays go in the oven to bake. The door shuts and Moira pours her cocoa into four mugs as he enters the room again.

He’s dressed in sweatpants and a grey hoodie but he’s carrying a familiar green hoodie in his arms which he opens up for Felicity to step into. He raises an eyebrow when she sends him a confused look. “You literally steal this hoodie all the time.”

That is, surprisingly, actually not a lie.

And not just because it’s the hoodie she’s wearing in the picture that blew up in the media a few days ago.

The Foundry is cold and, as cute as Felicity’s dresses are, they often don’t even have sleeves let alone warm ones. It’s not her fault that Oliver leaves that darn green hoodie lying around everywhere. He and Dig often come back to it wrapped around her shoulders after a mission but he’s never said anything about it before.

“Steal being the operative phrase.” She mumbles and steps into the hoodie, letting him zip it up over her baggy t-shirt before he rolls the sleeves up to her wrists.

“Better?” He asks and she attempts to keep the pout on her face because she truly is annoyed at him calling her out for stealing his hoodie but she’s wrapped up in his smell and she’s suddenly so cozy that she can’t be annoyed anymore.

Plus he’s just got that look on his face.

Frack. Felicity is in deep and she seems to only be realizing it now.

“Yes.” She blushes and he chuckles, obviously taking her blush as a sign of resignation. He steps forward and kisses her forehead.

“Oliver, go light the fire and we can relax in front of that whilst the cookies bake.” Olivia requests and Oliver smiles, rubbing Felicity’s shoulder before heading into the living room.

Moira hands Felicity a mug and the younger woman smiles, taking it gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Nonsense dear, I can’t believe I forgot about your allergy. Doesn’t bode well with me being a good hostess.” Moira sighs and Felicity smiles, shaking her head.

“It’s fine, honestly. You’re being very accommodating, I promise. Thank you for going to the trouble.” Felicity smiles and Moira does too.

“So tell me about your Hanukkah traditions?” Moira asks and Felicity smiles, leaning back against the island.

“Well, my mom and I are usually pretty chill about it. We light the menorah, say the blessings. I usually like telling the story on the first night and depending on how busy we’ve been, we sometimes make latkes and sufganiyot but seeing as it’s just me and I can be a bit of a disaster around hot oil, I’ll probably give that one a miss this year. We sometimes play some games but it’s more about celebrating together and remembering the miracle that life is as well as the sacrifices made by those who came before us.” Felicity explains with a small smile, fiddling with her mug. She’s feeling a little guiltier about ditching her mom now that she’s talking about it.

“Well, we’d love to help you celebrate any way we can.” Moira smiles and Felicity does too, smiling with a small nod.

“That’s very kind of you, Moira.” She replies and Moira nods as Oliver calls from the living room that he has the fire lit.

“So dear, was it always just you and your mother?” Olivia asks as they enter and Oliver frowns at the topic of conversation.

“Grammy…” He starts, knowing that Felicity’s family is a sore point for her.

“It’s fine, Oliver,” Felicity tells him quietly and he nods, watching her sit down on the couch softly. “No, it wasn’t always. My dad, he stayed with us until I was seven. We were happy, at least it seemed like we were. Then one day I got home from school and he just wasn’t there. I never saw him ever again. We never got an explanation, not even a goodbye.”

Felicity fiddles with her mug as she speaks, keeping her eyes downcast. She hates talking about her dad, it always makes her vulnerable. She doesn’t really understand how a wound can still cut so deep all these years later but she does know that she’d do anything to let it heal. Her father has made her wary of letting people in, wary of people who tell her they’ll love her unconditionally and that’s a wound she knows will never heal.

“I’m sorry, both for what happened and bringing it up. I didn’t mean to…” Olivia starts but Felicity shakes her head.

“It’s okay. I think… my mom and I were better without him at the end of the day I think. It was hard, don’t get me wrong. I learned later that he took pretty much all the savings my mom had when he left but my mom worked as hard as she could to give me as many opportunities as she could.” Felicity comments, the guilt for her rebuke of her mother this holiday growing with every word.

“She sounds like a remarkable woman, much like her daughter.” Moira comments and Felicity smiles with a light blush.

“She is pretty remarkable,” Felicity whispers, taking a deep breath. Her mom may have her flaws but Felicity knows that she loves her so much and everything she does stems from that love, no matter how misguided some of it may be.

Moira and Olivia move on, chatting about the food for Thanksgiving and Oliver settles next to Felicity on the couch.

“Hey, you okay?” He asks softly, running a hand down her arm.

“Yeah, just feeling like the worst daughter ever.” Felicity hums and Oliver smiles sadly, running his hand up and down her arm.

“I understand that. But hey, you know the great thing about mothers?” Oliver asks, looking at his own out of the corner of his eye.

“What?” Felicity asks as she finishes the last of her cocoa.

“They love us unconditionally, no matter what, because that’s what mothers do,” Oliver tells her and Felicity sighs, a soft smile coming across her face. “Go call her, I’ll cover for you.”

He takes her mug and Felicity smiles, kissing his cheek without thinking before she heads upstairs. She pulls her phone out of her purse, replies to a text from Dig checking up on her before she video calls her mom, settling on the bed.

“Oh, how does this work? Oh hi, baby! I can see you!” Donna grins through the screen and Felicity smiles at the sound of her mom’s familiar voice.

“Mom, move your finger. It’s over the camera.” She chuckles good-naturedly and finally, her mom’s face comes into view on the screen, primped and preened to perfection as per usual. Felicity is the ultimate contrast to her, hair still up in the messy bun Oliver tied it in in the hot tub and Oliver’s ratty old hoodie falling off of her shoulder.

“Hi, baby!” Donna greets again enthusiastically and Felicity smiles, blinking back the tears.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Oh baby girl, what’s wrong?” Donna immediately asks, knowing how to read her daughter like a page in front of her. Donna Smoak may not be the smartest woman but she’s the most well-versed in her daughter’s expression.

“I’m sorry I ditched you this week Mom and I’m sorry for how awful I’ve been to you over the past few years. I kept concentrating on what makes us different rather than what unites us which I see is wrong now. I always thought that we had nothing in common, that everything I got from my parents, I got from him but I see now. All of the strength that’s inside me, the thing that makes me strong and keep pushing on. I got that from you.” Felicity sniffs and watches as her mom’s face melts.

“Oh honey, I love you so much. What brought this on? What happened?” Donna asks and Felicity sighs.

“Nothing bad I promise. I was just talking about Hanukkah and it made me realize how much I’m going to miss spending it with you.” Felicity sighs and Donna smiles sadly.

“Oh my beautiful baby girl, that’s the wonderful thing about Hanukkah and the prayers. Even though we’re a country apart, we’ll both be lighting the candle and saying them at the same time. We’ll be doing it together, even when we’re apart.” Donna tells her and Felicity sniffs, nodding her head.

“I just… I’m sorry I never fully acknowledged how lucky I am to have you.” She tells her mom and Donna smiles, shaking her head.

“You are now baby and that means the world, I promise you. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy and you are. Look at you, you’re soaring. Just like I always knew you would.” Her mom smiles at her and Felicity grins.

“I couldn’t have done any of it without you Mom.” She replies and Donna grins, wiping her tears.

“Look at us, weeping at each other over video chat. So, tell me, what’s it like?” Donna asks with a grin and Felicity laughs, looking around the room.

“Insane. It’s not a cabin, no matter what Oliver keeps trying to tell me. This place is a freaking mansion.” Felicity laughs as her mom squeals.

“The word cabin does not imply size.” Oliver chuckles and Felicity’s head snaps up to find him leaning against the door. “I just came to check on you, I can go if you want.”

“No, it’s okay. Do you wanna…?” She trails off, gesturing to her phone and Oliver grins, walking over.  

“Oh definitely.” He smirks and Felicity gets the feeling she’s going to regret this. He settles down on the bed next to her, wrapping an arm around her and Felicity bites her lip to hide her smile at the way her mom’s eyes blow wide at the sight of him. “Ms. Smoak, it’s an absolute pleasure to meet you finally. I’m Oliver…”

“Queen! I know who you are. I must say, you’re far more attractive than the tabloids give you credit for. Please call me Donna, Ms. Smoak makes me sound so old!” Donna laughs and Felicity resists the urge to not groan. All children are astronomically embarrassed by their parents, it just so happens that Donna Smoak’s particular form of embarrassment involves a flirtatious manner when addressing anything with two legs and a pulse.

“Of course Donna, although you don’t look a day over thirty. If I didn’t know, I’d never have believed you had a 25-year-old daughter.”

Damn Oliver Queen and his charm. Felicity should have known and yes, her mother is now a stuttering mess of fluttering eyelashes and hands fixing her hair.

“Oh well, thank you. Felicity, you never mentioned your man was so charming.” Donna preens and Felicity chuckles, leaning her head on Oliver’s shoulder in what she hopes is a casual move.

“He has his moments.” She smirks at Oliver when he looks down at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Watch it, you.” He smiles back and lifts a finger to tap her on the end of her nose in the exact spot he kissed her earlier. Felicity thinks she should feel patronized and annoyed but instead she’s feeling that warmth running through her once again.

“Oh, baby girl! You finally have a boyfriend! This is the greatest day of my life!” Donna squeals and Felicity winces, turning so that her forehead is pressed against Oliver’s shoulder.

“Mom, we have to go to dinner.” Felicity lies and Donna startles, pursing her lips a little.

“Oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to stop you.” She rushes and Oliver smiles, shaking his head.

“It’s fine Donna. It was lovely to finally speak to you. Hopefully, we can do this in the flesh soon.” He charms, ignoring the way Felicity sinks her nails into his side painfully.

“Oh yes definitely! I can show you all the sights of Vegas!” She grins and Oliver chuckles, both at Donna’s words and Felicity’s obvious mortification.

“We’ll be in touch.” Oliver smiles and Donna grins.

“Alright, bye baby girl. I love you.” Donna sighs and Felicity raises her head, smiling and waving at her mom.

“Bye Mom, I love you too.” She tells her and they blow each other a kiss before Felicity ends the video call. Once the line goes dead, she groans and flops down onto the bed across Oliver’s lap.

Oliver laughs and his hands drift to her hair, softly combing the short pieces at the back that have fallen out of the bun.

“That wasn’t that mortifying.” He grins and Felicity sighs before groaning again.

“I know she means well but damn, she just has no filter.”

“Don’t you think I’m more attractive than the tabloids give me credit for?” He questions and Felicity sits up, glaring at him. Oliver laughs and she sighs, resting on her hands.

“Hey um… so… we should probably talk about what happened earlier.” She stumbles and Oliver frowns, looking at her.

“You mean in the hot tub?” He asks and Felicity nods, not being able to look him in the eye. “Hey Felicity, it’s okay. We knew this would probably happen at some point, right?”

“I just… I don’t want to put you in an awkward situation.” She sighs and Oliver frowns. She can tell that he’s getting progressively more annoyed but she keeps her eyes on her lap. It’s safer that way.

“What do you… Felicity, do you think I don’t want to kiss you?” He frowns and Felicity shrugs. It’s not as if he’s ever given her any indication that it’s something he’d like to engage in before.

“I mean… It’s not like I’m your usual type. I’m not the kind of girl you’re attracted to. I know I’m no leggy Russian model…” She starts but cuts off when Oliver’s warm hand rests against her cheek and tilts her head up, forcing her to look into his eyes. They’re warm and concerned but there’s something else there that Felicity can’t quite pick out but prays isn’t pity.

“Felicity, you are absolutely beautiful. I’m sorry I haven’t told you that before now. Truth be told, there are days where I find it hard to concentrate once you arrive. You really… you have nothing to worry about in that department. Not that you would be worried about that because obviously this is fake and everything… I just…” He rambles and Felicity bites her lip in amusement.

“Hey mister, one of us needs to stick to concise, full sentences and we both know it’s not going to be me.” She quips and Oliver chuckles, smiling as his hand drops back to his side.

“I just… would it be better if we kissed now? When it’s a consensual thing between the two of us so our first kiss doesn’t happen under pressure from my annoying little sister?” He suggests and Felicity tries not to hang onto how he emphasizes first kiss as if he’s certain there’s going to be more.

“I um… yeah, that sounds good.” Felicity flushes and their eyes lock for a moment, both of them blushing. “So we should just…”

Oliver’s lips quirk up and suddenly both of his hands are on her face, his left thumb rubbing soft circles.

“Felicity?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean this in the best possible way. Stop talking.”

Before Felicity can really process what’s happening, Oliver’s lips are pressed against hers and she’s leaning into it. His lips are soft and intoxicating and Felicity feels herself getting dragged under by it. She always thought that kissing Oliver would be passionate, hard and fast and unable to keep their hands off of each other. That passion is there but it’s soft, bubbling underneath the surface. What’s filling her up instead is an unequitable sense of peace and warmth. It’s the same feeling she gets when she, Oliver and Dig are in the Foundry, the same one she gets when she’s wrapped up in blankets in bed with a glass of wine and Doctor Who on the TV. It’s home and Felicity just wants to float in it forever.

A tongue swipes across her bottom lip, asking for permission that Felicity immediately grants, the two of them moving closer as they wrap around each other in every sense. Oliver’s arm is tight around her waist whilst his other remains on her cheek, keeping her banded to him. Felicity loops her arms around his neck as their tongues begin to dance, exploring each other in ways they’ve previously only dreamed of.

Just as Felicity feels as if she may never come down from this high, she runs out of breath and they both separate, panting slightly. The awkwardness returns and they immediately separate, hands falling back to sides and Felicity stands from the bed, putting a good few feet between them.

“That was good. We should um… we should go downstairs.” She flushes and Oliver nods, still breathing deeply but she doesn’t give him a chance to answer before she darts out of the room.

Dinner is a pretty casual affair.

Thea and Roy have changed from the hot tub by the time Felicity and Oliver make it downstairs. Felicity chats with Olivia about her conversation with her mother and the activities that are planned for the next few days. Thea is raving about a ski resort nearby that she desperately wants to visit seeing as the Queens apparently always ski when they’re here and Felicity has to admit she’s rather less enthusiastic about that idea.

She is, however, looking forward to the spa day they have planned tomorrow followed by dinner at a fancy restaurant. It’s the sort of thing that she’s used to money being spent on and it makes her a lot more comfortable than the idea of plummeting down a mountain to her death, especially when Thea raves about the salon that’s also there.

The nervousness sets in again when Olivia and Moira retire, claiming exhaustion from their travels and Thea and Roy head over to the fire, cuddling by it.

“Does anyone want some tea?” Felicity asks, moving to the kitchen and Thea is the only one who replies in the affirmative so she busies herself with the task, not noticing Oliver’s presence.

“You can just go to bed. I can make an excuse.” He whispers and Felicity jumps, turning to glare at him.

“I might buy you a Hanukkah present. It will be a bell.” She sighs and watches Oliver relax a little as he realizes that she’s joking. “It’s fine honestly. We just… we just need to not be awkward which is kind of hard considering earlier. Not that it wasn’t good, it was lovely and I’m glad we did it because otherwise, it would be totally awkward but now it’s still kind of awkward but like a different kind of awkward mostly because I liked it and obviously that’s weird and I… oh frack, please make me stop talking.”

Oliver chuckles and Felicity glares at him. “Felicity. I liked it too.” He tells her and Felicity feels her heart beat faster as he winks and walks away.

If that was supposed to help, it definitely didn’t.

Damn ridiculously gorgeous CEO billionaires slash vigilantes and their ridiculously good kissing skills.

Chapter Text

Felicity wakes with the sound of a bird cawing outside the window which she immediately thinks is strange because birds don’t tend to sit outside the window of her townhouse.

Attempting to turn over so she can tell this out of place bird to shove it, she finds she can’t move due to two strong arms banded around her waist.

Very familiar strong arms.

Arms that Felicity has secretly salivated over for over a year now.

And it all comes rushing back to her.

Here she is, in the Queen family getaway, curled up in bed with Oliver Queen, the man she’s in love with and fake dating.

She really thought her life couldn’t get any weirder but once again, thanks to Oliver Queen, here she is.

Realising she’s not getting anywhere, she relaxes, her head having nowhere to go but his chest.

“Stop thinking so loudly.”

Felicity jumps at the sound of Oliver’s voice, having assumed he was still sleeping but he chuckles sleepily and pulls her tightly back into his arms.

“Oliver…” She sighs, not really knowing what to do.

“’Licity, ‘lax. We’ve cuddled before.” He yawns and Felicity sighs, knowing that he’s right but that’s always been when the other has needed it, usually after a life or death kind of situation. With the baggage of the fake relationship hanging over them, Felicity’s finding it difficult to let herself drown in this. “Hey, what did I say about selling a lie?”

“To believe it’s true.” Felicity answers immediately and Oliver hums, looking down at her where her head is tentatively leaning on his hoodie covered chest.

“Exactly. So cuddle with me, girlfriend.” He smiles at her and Felicity rolls her eyes, letting herself relax finally and breath in the scent she’s always found comforting.

Oliver adjusts a little, tucking his left arm behind his head and banding the right one around her back to pull her fully on top of him. Felicity unconsciously cuddles into his warmth, her nose resting right by his collarbone and her hair brushing against his face. She smiles as she feels the familiar press of his lips against her curls and wishes to herself that he hadn’t chosen to wear a hoodie last night.

“I’ll be sure to forgo it tonight.” Oliver chuckles.

“Frack! My darn mouth!” She groans, burying her face further into his chest in mortification and Oliver laughs, kissing her head again.

“I love your mouth.” He replies and Felicity sighs, letting the silence surround her. She’s amazed at how natural this feels, she’s sure it would have felt awkward but as she adjusts a little so that her temple is laying against Oliver’s lips, all she can think about is how she’d be happy to do this for the rest of her days.

Neither remembers their eyes closing or drifting back to sleep but they do remember the click of Thea’s phone and her squeal waking them up for the second time that morning.

“Oh my gosh! One of you has to post this! It is so cute!” Thea grins and Felicity groans, instinctively turning away from the light which means into Oliver. For his part, he merely chuckles at her and adjusts them so that she’s in his lap with her head in his shoulder as he turns to face his little sister.

“Thea, what the hell are you doing?” He asks with a glare and Thea smiles, bouncing a little on her heels.

“Everyone else is up and hungry and seeing as breakfast is your job, Mom sent me up to wake you up.” She grins as if that explains why she’s taking pictures of them in their room.

“Thea…” He starts but she’s already halfway out of the room, yelling over her shoulder.

“Hurry up! People are hungry!” She laughs and then the door shuts behind her.

“I’m sorry, I’ll talk to her.” Oliver sighs once she’s gone and Felicity hums, taking a deep breath which may or may not be something to do with the fact that her nose is near Oliver’s neck and all she can smell is him.

“That would be… preferable.” She groans and smiles at him to reassure him it’s okay before standing up. She watches his eyes sweep over the lace trimmed satin top and shorts which she may admit she might have had him in mind when buying, especially due to the deep green colour of the set but the cold is all she has on her mind as she shivers.

“Here, everyone will be in their pyjamas.” Oliver reassures her and throws her a hoodie. Another one of his, she realises as she pulls it over her head and breathes in his scent. It’s large, obviously, and covers her shorts so she ducks into the closet and changes into a pair of yoga pants so she’s not terribly mortified in front of his family.

“Good morning.” She greets as they step down the stairs. Moira and Olivia are sat at the island, a cup of coffee in both of their hands. Thea is stoking the fire whilst Roy is reclined on the couch, looking as if he’d rather be back in bed. They all give their own sort of greeting, Roy’s pretty much just involves a grunt and a raised hand.

“Did you sleep alright dear?” Moira asks as Felicity approaches the kitchen, grabbing two mugs to pour both she and Oliver a cup of coffee.

“Wonderfully, and you?” She answers politely, handing Oliver a mug before adding creamer to her own.

“Oh yes perfectly well.”

“We’re all getting hungry here.” Olivia smirks, looking over at her grandson who laughs, taking a gulp of coffee before he heads to the fridge to start pulling out ingredients.

“Can I help?” Felicity asks and Oliver hums, moving towards her. Felicity squeals as she’s lifted up to sit on the counter.

“Stay there, don’t touch anything.” He tells her and Felicity would be a lot more annoyed if it weren’t for the soft tone of his voice.

“No ‘look pretty’?” She teases and Oliver smiles, leaning close.

“You do that without trying.” He whispers and Felicity flushes, it only deepening as he brushes his lips against hers softly. For the first time in front of his family, it certainly feels as if they’ve been doing it for years.

Oliver whips up pancakes with every topping under the sun, pouring a liberal amount of syrup of Felicity’s before he even hands the plate over, knowing her obsession with the stuff. They all eat until they’re stuffed and then head their separate ways to get ready for the spa.

“Hey Thea, wait up!” Felicity catches the younger Queen as she heads up the stairs.

“Oh Felicity, Oliver spoke to me. I’m sorry about earlier, I got a little carried away.” She blushes and Felicity smiles, grateful for the apology.

“It’s fine Thea, I get it. I know Oliver certainly seems different to you all. I’m glad you’re all getting to see the side of him that I know.” Felicity explains and Thea nods.

“That’s it exactly and look! It’s a really cute picture!” The younger Queen grins and Felicity chuckles, taking the offered phone from the smaller girl.

She has to admit it’s really sweet. So sweet that she finds herself sending it to herself and immediately posting it on her Instagram. Thea squeals when she gets the notification and Felicity laughs.

“So wait, you didn’t want to talk to me about that?” Thea frowns and Felicity shakes her head.

“Um no, I ugh… I’ve never been to a spa before. I don’t really know the dress code.” Felicity admits and Thea smiles, grabbing her wrist.

“Say no more.”

It takes twenty minutes but Thea finally finds an outfit she likes from within Felicity’s wardrobe, pulling out a red sweater she insisted Felicity buy when they went shopping and a pair of skinny jeans. She then selects a pair of red stilettos from the small collection Felicity brought with her and spends another ten minutes choosing accessories.

“Hey, are you… oh sorry, didn’t realise you were in here Speedy.” Oliver comments as he steps inside the closet, smiling at Felicity who blushes a little.

“Just needed a little help with the dress code.” She explains and Oliver nods with a soft smile.

“I’ll get out of your guys’ hair. See you downstairs.” Thea smiles and Felicity thanks her for her help before the younger girl leaves, smiling at Oliver as she passes.

“You look great. I was just going to ask if you knew which swimsuit you wanted to take. I figured it would be easier to share a bag.” Oliver explains and Felicity nods, gesturing over to the drawer where she’s placed her swimsuits for the week from where she’s sat at the vanity doing her makeup.

“Oh just pick one of the one pieces in there, I don’t mind which.” She tells him and goes back to doing her makeup. She’s in a rush and so doesn’t consider the domesticity of the action but Oliver certainly does, stepping over to the drawer slowly and opening it with a certain reverence.  

There’s three one pieces in the drawer and Oliver immediately picks up the red one. It’s a colour he loves on her, the one she’s wearing right now. there’s just something about the way the bright colour contrasts against her pale skin, not to mention it’s just so classically Felicity. Her bright outfits bring a pop of life to the otherwise gloomy foundry and Oliver often finds himself looking forward to seeing what dress she’s wearing each day.

He places the red one in the bag with his board shorts and two towels before turning to face her just as she finishes her makeup.

“Do you need anything else?” He asks and she shakes her head, smiling at the way he watches her dust powder across her face with curiosty.

“Looking to become a makeup guru?” She asks and he blushes, shaking his head.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Did you want to throw your wallet in my handbag?” She offers, noticing his lack of pockets as she stands to collect her handbag. Gratefully, he drops his wallet and phone within the bag and she zips it up. “We make quite the domestic pair Mr Queen.”

“That we do.” He smiles and she looks up, their eyes meeting. It’s at that moment that Felicity realises how close they’re stood to each other.

“Um… we should go. Don’t want to keep everyone waiting.” Felicity mumbles and is out of the room in seconds, leaving Oliver stood by himself.

“Ugh, this is incredible.” Felicity groans later as she floats in the giant hot tub at the spa. She’s been exfoliated, massaged and pampered beyond belief and she feels incredible as she lets the water warm her.

“You get the obsession now?” Oliver chuckles from where he’s sat on the ledge at the side. Thea and Roy are treading water in the pool next to them, holding each other up and kissing frequently enough that Oliver has decided simply not to look at them.

“Uh huh, hmm… when do we have to leave?” Felicity asks with a pout and Oliver is interrupted before he can answer.

“Our appointment at the salon is in half an hour. We’re heading straight to dinner from there.” Olivia comments as she and Moira step into the water.

“Oh, I um… I don’t have…” Felicity stutters unsure what to say but Moira smiles.

“Thea grabbed something appropriate from your closet this morning. Says she wants to keep it a surprise.” The matriarch explains and Felicity sends Oliver a worried look.

“Well, that can only be good.” She snarks and Oliver laughs, grasping her ankle to float her over towards him.

“I’m sure it will be fine.” He tells her and she smiles, taking his hands and looking over towards the pool.

“Come keep me afloat?” She asks and Oliver doesn’t know if he’d refuse helping her to destroy the world if she looked at him like that.

“Of course.” He smiles and helps her into the pool which is ridiculously deep. He panics for a second but then Felicity’s arms are banding around him, her body pressed up against his and immediately all he can focus on is her.

“Alright?” She asks softly and he nods, wrapping his arms around her waist as he treads water. The water is warm and that’s helping him to feel less anxious but he’d still like to put his feet down. “Come over here.”

She keeps him close as she swims over to the other end of the pool where the water is shallower, and he can easily put his feet down. “We don’t have to…”

“Hey, it’s okay, I wasn’t thinking.” She smiles and he takes a deep breath, nodding his head. The water’s still a little too deep for her to comfortably stand so he holds her to him easily with an arm around her waist. She lighter in the water so he barely has to think about it and he smiles as she loops her arms around his neck. “Do you know where we’re going for dinner?”

“It’s this little place we’ve been a couple of times. It’s owned by this Italian family who do everything themselves. It’s really nice.” Oliver explains and Felicity smiles, nodding her head.

“I love Italian.” Felicity grins and Oliver does too. Without either of them really realising what’s happening, they drift towards one another, their lips pressing against each other softly.

As soon as it starts, Felicity gasps and pulls back, not too far to be suspicious but so that her and Oliver’s faces are no longer inches apart.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened.” She blushes and Oliver shakes his head.

“No, it was just as much me as it was you.” He tells her and Felicity nods, biting her lip.

“I… we need to get over this awkward thing. Why is it so awkward?” She asks and Oliver sighs, glancing over to check that Thea and Roy are still far enough away.

“Felicity, let’s be honest here. It’s awkward because this is something we both want but it’s something we can’t have so we’re stopping ourselves from getting swept up in it.” Oliver tells her and Felicity gasps, obviously surprised at his willingness to admit it.

“I just… me? I thought… with Laurel and then Sara coming back and Isabel… I…” Felicity blushes and Oliver frowns, his hand coming up to softly touch her cheek.

“Hey, there has been something drawing me to you ever since I walked into your office. There is something about you Felicity that I just can’t put away. I cannot drag you into my mess, I can’t put your life on the line in the way that I would if I let myself go but…” He sighs and trails off, his hand falling from her face.

“I can’t say that I agree with your logic here but I do understand what you’re saying. But why don’t we give ourselves this week? Just this week to put everything on the table. We don’t need to talk it out or anything but just for this week, this ‘fake’ thing between us can be real. Whilst we’re away from the city, we let ourselves go and just be with each other. Then when we get back, it’s back to normal and this is all fake.” Felicity tells him and Oliver looks up at her, that glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“You think that’s a good idea?” He asks and she snorts, making him laugh.

“It’s terrible but it’s what we both want right now.” She tells him and Oliver nods.

“We both have to promise we know it’s just for this week.” He adds and she nods.

“Gotta lover boy, just for this week.” She smiles and wraps her arms around his neck again. Their lips meet once more and Oliver doesn’t hold back as he takes her in his arms to kiss her properly.

Oh yeah, this is an absolutely terrible idea.

Chapter Text

The issue with this plan of Felicity’s, Oliver decides, is that he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to stop touching her now that he’s been given permission.

His grandmother, mother, and sister cart her off to the salon, leaving he and Roy in the pool and they leave around half an hour later to get ready, having told the girls they’ll meet them in the lobby.

Thea appears first in a silky silver dress that clings to her and Oliver has to ensure he doesn’t look at Roy so he doesn’t hit him for his reaction. His grandmother and mother appear next, both dressed nice and Oliver compliments them but the end of his sentence gets caught in his throat at the sight of Felicity.

Her black dress is relatively simple but Oliver thinks that’s the most deceptive thing about it. It fits her like a glove, hugging her curves perfectly but the thing that’s driving him crazy is the fact that it covers nothing higher than her chest. The fabric wraps around her arms, leaving her shoulders and neck completely exposed and Oliver immediately imagines his lips tracing the skin left on show.

“Alright, big guy, close your mouth. We’ve got places to be.” Thea’s voice snaps him out of his haze and Felicity smiles at him a little uncertainly as she steps up.

“Do you like it? Thea gave me literally no other choice.” She chuckles and Oliver blinks a few times. The stylist at the salon has obviously curled her hair so that it falls softly around her face but looser that her natural ringlets. The makeup around her eyes only highlights their bright color and she’s still wearing the contacts she put in this morning to stop her glasses fogging up from the steam at the spa. Her lips are painted bright red to match the shoes she’s kept from earlier and Oliver can’t help but smile at the pop of color that is just so her.

“You look… incredible Felicity.” Oliver fights for the word and takes a deep breath as the pretty red color on her cheeks spreads down her neck as she blushes.

“Come on kids, the reservation’s in half an hour,” Olivia tells them and Oliver helps Felicity into her coat before guiding her outside and into the car. Moira offers to drive so Oliver and Felicity slip into the middle seats with Thea and Roy sliding into the row behind them whilst Olivia claims the passenger seat.

Oliver keeps his hand in Felicity’s, smiling at the way her other hand draws patterns over the back of his palm absentmindedly whilst she chatters to his family about food.

“When I say disaster, I mean complete and utter. I was known on campus as ‘the fire girl’ because I accidentally kept setting them in my college dorm. It was an issue.” Felicity winces as everyone else laughs.

“I just… I can’t imagine being that bad in the kitchen.” Roy comments and Felicity shrugs.

“Hey, we all have our thing. Mine just happens to really, really not be cooking.” She smiles up at Oliver who shakes his head affectionately.

“Yeah, it’s just everything else.” He laughs and Felicity rolls her eyes.

“Like you don’t have a ridiculous list of things that are your thing, Oliver.” She scoffs and then freezes. “Not like… oh frack… feel free to stitch my mouth shut.”

“Now why would we do that? It would be far less entertaining.” Thea giggles and Oliver turns to glare at his sister as Felicity buries her head in his shoulder in mortification.

“Felicity, don’t worry,” Olivia reassures her and Felicity smiles, sitting up again.

“Alright, leave the poor girl alone. We’re here.” Moira announces as she pulls the car up to the valet in front of the restaurant and Felicity smiles as Oliver climbs out of the car before offering his hand.

Oliver decides there’s something he really likes about having Felicity on his arm as they stop just inside the entrance whilst his mother talks to the server about their reservation. She’s the kind of woman who deserves to be shown off, the kind of woman he’d be happy to appear on the front page of a tabloid with. There’s something about the way she smiles up at him, her arm looped through his and her perfectly manicured nails resting on his bicep. He can’t help it if he flexes a little to impress her.

“Oliver Jonas Queen, I have seen your muscles enough times to know that they’re there. Don’t be a show-off.” She grins up at him and he laughs, feeling that same sense of freedom that she often elicits from him.

“Can’t help it. Not when I have the most beautiful woman in this room on my arm. People are probably wondering what you’re doing with me.” He tells her and frowns at her eye roll.

“Oliver, the only way people are asking that question about this relationship is the other way around, believe me, and there’s no way I’m the most beautiful woman in the room.” She scoffs and Oliver’s frown only deepens.

“Felicity, you’re incredible. You’re the most beautiful person I know, inside and out. Why would I lie about something like that?” He asks and Felicity shrugs.

“Guys say stuff like that all the time to get into girls’ pants. Plenty of them have tried it on me.” She explains and Oliver shifts so that he can place his other hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, it’s not just a line. I promise. You’re gorgeous, most days I have to restrain myself from walking right up to you and kissing you at the office.” He tells her and she frowns, looking into his eyes.

“But what about…” She trails off and Oliver shakes his head.

“Felicity, there’s a reason I haven’t been able to maintain a proper relationship with anyone since I met you. None of them hold a candle to you. You’re everything I didn’t know I needed.” He tells her softly and Felicity sighs. God, this one-week thing? Worst idea ever.

“Guys? Whoa, serious conversation faces.” Roy’s voice pops the bubble around them and they both turn to see that they’re being lead to their table.

“May I take your coat Miss?” A not-unattractive server asks, stepping up to Felicity but before he can remove it from her shoulders, Oliver steps up close behind her.

“I have it, thank you.” He tells the server courtly who nods and steps away, allowing Oliver to complete the job. He removes his own before handing them over, offering Felicity his arm again.

“That was completely unnecessary, you know? He was only helping me with my coat.” She asks and he smiles, placing his other hand on top of hers on his arm.

“Which is definitely my job as your boyfriend.” He winks and Felicity scoffs with a roll of her eyes.

“Alright, Mr. Neanderthal.” She chuckles and he smiles as he slides into the booth side of the table that the others have left free, helping her in after.

“We thought it best to leave it for the lovebirds.” Thea teases and Felicity laughs, placing her bag next to her.

“Like you and Roy aren’t just as bad.” She teases and Thea laughs, placing her hand on Roy’s knee as he scoots his chair closer to her.

“Alright children,” Moira warns with a soft smile on her face and they all chuckle. Oliver loops his arm around Felicity’s back and she shuffles a little closer. “Are we feeling wine?”

“Always.” Felicity laughs and it only gets louder when Olivia sends her a wink and asks for a high five under the table which she gladly gives.

“Can I get you some drinks?” A server asks once Moira flags him down.

“We’ll have a bottle of Lafite Rothschild please,” Oliver speaks immediately, smiling down at Felicity when her eyes snap to him. “Then I’ll only owe you one.” He winks and she rolls her eyes.

“What do you mean Ollie?” Thea asks with a frown and Felicity smiles.

“He promised me two bottles when I helped him with a tech problem just after we met and he never paid up,” Felicity explains and Oliver groans as his mother glares at him.

“Oliver!” She admonishes and Oliver sighs with a nod.

“Yes I know Mother, it’s terrible etiquette. Would anyone like anything else so poor… Tony can stop hovering as if he doesn’t know whether he should leave?” Oliver asks, squinting to see the server’s name tag who flushes immediately.

“So sorry Tony. We’ll also get a Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru. Thea, Roy, what would you like?” Moira asks, looking over to the underage members of their party.

“I’ll have a sparkling water please.” Thea smiles and Tony nods, jotting it down.

“And for you Sir?” He directs to Roy who jostles a little at the name.

“Just a still water please.” He answers and Tony nods, adding it to his list.

“Excellent, I’ll be back over with those as soon as possible and then if you’d like, I can tell you our specials today.” He smiles before heading toward the bar.

The wine loosens Oliver up and he finds himself sliding closer to Felicity so that by the time their food arrives, their sides are pressed up against each other. When she laughs, he can feel the way her body shakes pressed up against his own. Her hair brushes against his neck and Oliver uses the hand that’s draped over her shoulder to twirl a single blonde curl around his finger.

“The risotto al Gorgonzola for the lady, and the pollo alla cacciatora for the gentleman.” Tony smiles and places their dishes in front of them, the two of them being the last ones to be served. “Please, let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thank you very much, Tony.” Olivia smiles and the server nods before moving away from the table.

“Hmm my god, I think I died and went to heaven.” Felicity groans around her fork and Oliver shifts a little uncomfortably as he watches her tongue peek out to lick the remains of sauce from her utensil.

“Good right? We found this place a couple of years ago and haven’t been able to resist coming back at least once every time we’re here.” Thea smiles and Felicity hums, smiling up at Oliver.

Olivia starts talking to Thea about her plans for the future and Felicity and Oliver retract from the conversation, letting Thea spearhead the discussion.

“How’s yours?” She asks him quietly and Oliver nods, swallowing the piece of chicken in his mouth.

“Fantastic. Here.” He smiles and spears a piece of the meat as well as a few vegetables onto his fork and holds it up to her mouth. She raises an eyebrow but closes her mouth around the offered food, another groan leaving her throat as she chews.

“Oh wow, that is fantastic. Do you want to try some of mine?” She asks softly and he nods, holding her wrist steady with his hand so that he can close his mouth around the fork. When he finishes the mouthful, he licks his lips before lifting her hand a little higher. Felicity gasps as his tongue darts out to her thumb, licking off a stray piece of sauce which must have flicked up onto it.

“That’s good.” He smiles and Felicity takes a deep breath, nodding her head.

“Felicity dear, are you excited for the start of Hanukkah tomorrow?” Olivia asks, drawing them back into the main conversation and Oliver watches the red color spread over Felicity’s cheeks as she turns to look at his grandmother.

“Yes, very much! Speaking to my mom yesterday, it made me remember how much I love the holiday. Thank you both so much again for being so accommodating about it.” Felicity smiles, looking to both Moira and Olivia who shake her off.

“Of course Felicity, what kind of people would we be to keep you from your religion? We’re just glad to be celebrating with you.” Moira smiles and Felicity does too with a nod.

“I’m really looking forward to it. Oliver learned to make latkes and we tried them on Sunday night. They were so good! I can’t wait to have them again.” Thea grins and Felicity frowns in surprise whilst Oliver huffs and glares at his sister.

“That was supposed to be a surprise Speedy!” He pouts and Thea’s eyes blow wide, her shoulders shrugging a little.

“Sorry?” She answers and Oliver huffs, shaking his head.

“And you wonder why you never get told secrets.” He replies, a teasing tone coming through in his voice which assures Thea he’s not actually that made.

“You learned to make latkes for me?” Felicity asks, looking up at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

“Yeah well, I know you downplay how important your religion actually is to you and I wanted to do something to show you that I understand what a big part of your life it is.” He explains and she practically melts, her eyes glistening with the start of tears.

“Oliver, I…” She takes a deep breath and leans up, pressing her lips to his gently but Oliver can feel everything she can’t quite say through it. “I… no one’s ever done anything like that for me before.”

“You’re special Felicity, you deserve to be treated so.” He smiles and she blushes, shaking her head a little.

“Oliver Queen, you are going to be the death of me.” She smiles and he does too, brushing a soft kiss against her forehead.

“Oh my god, I’m gonna cry. It’s too cute.” Roy teases but tenses when both Felicity and Oliver glare at him.

They finish their dinner pretty quickly after that and decide against dessert, knowing the amount of junk food they have back at the cabin. Thea, Moira and Olivia head for the restroom just before they leave and Roy offers to go up to ask the valet to swing the car around.

“Gosh, I don’t think I could eat another bite.” Felicity groans, turning to face Oliver a little better and he chuckles, turning towards her as well.

“There’s chocolate covered strawberries back at the cabin so you better be able to.” He grins as her face lights up. She catches her balance by placing her arm on top of his on the table and his arm over her shoulder drops down to her waist, drawing small circles through the fabric of her dress with his thumb.

“Oliver Jonas Queen, this sounds like quite the situation to coerce a young woman.” She gasps, putting on a thick southern accent in jest and Oliver grins, tugging her a little closer.

“Well Miss Smoak, does that mean you’re opposed to that second bottle of wine, the hot tub on our balcony and those strawberries I mentioned?” He asks and Felicity’s breath hitches as she leans in close.

“Well, we’ll just have to see where the evening takes us, Mr. Queen.” She smirks and Oliver groans at the way her breath hits the spot just below his ear which only makes her giggle.

“You are a vixen.” He tells her and she grins, daring to press her lips to that spot.

“It seems you bring it out of me.” She winks and Oliver takes a few deep breaths. Yup, this week is going to be the death of him.

“Are we ready to go?” Moira asks and they both look up, separating a few inches. Oliver raises an eyebrow at Thea who has entirely too innocent of a look on her face. Both his and Felicity’s phones buzz and he looks down to see an Instagram notification.

“Thea, what did we say this morning?” Oliver asks and his little sister shrugs.

“Oh come on Ollie, it’s an adorable photo. You can’t even see your faces!” She explains and Oliver looks down at his screen, unable to stop the smile that spreads across his face at the sight of the photo. It is very tasteful, he’ll give Thea that.

“I want a copy of that.” He calls after her as she heads towards the entrance.

“Already sent it!”

“Come on broody big brother, I believe you’ve promised me quite the night.” Felicity smiles as she stands and all thoughts of Thea leave Oliver’s head as he follows his blonde siren towards the door.

Chapter Text

Olivia and Moira head straight to bed, claiming exhaustion from the long day. Thea offers a movie but Felicity calls a raincheck, biting her lip as she looks over at Oliver.

The way that man looks in a suit should be illegal. She’s sure that she’s pretty obsessed with the way he smirks when he catches her staring. There’s a look in his eyes that Felicity can’t get enough of. She wants to explore it, watch it deepen.

“Get the wine and strawberries, I’ll get the hot tub going.” She whispers in his ear and then disappears up the stairs, taking deep breaths as she goes. The wine she drank at dinner took the edge off but the cool air and the food she ate have done their job at soaking up the alcohol and she’s grateful for the floaty tipsiness she feels now.

Heading straight for the balcony, she starts the hot tub and places two towels on a table near it. Noticing a switch on the wall behind the tub, she flicks it and gasps as a net of fairy lights above the tub illuminate and bounce prettily off the bubbling water. Taking a deep breath, she smiles at the arrangement and heads back inside to the closet to change.

She picks one of her bikinis, bright, multi-colored and tiny. The top laces up over her chest and the bottoms are more of a thong than anything else. She loves the pattern and how it makes her feel, especially with the wine having taken the edge off for her. Leaving her hair loose around her head, she hears Oliver enter the room.

“Felicity?” He calls and she appears in the doorway with a smile, liking the way he takes her in with a choke and a mouth dropped open.

“You like this one?” She asks and Oliver nods a little dumbly, the two wine glasses he’s carrying dangling a little dangerously from his fingers. Felicity takes pity on him, taking his cargo from him and heading out towards the balcony. “Change and come join me?”

“Yeah… I…” He stutters and stumbles off towards the closet, making Felicity smile. There’s a certain level of power that Felicity finds herself reveling in as she uses the corkscrew to remove the cork from the bottle and pours two glasses. Leaving one on the side for Oliver, she holds hers steady as she climbs in and sinks under the bubbles, letting out a soft groan at the feeling of the water bubbling around her.

“Hmm, now this I could get used to.” She murmurs to herself but startles at the sound of a chuckle. She whirls around to see Oliver stood there, now dressed in a pair of board shorts, his ridiculously gorgeous abs on show.

“Not making fun of how fancy it is now are you?” He smirks as he climbs in and Felicity rolls her eyes, smirking at him over her wine glass.

“We’ll see Mr. Queen, we’ll see.”

“So… um… do you…” Oliver stutters and Felicity laughs, sliding across the bench and taking a long glug of her wine before she leans in to whisper in Oliver’s ear.

“I’m pretty sure sentence fragments are my thing.” She smiles and Oliver chuckles, turning to look at her.

“Well, it’s not my fault you look like sin on a stick. Plus you seem to be charm embodied tonight so I guess we’re switching roles.” He explains and Felicity smiles coyly, taking a sip and licking the bead that stays on her lips away. She notices the way that Oliver’s eyes follow her every move and she shifts a little, moving closer.

“Hmm, I don’t know. I like your commanding CEO persona. It’s very sexy.” She comments, emboldened by the wine and Oliver groans at her voice in his ear. Smiling, she reaches behind him to the bowl balancing on the side of the hot tub and picks up a chocolate covered strawberry.

Raising an eyebrow, she lifts it to his lips and Oliver opens his mouth, biting through the hard shell of the chocolate into the sweet strawberry below. The juices run down Felicity’s fingers and Oliver grasps her hand once he finishes chewing, placing the stem back in the bowl and lapping the fruit juice from her hand. He sucks her index finger in his mouth before drawing back and releasing her hand with a pop, smirking at the soft groan that escapes her lips.

“Open up.” He tells her softly as he grabs a strawberry of his own, this one covered in white chocolate. He resists the urge to groan as Felicity’s red lips close around the fruit and she bites down, groaning softly again as she eats the delicacy. A small droplet of strawberry juice escapes down her chin and Oliver darts forward, lapping it up and following the trail back up to her mouth where he slants their lips over one another.

“Oliver?” Felicity asks breathily as they pull away and Oliver hums, staring at the way her chest is heaving.

“You are so gorgeous.” He groans and she blushes, her hand moving to stroke the stubble on his neck from a few days of not shaving.

“Take me to bed.” She husks into his ear and Oliver groans as her arms slide around his neck.

“Are you sure? We’re crossing a line here Felicity.” He tells her, looking into her eyes to try and find what she truly wants. Beneath the lust, there’s a determination that Oliver cannot escape.

“We’ll worry about that tomorrow. Tonight, I want you.” She whispers before pressing a kiss to his ear. Oliver moves of his own accord, lifting her into his arms and out of the hot tub. He manages to switch the tub off deftly and grab the towels before carrying her inside, heading straight for the bed. He stops just before, placing her on the ground and Felicity frowns.

“Oliver…” She trails off but Oliver hushes her, unfolding one of the towels.

“Shh, let me take care of you.” He whispers and his hands move to her shoulder. Felicity groans as he takes his time, making sure every inch of her is dry, trailing kisses after his hands and turning her into a pile of mush in the meantime.

“Oliver please…” She groans as he runs the towel up her legs, swooping around to ensure the backs are dry as well. The sight of him, on his knees in front of her is almost too much and she groans loudly, her hands moving of their own accord to grip his hair.

“Tsk, you are rather impatient,” Oliver smirks as his lips trail from her outer right thigh to her inner, causing her to gasp and her hips to thrust involuntarily. “We should get you out of this wet bikini. It’s a shame, it is so gorgeous on you.”

His fingers loop through the band at her hips and tug down, Felicity moving her feet when prompted so that the offensive article of clothing can be thrown far away.

Oliver's lips return to her thigh and all Felicity can do is hold on as his lips trail upwards, getting closer and closer to where she wants him.

“Fuck! Oliver, please!” She cries and Oliver smiles, his eyes darting upwards to meet hers.

“As you wish.” He smiles and dives in.

All Felicity can do is hold on as he ravishes her. There’s no other word for it. His pursuit is relentless, his tongue sliding over her and slurping as much of her wetness up as he can. She loses her mind when he moves to her clit, his tongue flicking back and forth over it relentlessly and Felicity’s sure she would fall if it weren’t for his arms holding her steady. When he releases her ass to push two fingers inside her whilst his mouth sucks her clit in harshly, she lets out a long cry and comes all over his fingers, pulling tightly at his hair as her hips thrust and she rides out her orgasm.

Oliver doesn’t stop, however, licking his fingers clean of the evidence of her orgasm before moving straight to the source, determined to lick up as much of it as possible. When he pulls away to smile up at her, his chin is covered in her essence and she chuckles, running her fingers over it to clean as much of it off as possible. When she goes to wipe it on the discarded towel on the floor, Oliver stops her, grasping her hand and licking off every last drop, just like he had with the strawberry juice earlier.

Her breathing gets heavier but finally returns to a normal pace as Oliver kisses his way up her body. He reaches the bikini and undoes the strings, releasing her breasts and throwing the scrap of material in the general direction of its other half. His attention is far more concentrated on her chest as he sucks a hard nipple into his mouth.

“Oliver!” Felicity cries out and Oliver smirks, moving to give her other nipple the same treatment. She lets out a frustrated groan and trails her hand down between the two of them, gripping his hard cock through his board shorts.

Letting out a strangled gasp, he lightly grabs her wrist, tugging her hand away.

“Oliver… You took care of me, let me take care of you.” Felicity pouts up at him and it takes everything in him not to give over to what she wants.

“I’m not done taking care of you yet baby, lie back on the bed for me.” He smiles and kisses her softly, smiling at her groan. As she moves to the bed, he loses the shorts and grabs a condom, quickly sheathing himself before chasing her up the sheets.

Laying on the bed, Felicity groans, trying to pull Oliver closer to her despite their bodies being literally as close as they can to one another.

“Oliver, please… fuck me…” She gasps and Oliver takes a deep breath, leaning down to kiss her slowly and sensually.

“There’s time for that later baby. Right now, I’m going to cherish you.” He whispers and pushes into her, delighting in her soft gasp and her eyes fluttering in pleasure.

It’s slow and steady, the sparks passing between their two bodies as they come together as one. Oliver kisses Felicity through her moans and soft gasps, swallowing each one and treasuring it as if they’re liquid gold. Her nails scratch down his back, leaving her mark on him and Oliver delights in the soft pain. He drives in deeper but keeps his slow pace, knowing he’s reached the right spot when she turns her head to let out a strangled cry, her fingers dripping at his shoulders as tightly as possible.

“God, you are just so beautiful. You’re my queen, baby, and I’ve got to take care of you right.” He husks in her ear and she turns back to look at him, a desperate look in her eye before she grasps his face and pulls his lips back onto hers.

When he can feel her trembling underneath him, Oliver pulls away, looking at her.

Felicity is an absolute vision.

Blonde curls messily spread around her head like a halo, her eyes squeezed shut in pleasure and her mouth open in a silent gasp as she takes her pleasure from him.

“Open your eyes baby, look at me.” He encourages her and her eyelids snap up, blue meeting blue. Oliver reaches down between them and circles her clit softly, still steadily pumping in and out. “Come with me baby, let go.”

The feeling of her restricting around him as her climax hits sends Oliver over the edge as well and they both collapse, with him still buried deep inside her onto the sheets.

A soft whine escapes Felicity’s mouth as Oliver pulls out of her after some time has passed. Her hand flies out to grasp his wrist and he smiles softly, looking down at her confused face.

“I’m just going to clear us up a bit.” He tells her softly and she pouts but falls back onto the pillows, her grip loosening and Oliver guesses that’s her sign that he can move.

He does so quickly, disposing of the used condom and braving the cold outside to flick off the fairy lights and grab the strawberries and wine. He places those on the table near the bed and then moves into the bathroom, washing his face and lower region before grabbing a washcloth and wetting it with warm water. He squeezes it to ensure it isn’t dripping and heads back out into the main room, smiling at the sight of Felicity on the bed.

Her eyes are closed and she’s curled up on her side, not having even bothered to pull the bedsheets over her. She’s obviously entirely spent and something that feels like pride rises in Oliver knowing that he’s the one who made her that way.

Moving towards her, he gently runs a finger over her cheek, brushing her blonde curls back over her shoulder and smiling at the soft groan that escapes her lips.

“Sleep time.” She murmurs and Oliver chuckles, sitting down next to her on the bed.

“I promise you can sleep in a few minutes baby, just roll over for a second so that I can clean you up a little. You don’t want to wake up tomorrow all sticky and gross.” He tells her softly and she groans, rolling onto her back and letting her legs fall open.

Oliver smiles at the trust she has in him and works quickly to clean her up before discarding of the cloth and crawling into bed next to her. He smiles as Felicity immediately cuddles up next to his warmth, sleepily resting her head on his chest.

“We definitely just crossed a line.” He comments as he shimmies the bedclothes up and over them.

“That’s next week’s Oliver and Felicity’s problem. Right now, I’m yours and you’re mine mister.” Felicity yawns and Oliver sighs, knowing that it’s not that simple. “Stop overthinking grouchy, just hold me and sleep.”

“Alright love.” He smiles and presses a kiss into her hair, watching the way the moonlight dances across her blonde locks.

Oliver thinks that this is definitely something he could get used to. The feeling of Felicity’s hair against his bare chest, her bare shoulder pressed into his side and her fingers softly tracing across his scars. There’s a way that her emotions seem to be able to spread through her fingertips into his skin that Oliver finds he cannot take for granted. He wants to experience this forever if only he had the liberty to do so.

They’ve definitely crossed a line they can’t come back from, the wine flowing through their systems and allowing what they truly wish to come out. It makes his heart ache to think of not doing this every day.

He loves her.

It’s something he cannot deny anymore. He’s not ready to tell her yet, that wouldn’t be fair to her, not when he can’t do anything about how deep his feelings run.

But he does love her. She’s the light to his dark, the one who guides him home.

This week is going to be the death of him.

Chapter Text

The winter sun is bright as it reflects off of the snow in the mountains and into the bedroom where Oliver and Felicity lie sleeping. In their tipsy, post-coital haze, they left the blinds open and the morning sun streams in to hit Felicity right in the face. It’s warm against her skin and she cuddles closer to her pillow, only to realize that her pillow is also moving.

“Hmm, morning.” Oliver’s husky voice breaks the silence and Felicity smiles sleepily up at him, turning her head to kiss where her lips land which just so happens to be his pectoral.

“Morning.” She answers softly, not wanting her loud voice to break the peaceful environment.

“You look so beautiful in the morning.” He tells her, lifting a hand to smooth over her wild curls and she hums, nuzzling his palm as it comes to rest on her cheek.

“Oliver, I most likely look a mess.” She chuckles but he keeps her gaze, shaking his head fervently.

“You’re stunning, just like always.” He replies and she takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second.

“Do we need to move?” Felicity asks and Oliver hums, shaking his head.

“We… I will need to go make breakfast for everyone but we probably won’t do much today. Prep some of the foods for tomorrow, most likely watch a movie or two and then we’ll hand the reins over to you this evening.” He explains and Felicity hums.

“And you’ll make these famous latkes?” She asks with a soft smile, making Oliver chuckle.

“For you, I’ll make an entire bakery’s worth.”

“Sap.” Felicity snorts and Oliver chuckles, using the hand on her cheek to draw her up his chest for a kiss.

“Only for you.” He whispers as they pull apart and Felicity sighs, crossing her arms and leaning them on Oliver’s chest before perching her head on top of them.

“Can I ask you one question?” She asks softly and Oliver frowns at her suddenly serious tone, running his fingers through her hair.

“Anything.” He promises and watches as she takes a deep breath.

“Why Isabel? I know you already answered that but you didn’t really answer it and I just thought that we were kind of together in hating her and then she was walking out of your hotel room and I just… it really threw me for a loop.” She finishes with a sigh and Oliver lets one out as well, brushing his thumb over her temple.

“I… I was feeling pretty strange. I’d only just wrapped my head around how I feel for you and knowing that I can’t put you in that kind of danger. She was there and she just kept talking and well… it’s dumb but just for a moment, I thought I could pretend she was you.” He explains softly with a blush, trailing off at the end and Felicity frowns, a scoff leaving her mouth. “Felicity…”

“No, I’m sorry. I just… Oliver, she’s a leggy, gorgeous Russian model. She’s exactly your type and I’m just… well, I’m just me.” Felicity immediately explains and it’s Oliver’s turn to frown deeply, his thumb moving to brush over her cheek.

“How much is it going to take for you to believe just how beautiful I find you?” He asks and Felicity gasps softly, blushing deeply.

“Oliver…”

“No, Felicity, I…” He starts and then frowns before a steely determination covers his face. He scoops her up and sits up, placing her on his lap as the blankets fall from around their skin.

“Oliver?” She asks softly, confusion written over her face. Oliver hushes her, tracing his fingers over her face reverently.

“Felicity, I think you are gorgeous and I’m going to show you exactly why.” He nods determinedly and Felicity raises an eyebrow, a confused smile on her face.

“I don’t…” She starts but his finger moves to her lips, his thumb tracing them softly.

“Sorry gorgeous, but you’re going to need to stay quiet for this one.” He tells her and she bites her lip, shaking her head in disbelief. His hands move to her hair first, his fingers carding ever so gently through the curls. “Your hair is so beautiful. I always think it looks like a halo. I love your ponytails, I know that you always mean business when your hair is in a ponytail, it brings out the hardworking, determined side of you that makes you so good at your job. When your hair is down, you always look like an angel. It always takes me a minute to remember where I am when I see you with your hair down.”

Felicity gasps softly at his words but he moves his hands down, his thumb caressing her temple as he leans forward. Her eyes flicker shut just in time for his lips to press softly on top of each eyelid.

“Your eyes are so beautiful. Your astounding empathy is one of the most incredible things about you. You care so much about everyone and I am so lucky that I get to witness it. Your eyes express every emotion you feel so perfectly and I find myself getting lost in them. You have the most beautiful white specks in your irises and I want to count them, see how many there are.”

He then presses a kiss to her nose, his hand dropping down to her cheek.

“Your nose is just adorable. I like how in the summer, you get those freckles that appear over it. I want to kiss all of them someday. Your lips are perfect. They’re always painted one color or another. I love how the bright colors are a spark. That’s what you are to me Felicity, the spark of color in my dark world. The bright fuchsia to my dark green. It might not seem like it works but it definitely does.”

He presses his lips to hers softly just as a tear escapes her eyes, dropping down between them. Oliver moves to her cheek, kissing away the wetness before he leans back, looking down at her naked body.

“You have no idea how much you drive me crazy. The dresses and skirts you wear around the office, I love them all so much. The way they show you off so perfectly. They make me want to bury myself in you and never let go. I love the ones with the triangle right here.”

He smiles and trails his fingertips over the spot her cut-out dresses expose, smiling at her gasp.

“The ones I like most, however, are the ones that cup your ass so beautifully. I never was an ass guy, until I saw yours. God Felicity, I love your ass. It’s so perfectly round, I could worship it for days.”

As he speaks, his hands slide over her body to grasp her cheeks in a hand each, squeezing tightly as she gasps on top of him. As quickly as he grasps her, he releases her and trails his fingers down softly to her feet.

“I love your legs and how your high heels make them look so long and toned. They’re so gorgeous and I just want to kiss every inch of them. You might think they’re not my usual type but that’s what makes us so perfect Felicity. You’re everything I didn’t know I needed but I do, I need you.”

He whispers into her skin and Felicity gasps, tugging his head back so that he can look into her eyes.

“Oliver, I…” She starts wearily but he shakes his head.

“You don’t need to say anything. I know it all already, I promise.” He smiles and she shakes her head, stroking his cheek softly.

“We should probably… um… head downstairs.” She suggests and rolls off of him, an awkward air settling over them and Oliver nods, letting her head into the bathroom before he moves to get ready.

“Okay?” She asks with a small smile and Oliver nods, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when she extends her hand out for him to take as they head downstairs.

They’re the first ones down there and Oliver wastes no time in lifting her up onto the counter just like he did yesterday.

“You know I’m not an ornament.” Felicity teases and Oliver rolls his eyes, popping a raspberry in her mouth.

“Shh, don’t distract the master.” He winks and she giggles, chewing softly and swinging her legs. She’s dressed in blue sweats and one of Oliver’s grey hoodies which is far too big for her.

It’s far too easy. Both of them slip into these roles as if they’ve been doing it for years.

“Good morning.” Thea smiles as she skips into the kitchen, a sluggish Roy following behind her. She’s dressed rather inappropriately for the cold weather outside in a pretty bralette and sweats but the heating is turned up rather high in the cabin. Roy is still in his pajamas and he heads straight for the coffee machine.

“Morning Thea, how’d you two sleep?” Felicity asks, leaning her hands and then her head on Oliver’s shoulder as he stirs the eggs he’s cooking.

“Excellently. It was such a lovely night last night. The stars were so pretty. We should so sit out on the balcony and watch them tonight.” The younger girl suggests and Felicity grins at the idea, looking towards Oliver.

“That sounds so pretty!” The blonde grins and Oliver smiles at her, tilting his head up to kiss her forehead.

“And romantic,” Thea adds, smiling over at Roy who smiles back at her with a wink. The younger girl moves to the radio and turns it up, gasping at the song that starts to blare through the speakers. “Oh my god, I love this song!”

“Yes!” Felicity grins and hops down from the counter to join Thea in the space between the kitchen and living room.

The two of them move towards each other, singing the lyrics to each other as they let the music take over. Felicity lets the beat move her and she dances around, wrapping her arms around Thea as the two of them dance to the song, her hips moving around and loud laughter escaping them.

Oliver and Roy share a smile as their girls dance around rather ridiculously, making quite the sight and when the song ends, Felicity collapses on a stool near the door with laughter. Thea drops to the floor near her, her head dropping into Felicity’s lap as she laughs and Felicity leans over her, holding on tightly to the girl.

“Felicity Smoak, you are my new favorite person,” Thea comments with a wide smile once they’ve gotten their breath under control and Felicity grins, wrapping the younger girl in a hug.

“Might even have to thank your idiot brother for bringing us together.” Felicity teases, winking at Oliver who rolls his eyes, unable to hide the smile tugging at his lips at the sight of them.

“Now that’s a cute picture.” Roy comments and the girls turn to see him holding his phone out. Thea moves immediately, squealing at the picture he’s just taken of the two of them, caught up in their post-dance party joy.

“Good job babe. I might even let you start taking my OOTD pictures soon.” Thea grins and kisses Roy softly. The boy just smirks and rolls his eyes at his girlfriend as she logs onto her Instagram on his phone and posts it.

“Alright, do you people want food or do you want to pose for more pictures?” Oliver smirks, laughing as both Felicity and Thea move quickly over to where he’s holding out two plates of eggs.

Olivia and Moira appear not much later, thanking Oliver from breakfast before shooing them all out of the kitchen, claiming they need to start prepping food for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Oliver asks, looking towards where Felicity is sat curled up on the sofa. He wants to be a good son and grandson but he also wants to spend this time with Felicity whilst he has it.

“Go keep that sweet girl of your company, we’ve got this,” Olivia assures him and Oliver gives one last look to his mother who nods with a soft smile before heading over to where his sister and her boyfriend are arguing over what film to watch.

“Hi.” He whispers softly as he settles down next to Felicity and she smiles, turning into him and cuddling under the arm he places around her.

“Hey. Your mom and Grammy are okay, right? They don’t need any help?” She asks, obviously wanting to be a good guest and Oliver smiles, shaking his head.

“They are determined to do it themselves.” He answers and Felicity nods, resting her head on his chest. “What are we arguing about?”

“Oh, whether we should watch Clueless or Die Hard.” She answers and Oliver snorts, settling back with her as they watch Thea and Roy’s spat.

They end up watching both with Clueless first as a compromise and Oliver sits happily through them both with Felicity tucked under his arm. The sun soon begins to set and he nudges her softly from where she’s relaxed against his chest.

“Hmm?” She asks sleepily and he chuckles, pressing his lips to her hair.

“The sun’s beginning to set.” He explains and she shoots up with a smile, looking out the window. Die Hard is coming to an end and she grins, kissing him softly before standing.

“I’m going to change and get everything set up.” She explains and he nods, letting her go with a soft smile. He smiles at his sister who has fallen asleep on Roy and hauls himself into the kitchen where his mom and Grammy are sat with a cup of coffee each.

“Is Felicity okay?” Moira asks, looking after the girl who just rushed up the stairs.

“Yeah, the sun’s setting so she’s going to get everything ready,” Oliver explains and Moira nods, a soft smile on her face.

“She’s a wonderful girl, Oliver. Beautiful, intelligent, funny and she keeps you on your toes. It’s everything I ever wanted for you.” Olivia comments, reaching out to grasp his hand and Oliver smiles with a small blush.

“She… she’s everything Grammy. My light in the dark. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” He answers honestly and his grandmother smiles.

“Keep it that way, young man. If you let a girl like that go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” Olivia tells him and Oliver nods.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Mom, can you go wake up Thea and Roy, please? I want to make sure everything’s ready for Felicity.” Moira asks softly and Olivia nods with a small smile, squeezing Oliver’s hand before she moves into the living room.

“Thank you, for everything Mom,” Oliver tells his mom who smiles at him.

“Oliver, your grandmother’s right. I see how much you adore that girl, even if you won’t let yourself admit it. I know I was wary when I stormed into your office and it’s true that she’s not exactly the sort of girl I would have chosen for you, but she’s perfect for you. My dear boy, the way that you two look at each other, that’s it. You’ve found it. Don’t let that go, please.” Moira pleads and Oliver sighs.

“Mom, it’s not that simple…” He trails off and Moira shakes her head.

“My sweet boy, do you love her?” She asks honestly, taking his hands and Oliver takes a deep breath.

“With everything I have.”

“Then let her know that, and cherish her. Please.” Moira pleads and Oliver frowns.

“It’s not that simple…” He repeats and Moira frowns, reaching up to touch his cheek.

“Oliver, I don’t pretend to know everything about your life but that girl, she can harness the light in you, she brings out the boy I once knew. You smile more around her than you did even before the island. Your grandmother’s right, if you let a girl like that go, you’ll regret it forever.” She tells him and Oliver sighs, nodding his head and knowing that she’s right.

“Moira, are you okay if… oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt!” Felicity’s voice sounds and Oliver spins to see her stood at the other end of the island, an absolute vision in a blue and white striped dress and a menorah balanced in one hand.

“You’re fine darling. Set up wherever you would like.” Moira assures her and Felicity nods with a blush, sending a small smile to Oliver as she heads towards a table by the wall of windows in the living room.

“I should go change quickly.” Oliver comments, looking down at his sweatpants and hoodie and Moira nods, sending him off with an affectionate smile and roll of her eyes.

Ten minutes later, everything is ready and they all gather around the small table Felicity has set up at with the lights flicked off.

“Everyone ready?” Felicity asks and they all nod, gathered behind her. “I’ll say the Hebrew first but I’ll repeat in English after.”

They all nod their agreement and Oliver watches as Felicity takes a deep breath, a serene expression covering her face.

“Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.” She recites as she lights the center candle, holding it close. “Praised are You, our God, Ruler of the universe, who made us holy through Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights.”

Slowly and carefully, she takes the candle to the one on the furthest left and lets the flame catch as she speaks again.

“Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, she-asah nisim la’avoteinu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh. Praised are You, our God, Ruler of the universe, who performed wondrous deeds for our ancestors in those ancient days at this season.”

She then places the middle candle back in the center position and takes a step back, admiring the flickering lights.

“Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu la’zman hazeh. Praised are You, our God, Ruler of the universe, who has given us life and sustained us and enabled us to reach this season. Amen.”

“Amen.” The others repeat and Felicity turns with a wide grin on her face.

“Now we just relax in the light of the candles until they go out which they will in an hour or so.” She explains with a soft smile and the others nod. Moira steps forward and wraps Felicity in a hug.

“That was beautiful, sweetheart, thank you for sharing it with us.” She tells her and Felicity smiles, a faint blush gracing her cheeks.

“I’ll get started on those latkes.” Oliver winks and Felicity smiles, humming softly as he brushes his lips to her temple as he passes.

Chapter Text

Felicity cannot stop the moan that escapes her lips as she bites into Oliver’s latkes.

They’re incredible and the fact that he spent his Sunday evening learning to make them just to make her happy? She can’t even describe what she’s feeling.

“Good?” Oliver asks, his voice full of hope and Felicity grins, swallowing her bite and turning to look at him.

“Oh my god Oliver, if I weren’t worried she would come back and haunt me, I might say these are better than my bubbe’s.” She chuckles and her stomach flutters at the pure pride and joy that spread over Oliver’s face.

“I’m glad you like them.” He smiles abashedly and she chuckles, tugging his sleeve to get him to lean over her and kisses him softly in gratitude.

“Thank you.” She whispers as he pulls away and he smiles, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Anytime.” He winks and she rolls her eyes, sighing contently as he sits down next to her on the couch.

“I gotta say, the Jewish have got it right. Fried food is always the best.” Roy chuckles as he wolfs down his fourth and Thea rolls her eyes, moving the plate away from him.

“It’s about the sanctity of the oil, Roy, not about the taste.” Thea reminds him and Felicity chuckles, smiling at Roy.

“It’s kind of about the taste. As my bubbe used to say, there’s no point in making bad food, that’s why God gave us seasoning.” Felicity explains with a chuckle and she smiles as everyone else does as well.

The candles are beginning to dim and Felicity takes a deep breath. As she lets it go, she cuddles back into Oliver with a smile, humming as he wraps an arm around her and pulls her close.

“You okay?” He asks softly and she nods with a contented hum, grasping his other hand between both of hers. He chuckles as she begins to fiddle, tracing her fingers along his and rubbing circles into his palms. She marvels for a second in the fact that these hands can do so much harm, but when they hold her, they’re the gentlest things in the world.

“It’s so nice to have everyone together.” Olivia comments and they all smile at each other, looking around the room. Thea and Roy have relaxed to mirror Oliver and Felicity on the opposite sofa, though Roy has his head in Thea’s lap and she’s stroking through his hair.

“It is. It reminds me of old times. Thanksgiving was always my favorite. Robert loved Christmas and so did I, but there’s just something about Thanksgiving that always reminds me just how lucky I am to lead the life that I do.” Moira smiles, looking at her children who smile back.

“Do you remember that Thanksgiving where everything went wrong?” Olivia suddenly laughs and Felicity, Roy, and Thea all raise an eyebrow.

“Oh that must have been 1998 I suppose?” Moira asks and Olivia nods whilst Felicity feels Oliver chuckle a little.

“The one Tommy spent with us when we were thirteen?” Oliver asks and Moira and Olivia nod with a laugh.

“They managed to convince Thea, who was only three at the time, and such a sweet little girl, that there was a Thanksgiving version of Santa who would come down through the chimney and give you a present, but only if you completed three tasks,” Olivia explains to Roy and Felicity, both of whom laugh, the latter looking up at Oliver with an affectionate smile.

“I don’t remember this!” Thea comments and Oliver grins at her.

“You were only three, I don’t suppose you would but it was so funny. We told her that she first had to convince Grandma to make everyone cookies and then steal a few for Thanksgiving Santa.” Oliver explains and Olivia and Moira laugh at an obvious memory.

“Robert caught her trying to sneak upstairs with fistfuls of mushed cookies and another load that she’d stuffed down her dress!” Moira chuckles, looking over at her daughter who has flushed red with embarrassment.

“Then Tommy told her that she had to get a grown up to swim around the pool five times after dark so she told Dad that she really wanted to play seahorse and of course, that pout never fails. They both caught a cold from being out there so long.” Oliver chuckles with a roll of his eyes.

“What can I say, the pout has worked from day one.” Thea grins, tears in her eyes at the mention of her father.

“The last thing she had to do was climb to the top of that bookshelf over there, which is where we used to keep the alcohol to stop Oliver and Tommy getting to it, and grab the most expensive bottle of whiskey. It then was to go to Oliver and Tommy of course.” Olivia explains with an affection glare towards her grandson who grins cheekily.

“I found her on top, clutching the whiskey in absolute floods of tears because she was too scared to jump down and Oliver at the bottom, promising that he’d catch her. He told her ‘I’ll never let anything bad happen to you Speedy, I promise. You just have to jump’.” Moira explains with a soft sigh, looking between her children who smile at each other.

“I’ve had your back from day one,” Oliver tells her and Thea nods, smiling affectionately at her big brother.

“Well, we still had no idea what was going on until we were all woken up in the middle of the night to Tommy violently throwing up from the whiskey he drank and Thea and Oliver curled up asleep on the sofa. When we woke them, Thea kept asking if she’d done enough to make Thanksgiving Santa come so Oliver found her a crown and told her that her present was that she got to be Thanksgiving Queen.” Olivia explains and Thea and Felicity both aww loudly, the latter turning to look up at him.

“That is so sweet. You big sap.” She jokes and Oliver laughs, pressing a kiss to her hair.

“Yeah well, couldn’t have Speedy getting sad on Thanksgiving, could we?” He shrugs and they all chuckle, relaxing as other stories begin to flow.

A few hours later, Felicity hasn’t spoken in a while and Oliver looks down to see her asleep on his chest, snoring lightly and he smiles, adjusting her curls so they’re not in her face.

“Take her to bed Ollie, it’s going to be a long day tomorrow.” Thea prompts and Oliver nods, shifting her slowly and carefully so that he can lift her into his arms. She groans a little but stays asleep, her head lolled against his shoulder.

He stops only to bend and kiss his grandmother and mother on the cheek and his sister on her hair, wishing them all and Roy a good night.

“Remember what I said, my darling boy.” Moira smiles as she stands and walks over, smoothing a motherly hand over Felicity’s forehead. “She won’t wait forever.”

“I promised you I’d think about it, Mom.” He tells her and Moira hums, pursing her lips as she nods her head.

“I hope you do, my sweet boy.”

Oliver takes a deep breath and heads up the stairs, trying to keep his arms as still as possible so as to not wake his precious cargo. When he gets to the bedroom, however, he wonders whether to wake her or change her himself, deciding on the former as he lays her carefully on the bed.

“Mmm, no, sleep time.” Felicity pouts as he rubs her shoulder, trying to wake her so that she can change.

“Sorry gorgeous, you can sleep once you’ve changed.” He explains and she sighs, yawning before she pouts again but her eyes open and she sets her baby blues on him.

Instantly, Oliver knows he’s a goner.

“Help?” She asks and Oliver smiles, brushing her curls back lightly with a smile.

“You? Always.” He tells her and she smiles sleepily, her eyes closing for a second.

It turns out that Oliver helping looks a lot more like Felicity helping and Oliver doing most of the work. Not that he minds of course. He changes quickly himself and then finds her pajamas, unable to stop the grin as he spots a long pair of pajama pants in a dark green color, covered in little arrows. He finds the matching simple dark green camisole with a grin and heads back into the main room to see Felicity where he left her, half asleep again. She cooperates in getting changed and smiles when he’s done, yawning loudly.

“I can sleep now?” She asks softly and Oliver chuckles, kissing her forehead.

“Go ahead.” He tells her but she pouts, tugging on the waistband of his pajama pants seeing as he’s not wearing a top for her to grab.

“You’re not joining me?” She asks so softly that Oliver swears he could melt.

“I’ll be there in a second, promise. I just need to use the bathroom.” He explains and she nods with a soft sigh, settling down into the blankets.

“Oliver?” She asks as he takes a step away.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Oh Felicity, you really have no idea how precious you are to me, do you?”

She’s already fast asleep by the time he finishes his question.

It’s cold and the sound of droplets hitting against the window is what Felicity thinks wakes her up. With a frown, she turns to look at the other side of the bed and frowns when she finds it empty, looking up, she realizes the balcony door is open.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for this to happen! I’m so sorry! Sara!”

Oliver’s voice is calling and Felicity is wide awake in an instant, moving towards the balcony. She checks that the spare towel that has been sat on the table just inside the room since their hot tub foray last night is still there. He’s obviously crying but from what Felicity can tell, he is still asleep so she moves onto the balcony, frowning at the snow that begins to pelt her and moves cautiously towards Oliver.

She’s been around him when he’s having a nightmare before so she knows not to go in all guns blazing else she’ll end up hurt. So she’s careful to keep her steps heavy so that he hears her approaching and she stops a few meters away.

“Oliver?” She calls out loudly, hoping to break through his nightmare.

“Sara, please! I didn’t mean to get you hurt!” He cries and Felicity’s heart aches at the heart of this man, forever thinking of others.

“Oliver, it’s me, it’s Felicity.” She calls out and she watches his face contort in confusion.

“I got you hurt too? Felicity, please! I’m so sorry!”

“Oliver, no! You’re dreaming, please wake up! I’m here, I’m safe!”

“Felicity?” He finally turns towards her and he shivers for the first time, making him aware of where he is. “What…? What happened?”

“You had a nightmare. Come on, let’s get you inside and dry. Please?” She asks and Oliver looks as if he can’t quite make out if she’s real.

“It’s you? I’m here with you?” He asks and Felicity smiles sadly, holding out her hand.

“Yes sweetheart, now let’s go inside. Please? It’s freezing out here.” She asks and Oliver nods, slipping his hand into hers slowly so Felicity knows he’s still having some trouble discerning between real and his imagination.

Leading him back inside, she immediately grabs the towel and turns to him once she’s firmly shut the door.

“May I?” She asks softly, not wanting to touch him without his permission and Oliver nods, standing still and shivering as she wraps the towel around and carefully rubs it into his wet arms and torso, drying him off and warming him up.

“You’re wet too.” He comments, reaching out to flick a melting snowflake off of her chest bone.

“I’ll deal with myself in a minute. You need to warm up. I don’t know how long you were out there.” She explains and Oliver frowns as she begins to dry his neck.

“I’m sorry.” He sighs and Felicity immediately frowns, lifting a hand up to his cheek and guiding his eyes to meet hers.

“Hey, this isn’t your fault. You have no reason to apologize. We all have nightmares, comes with the territory I guess.” She quips and smiles when it gains a soft quirk of his lips. “You sit your butt down there. I’m going to get you some warm clothes and light the fire.”

“You know how to light a fire?” He asks in surprise and Felicity laughs, sending him a look.

“Don’t look at me like that. I thought we agreed my detriment was cooking.” She winks and he smiles properly for the first time, sitting down on the couch near the fire where she pointed. She returns within a minute with a thick hoodie and sweatpants for him before she flops down in front of the fire, setting to work on lighting it.

True to her word, it doesn’t take that long and she settles down next to him, glad to see him changed and looking a little warmer.

“Thank you.” He tells her and she smiles, shaking her head.

“It’s nothing you wouldn’t have done if the situation were the other way around.” She tells him and he hums, nodding his head.

“It was the night the Gambit went down. That’s what I usually dream of when it storms and I guess the snow was so heavy on the window, I thought it was storming.” Oliver explains quietly and Felicity tries to hide the surprise on her face. Getting Oliver to talk about his nightmares, especially if they’re related to the island, is normally an impossible task. Her and Dig often wonder if their mission would be easier if they knew what happened to him in those five years but Felicity also knows that it’s Oliver’s story to tell them, when he’s ready.

“That makes sense. The storm sent the boat down, or at least we thought it did.” She states softly and Oliver nods.

“I thought for so long that I had been responsible for Sara’s death. When I didn’t see her again after the time we spent together on the island, I was sure she was dead. How could she be anything else? I may not have killed her, but I did ruin her life. I changed her forever. I can’t forgive myself for that.” Oliver sighs, looking down at his hands.

Felicity inches closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Oliver, Sara chose to get on the Gambit. It takes two to tango so they say and she chose to come with you. You couldn’t have known what was going to happen. Sure, it wasn’t the best thing to do, but you had no idea things would end the way they did.” Felicity tells him and Oliver takes a deep breath.

“You’re so convinced that I’m a hero. Why?” He asks softly, turning to look at her and Felicity smiles softly, moving her hand to stroke his cheek.

“Because you care. You want to keep everyone safe, you do whatever you can to protect the people of our city and that does make you a hero. In my eyes at least. You’re the only hero I’ll ever need.” She tells him and he takes a deep breath, shaking his head.

“I wish I was the man you think I am.” He says quietly and Felicity shakes her head, turning his eyes back to hers.

“You are, I promise.”

He leans forward and kisses her softly.

Somehow, this kiss says more than the entirety of last night did to Felicity. This is a thank you for being there, a thank you for always looking after me, a thank you for always being you.

“What time is it?” Oliver asks after a while and Felicity looks over at the clock on the bedside table.

“Six, we could probably get a couple more hours sleep?” She asks and Oliver frowns. “Or how about a bath?”

“Together?” He asks, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise and Felicity chuckles, stroking his cheek.

“I think we saw more the other night. I think a bath will be okay.” She chuckles and he smiles, leaning forward to nuzzle his nose against her neck.

Oliver doesn’t think he’s ever had a more relaxing recovery from a nightmare. Sinking into the water with Felicity’s weight resting against his chest, the warm water lapping around them feels incredible.

He leaves her to get ready, only leaving when she urges him out the door with a laugh and he heads downstairs to find his mother and grandmother already working in the kitchen.

“Happy Thanksgiving.” He greets and their heads spring up, smiling over at him.

“Happy Thanksgiving, my beautiful boy.” Moira smiles and kisses his cheek before handing him off to Olivia who gives him the same treatment.

“Happy Thanksgiving, my love. Where’s your girl?” His grandmother asks, looking around him as if Felicity would be hiding behind him.

“She’s just finishing getting ready. She shouldn’t be too long. I promised to have a cup of coffee for her when she got down here.” Oliver smiles, heading for the machine.

“Keep her up last night did you?” Olivia winks and Oliver winces at the idea of discussing that with his grandmother.

“I um… I had a nightmare this morning. We’ve both been awake for a while.” He explains softly and Moira smiles at him softly in understanding, rubbing a hand over his back when she walks past.

“Bless your heart, sweet boy.” Olivia comments and Oliver smiles softly, it only increasing at the familiar sound of heels clicking on the floor.

Felicity appears at the other end of the island, looking every bit as put together as he knows her to be. A black sweater is tucked into a dark blue woolen skirt and her heels are encased in tan and black heels. She’s switched her glasses for contacts but left her hair loose around her head, her curls more tamed than they were this morning.

“Well don’t you look beautiful?” Olivia smiles at her and pulls her into a hug. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Happy Thanksgiving,” Felicity replies and appears even more surprised as Moira squeezes her shoulder.

“Happy Thanksgiving, my dear. Mom’s right, you look stunning.” Moira compliments and Felicity flushes, thanking them for their compliments.

“One coffee, as promised.” Oliver smiles and hands her the mug, smiling at her delighted hum as she sips the beverage. “You do look gorgeous.”

“Goodness, the Queens are full of compliments today.” She teases but rises on her toes to softly kiss his cheek. “Thank you. You look very handsome as well. I love this color on you.”

She tugs at his dark blue pullover and he smiles, holding her to his side with an arm around her waist.

Thea and Roy eventually appear and preparations for lunch begin in full swing.

“Can I do anything?” Felicity asks as she watches Oliver mash potatoes.

“You can stay away from the kitchen,” Oliver tells her and she pouts, making him raise his eyebrows. “That’s unfair. You admit you shouldn’t be allowed near a stove.” He tells her and sighs when she just continues to pout.

“I just want to be helpful.” She explains and Oliver sighs, tugging her close and kissing her softly.

“You’re cute, but these people are hungry. Maybe you and Thea can lay the table?” He asks and she grins, grateful for something to do.

“Why am I being kicked out of the kitchen?” The youngest Queen asks incredulously and Roy chuckles.

“Babe, I’ve seen you burn Kraft mac and cheese.” He laughs but Thea glares, storming over and grabbing Felicity’s hand to tug her towards the table.

“Fine, but this will be the best table you’ve ever seen!” Thea calls and Felicity grins, waving at Oliver over her shoulder as she and Thea get to work.

“You know, I think this is my best work,” Thea comments a couple of hours later when she and Felicity step back from the table and admire their work.

“You should document it.” Felicity comments and Thea nods reaching for her phone.

“That’s what they get for kicking us out the kitchen.” Thea nods as she taps and Felicity smirks as the notification comes through on her phone.

“A beautiful table?” Felicity asks with a smirk and Thea grins, pointing her finger at her.

“Exactly!” Thea grins and then turns towards the kitchen. “Roy! Ollie!”

“What’s up?” Oliver asks as she and Roy appear and Felicity does delight in the way their eyes widen at the sight of the table.

“This looks incredible. Where did you even get half this stuff?” Roy asks as they admire the girls’ works.

“I was not aware we even had gourds and garlands.” Oliver frowns and Felicity grins.

“Well, we’re just that good.” She quips and Oliver smirks, lifting up his arm for her to slide under. Felicity smiles and curls up to him, letting out a contented sigh as he presses a kiss to her hair.

“Lunch shouldn’t be too long.” He tells her and Felicity nods, smiling as Oliver strokes his hand over her hair.

“I can’t eat another bite.” Thea groans as she slumps into her chair, rubbing her hands over her stomach.

“You better, I didn’t bake those pies for nothing young lady,” Olivia tells her and Thea groans at the thought of more food.

“It’s okay Thea, we’ll leave the pies for a while.” Moira chuckles, smiling at her youngest. “Is everyone done?”

Everyone nods and they agree to move to the sofas where it’s a little more comfortable. Felicity settles and tucks her feet up underneath her, rearranging the pillows when Oliver’s voice stops her.

“Stay right there.” He tells her and she frowns but he immediately grabs his phone, taking a picture of her and she frowns, raising an eyebrow. “What? You look beautiful and the entire world should know how thankful I am that I get to stand by your side.”

Felicity sighs and rolls her eyes, pulling him down next to her on the sofa. “You big sap.”

“This is exactly what I’ve wanted for so long. My beautiful children, my wonderful mother, good friends, all in the same place. Happy Thanksgiving.” Moira toasts and they all smile.

Felicity moves instinctively toward Oliver, his arm curling around her as she rests her head against his shoulder.

They’ve got a few hours before sundown and Oliver doesn’t think he’s ever been so content to just sit with a girl but that’s the thing that Felicity does to do.

He just wants to be around her.

Oh, boy is he in deep.

"Felicity?" He asks softly and she hums, looking up at him with a soft smile. 

She blinks and Oliver gets a little distracted, the light dancing in her eyes and her lips, painted a pretty pink, curled up in a way that he just wants to kiss. 

"Oliver?" Her brow furrows and he smiles, reaching up with his hand to smooth over the soft crinkle. 

"Thank you." 

"What for?" 

"For being my best friend, my partner. You're what I'm thankful for." 

"You're what I'm thankful for too." 

Chapter Text

Felicity wakes up with another nightmare the night after Thanksgiving.

They’re two for two for not sleeping very well but Oliver merely pulls her into his lap and rocks her softly, hoping that the soothing presence and rub of his hand up and down her back will lull her back to sleep.

It doesn’t.

She’s still whimpering in his arms when he looks over to see that it is six am.

“Felicity?” He asks softly and she sniffles, pulling her face away from his neck to look at him. The sight of her teary eyes, still so full of fear and confusion, break his heart.

“I’m sorry.” She eventually sighs, wiping her own eyes.

“Hey…” He frowns, catching her around the waist as she goes to move away. “What are you sorry for?”

“For being so weak.” She sighs, looking at him with those captivating blue eyes so wide. Oliver frowns, he has no idea how she cannot recognize how utterly strong she is.

“Weak? Felicity, you’re the strongest person I know. My brave, brave girl.” He tells her honestly, his free hand coming up to cup her cheek.

“You’re just saying that.” She rolls her eyes and Oliver scoffs, shaking his head.

“Felicity, I wouldn’t lie to you, not about this. You are so brave, you put yourself in situations that no one would ever dream of, to help someone as jaded as me. You sacrifice your time, your sleep, your life for the good of your city. If that’s not brave, I don’t know what is.” He tells her and Felicity bites her lip.

“That’s truly how you see me?” She asks, fidgeting a little.

“Digg too.” He tells her and Felicity shakes her head with a soft smile coming to her lips. “Felicity, you are so strong. I mean it. I could not do what I do as the Arrow or as CEO of QC without you. You bring me home from every mission and make sure I’m where I need to be every hour of every day, no matter the cost. You mean the world to me, Felicity. You are my guiding light, my brave girl.”

Her voice hitches in a gasp as he leans forward and presses a kiss to her forehead, lingering there as he slowly pulls away to lock his blue eyes on hers.

“You’re not that jaded.” She finally speaks and he chuckles because of course, that’s what she has to say in response to all that. “I mean it. Oliver, all those things you think of me, I feel the same level of for you. You have given my life purpose in a way that I didn’t even know was possible. Before you walked into my cubicle that day, I was surviving. With you and Dig and everything with the Arrow, I finally feel like I’m living. You gave me that and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Her voice is a little cracked from all the crying but Oliver tears up at the sentiment nonetheless. He’s always been scared of losing her, of having dragged an innocent into his vengeance plan, but hearing her now, knowing that the mission means as much to her as it does to him, it’s all he needs.

“You mean the world to me too, Oliver.”

He cannot help himself. He has to kiss her in that moment.

They’re both crying, overtired from two nights of nightmares and raw emotions but there’s a desperation in the way their lips meet that just proves their words to one another.

There is no Oliver without Felicity anymore. And vice versa.

They’re bonded in a far deeper way that Oliver ever imagined being bonded to another person and there’s this little voice in the back of his head nagging at him, wondering how on earth he could ever let this closeness go once they get back to Starling.

For now, he shoves that voice even deeper down and turns, laying Felicity down on the bed as he proves just how much she means to him.

Oliver wakes before Felicity a few hours later.

The drapes are parted a little in the middle and a single beam of winter sun is streaming in. it lands directly on Felicity’s face, right across her cheek and Oliver cannot help himself from dragging his knuckle across the line it makes.

He freezes as Felicity lets out a small sigh but she merely smiles in her sleep and cuddles him a little closer.

She’s laying on his chest, head turned to the side and hair fanned out behind her. Her naked skin against his is all Oliver has secretly prayed for and he savors the feeling of it. Her skin is soft beneath his calloused fingers and he cannot help running his hand up and down her spine with a feather-like touch, not wanting to wake her after such a tumultuous night.

She moves a little in her sleep and Oliver lets out a low groan as the sheet slips lower, revealing her ass to the morning air. Oliver has always been a boobs and legs kind of guy but just like Felicity seemingly came out of nowhere, his slight obsession with her behind very quickly followed. His hands drift down to it now, running over the round flesh and he lets out a soft groan at the feeling of it as he softly kneads it.

“Well, that’s one way to wake a girl up.”

Her voice startles him and Oliver looks down sheepishly only to see her grinning cheekily up at him, the twinkle in her eye letting him know she’s not mad.

“Sorry for waking you.” He comments, his offending hand moving to stroke through her blonde curls instead.

“Hmm, that’s okay. What time is it?” She asks, turning to look at the clock. Her eyes widen as she reads the time and she sits up rather abruptly, glancing apologetically at Oliver as he hisses in pain when her knee hits a rather sensitive spot. “Sorry! But it’s eleven, Oliver!”

“And we didn’t fall asleep until almost seven, Felicity.” He reminds her softly, wrapping an arm around her waist to tug her back towards him.

“Still! Your mother and grandmother are going to think we were doing things we shouldn’t have been!” She gasps and Oliver chuckles, unable to resist placing a few kisses on her exposed shoulder.

“Well, that wouldn’t exactly be wrong. I seem to remember something rather lovely happening at around half six this morning.” He smirks but pouts as her hand slaps his away as it slithers up to her breast.

“Oliver! We need to go downstairs!” She admonishes and Oliver chuckles, tugging her back onto the bed when she tries to get up. “Oliver!”

“It’s the day after Thanksgiving, we’re not doing anything special. As long as we go down for lunch in a couple of hours, no one’s going to care.” He tells her but he knows he’s lost this battle when she glares at him.

“I care, Oliver! I’m going to get in the shower and if you don’t join me downstairs, I’ll tell your family that you’re ill and you can deal with your hovering mother and grandmother!” She declares and finally breaks away from the circle of his arms, heading towards the bathroom in her gloriously naked form.

“Now that’s not fair!” He calls after her but she simply winks over her shoulder, or at least attempts to.

Damn his beautiful girl and her ridiculously gorgeous ass.

She’s going to be the death of him, he knows it.

He exacts a little of his revenge when she reappears in her towel and he almost gets her back into bed with him but despite her giggles and light moans which drive Oliver crazy, she’s determined to head downstairs and she leaves him to shower, reminding him of her plan.

Oliver groans but does as he’s told, showering and dressing before heading downstairs. Everyone’s dotted around the living room and kitchen, all on their own and doing their own things.

Thea’s at the island with her phone and a cup of coffee, no doubt updating her Instagram in one way or another. Roy is leaning against the counter, also on his phone, although the horizontal nature clues Oliver into the fact that he’s playing some sort of game. Both his mother and grandmother are on a couch each. The former is on her laptop, no doubt doing some form of work, and the latter is filling out a sudoku, her brow furrowed as she concentrates.

Felicity is sat on one of the windowsills in the living room. Her concentration is completely on the pages in front of her and she’s only a few pages in. Oliver frowns, however, when he notices the cover. She’s reading the one book he brought with him. Sweeping his eyes over her frame, he notices that his socks are also poking out the top of her boots and his blanket is draped over her shoulders. The little minx.

He sneakily snaps a picture and uploads it to his Instagram, her head flying up at the click of his camera.

“What was that for?” She asks with a wide smile, one of the ones that lights up her entire face and Oliver is momentarily distracted. “Oliver, why are you taking pictures of me?”

“To document your crimes. You. Little. Thief.” He smiles as he steps up close to her, tapping a stolen item with each word.

“I finished all my books.” She pouts, tilting her head slightly to the side.

“And the socks?” He asks with a raised eyebrow, proud of himself for his resistance to her pout.

“My boots are a little too big and I didn’t bring any thick enough.” She offers as an easy explanation, a teasing smirk pulling at her lips.

“And the blanket?” He finishes, tugging lightly on her hair where it disappears under the fabric.

“I was cold?” She shrugs, that pout back on her face and he chuckles, tapping her on the end of the nose before kissing her pout away.

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” He chuckles and she grins, leaning into his embrace as he wraps his arms around her.

“Ollie, Felicity and I want to go into town for lunch,” Thea speaks up, finally drawing Oliver’s attention back to the other people in the room.

“Meaning you want to go into town for lunch and have managed to coerce Felicity into your plan?” Oliver correctly guesses and Felicity chuckles in his arms, leaning her head against his chest when he turns to look at Thea.

“That’s about right.” Olivia pipes up, not looking up from her sudoku but smiling nonetheless when Thea lets out a sigh of frustration.

“Felicity wants to go too! Right, Felicity?” Thea asks, looking at the blonde in her brother’s arms who smiles.

“It would be nice to see a little more of the town.” She admits, smiling up at Oliver who smiles back down at her and plants a kiss in her hair. He heard her using the blow-dryer whilst he was in the shower and knows it’s why her hair is lacking some of its natural curl.

“See!” Thea exclaims and Moira and Olivia both chuckle.

“Are the rest of us invited on this excursion or are you just staying facts Speedy?” Oliver asks, his hand rising unconsciously to comb through Felicity’s hair.

“Well, obviously you’re all invited.” Thea rolls her eyes and Oliver looks over to Roy who shrugs his shoulders.

“I’m up for anything Thea’s up for.” He comments and glares at Felicity when she coughs ‘whipped’ into her hand with a grin.

“I’m a little tired from the excitement of yesterday, I think I’ll sit this one out. You all go have fun though.” Moira smiles and Oliver knows that’s her excuse for having work to do.

“You youngsters go ahead. You’ll be a lot quicker without little old me tagging along.” Olivia smiles and they all jump to negate her idea.

“We don’t mind.”

“It’s our last day with you Grammy! We want to spend time with you!”

“You’re more than welcome to join!”

“We’d love to have you come along!”

“Well aren’t you all flatterers?” Olivia chuckles, looking around at all of them. “I’ll be fine here with Moira so long as you bring me back some cheesecake from the bakery.”

Oliver and Thea both let out indulgent groans, obviously thinking of the food, which peaks Felicity’s interest.

“I’ll go get changed and we can head out.” Felicity smiles, standing on her toes to kiss Oliver’s cheek without really thinking about it before she heads upstairs. Oliver smiles dopily after her and it isn’t until Thea walks over and nudges him that he looks away from the now empty staircase.

“Oh, you’ve got it bad, big brother.” His little sister smirks and Oliver rolls his eyes, nudging Thea back even though he knows her words are true.

Lunch in town passes rather uneventfully.

Felicity falls absolutely in love with the bakery they drop into to pick up cheesecake for Olivia and Oliver smiles at her indulgently as she presses her face up to the glass, admiring each and every cake.

He surprises her by buying a least a slice of all the ones her eyes linger on, leaving them with a rather large pile of cake boxes to load into the car.

“You’re crazy.” Felicity chuckles as Oliver disappears behind the massive pile as Thea opens the trunk with a laugh.

“Here dude.” Roy chuckles, taking some of the boxes of the top of the pile and helping him load them.

“Girl, he is wrapped around your finger.” Thea laughs, leaning her head on Felicity’s shoulder and the blonde chuckles, laying her cheek on top of Thea’s hair.

“As if your boy isn’t the same.” Felicity smiles, looking out over the view from the top of the hill they’ve parked on. “That lake is gorgeous.”

“Oh, we used to walk down there all the time! We should head down!” Thea grins and rushes over to Oliver and Roy, equipped with her best pout that Felicity knew would have her brother and boyfriend yielding in seconds.

Sure enough, in minutes, Felicity’s arm is looped through Oliver’s as they head down the slightly slippery steps towards the lake.

The terrain gets rather rocky towards the bottom and Felicity’s hand tightens on Oliver’s arm, knowing he won’t let her fall.

“You okay?” He asks and Felicity smiles up at him, nodding softly.

She’s a little distracted, however, by the look in his eye that she doesn’t look where she’s going and her foot slips dramatically. Preparing herself to smack against the hard rocks, she closes her eyes but the impact never comes.

Instead, she feels a strong arm wrapping around her waist and her feet leaving the floor for a completely different reason. He spins her so that their chests are pressed together and Felicity immediately wraps her arms tightly around his neck.

“Hold onto me tight, Felicity.” He whispers in her ear and Felicity can hear the smirk.

“You’re not funny.” She frowns and Oliver chuckles, kissing the side of her head.

“I’ve got you.” He promises and carries her down the last few steps securely.

“Goodness, I never get that kind of treatment,” Thea smirks and Roy rolls his eyes.

“I carried you around the entirety of downtown the other week when you said your shoes were pinching.” Roy reminds her and Thea smiles, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek.

“And what a lovely ride it was.”

“Oh, it’s so beautiful.” Felicity grins, looking out at the setting sun dancing on the lake.

“We used to come down here all the time as kids. I had completely forgotten.” Oliver smiles, coming to stand next to her. “Tommy and I used to try and climb those rocks over there, to varying success. We only stopped when Thea tried to follow us up one time and busted her knee open.”

“I remember that! Mom and Dad had stayed in the car so you carried me the whole way up.” Thea smiles over at her big brother who winks back.

“Tommy had his first kiss over on that pier,” Oliver smirks and Felicity looks at him as he reminisces, an unreadable expression on his face. “Her name was Eleanor, she was the daughter of the family who owned to cabin nearest ours and we spent a few summers here when Tommy and I were around 12. He was ever so happy that he’d managed to get kissed before me.”

Felicity slides her hand into Oliver’s and squeezes, smiling when he looks down at her with a smile of his own pulling at his lips.

“Why don’t we just sit for a while? It’s lovely and quiet here.” She suggests and Oliver frowns down at her.

“The sun’s almost set. We should head back.” He tells her but Felicity shakes her head, knowing that, right now, this quiet moment together is more important than lighting today’s candle.

“It’s alright. I want to stay here. We’ll do the candle when we get back.” She smiles and it takes a few more nods of her head before Oliver smiles, leading her over to a bench that overlooks the lake. Thea and Roy head over to one a few meters away and Felicity sighs, leaning her head on Oliver’s shoulder as she stares out over the peaceful lake and wishes they could freeze time and stay here like this, at least just for a little while.

Chapter Text

“We’re back!” Thea yells as the four of them make it through the door, juggling cake boxes between them, a few hours later.

“Did you buy out the bakery?” Olivia asks with a chuckle, moving to take a couple from Roy who’s obviously struggling with his rather large pile.

“No, Felicity liked the look of a lot of them.” Oliver smiles over at the blonde who gasps and glares back at him.

“And Felicity was happy to just look! That dweeb and his loose pockets were what led us to this.” Felicity adds, raising her eyebrow at Oliver as she places her boxes down on the island.

“Good choices though.” Moira smiles warmly as she peeks into the cardboard boxes.

“The entire place smelt like heaven.” Felicity groans and Moira chuckles, grabbing enough plates and a pile of forks out of the cupboard and drawer.

“Seems like the four of you have dinner sorted then.” Olivia grins, reaching for a fork.

“We should do the candle first.” Oliver jumps in and Felicity smiles at him gratefully as they all move over to the menorah. Felicity says the blessings and lights them in order, reaching the third light with a grin before she directs everyone back over to the island to enjoy the cake.

“Now this is a Smoak Thanksgiving break.” Felicity grins and Oliver rolls his eyes, holding his tongue about nutrition but plotting how to get some vegetables into his family later.

“Ugh, I never want to look at a slice of cake again.” Roy groans, lying across the rug and rubbing his stomach.

“And yet somehow, you still have abs whilst I could easily be about to birth twins!” Felicity groans, batting Oliver’s hand away when he moves to poke her food baby. “Mitts off!”

“Yeah Ollie, leave the girl and her food baby alone.” Thea laughs at her pouting brother, sprawled out on the sofa herself.

“Her name is Cocoa, in dedication to all of the delicious chocolate in those cakes.” Felicity nods and they all laugh as she runs her hand around her stomach as if she were really pregnant.

“I think we shall all have to survive off of salad for a few weeks once we get back to Starling.” Moira chuckles and Thea groans, leaning her head back against the arm of the sofa.

“And they’re so dull to make exciting.” The youngest Queen bemoans, rubbing her hand over her own stomach.

“Then just don’t eat them.” Roy frowns but holds his hands up in surrender when he receives the glare of all four women in the room.

“The press would have a field day with Cocoa, I can see the headlines now.” Felicity huffs, patting her stomach.

“And unfortunately, they wouldn’t stop when they find out it’s just cake.” Olivia huffs and the girls all hum, the tone of disappointment in their voices unmistakeable.

“I think your tummy’s cute.” Oliver frowns, reaching a hand out slowly in case of it being slapped away again and he smiles when it reaches its destination, rubbing circles over her sweater.

“You’re in love with her Ollie, you think everything about her is cute.” Thea chuckles and Oliver pouts, laying down across the couch so that his head is resting on Felicity’s stomach.

“And beautiful and wonderful.” He adds and Felicity is frozen for a second, his lack of denial for Thea’s words sinking in.

Her eye catches Moira’s and Felicity blushes at the knowing look on the matriarch’s face, a smile pulling at her perfectly painted lips. The feeling of a kiss to her stomach draws her attention back to Oliver and her hands slide easily into his hair.

“Just cute, beautiful and wonderful? Goodness. What a letdown.” She smiles, covering her astonishment with humor. Oliver sends her a strange look but she shakes her head, enjoying the weight of his head against her.

“Take a picture now babe, you’d drive the press crazy,” Roy smirks and Thea laughs as he has to dodge a well-aimed pillow from Felicity.

“Yes, we won’t be doing that. Thank you, Roy.” Moira chuckles, smiling at the picture her son makes, so relaxed around the woman she knows he never expected to fall in love with.

She just hopes it won’t all fall apart once they’re back on Starling soil.

Felicity wakes up to the feeling of kisses against her shoulder.

“Hmm, good morning.” She groans sleepily, looking over her shoulder and smiling at Oliver’s contented expression as his arms tighten around her.

“Morning. You look so gorgeous right now.” Oliver husks, his voice laden with sleep as he hovers over her a little, his lips moving to her cheeks.

“Oliver…” Felicity sighs, the reminder of their imminent return to Starling settling in. By this evening, they’ll be home and the dream of the last week will be over.

“What’s wrong?” He frowns, settling down next to her. He goes to move a curl away from her face but Felicity moves back from it, only making his frown deeper.

“I just… we’re going back to Starling today. This last week has been amazing but… I need to step away from this Oliver, I need to prepare myself for what it’s going to be like when we’re home.” She tells him, feeling her heart break as his face falls.

She watches him as he steels his expression and his mask settles back over his face.

“I’ll shower and then go give Mom a hand downstairs.” He finally tells her and Felicity sighs as he heads downstairs, falling back against the pillows with a huff as she worries that she’s just made a massive mistake.

“I need to protect my heart.” She reminds herself, ignoring the voice at the back of her head telling her that her heart is no longer hers. It belongs to the man she just let walk out the door.

“Oliver?” Moira frowns at the sight of her son, the frown not leaving his face.

“Oh hey Mom, I just came down to see if you needed any help with anything, packing or….” He trails off but Moira just continues frowning, tilting his head slightly.

“Oliver, what’s wrong?” She presses, knowing her son better than anyone. Well, almost anyone.

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Oliver frowns, looking up at his mother with tears in his eyes and Moira moves immediately, pulling her boy into her arms.

“Come on, tell me everything.” Moira sighs and pulls him into the living room.

“Ollie?” Thea’s voice sounds as she stops on the last stairs.

“Thea, can you take a cup of coffee to Felicity please?” Moira immediately jumps in, not letting Thea see how upset her brother is.

“Oh okay, sure.” The girl frowns and is quick in the kitchen before heading back up the stairs and towards Oliver and Felicity’s room.

“Tell me what happened, my darling.” Moira prompts, rubbing circles on Oliver’s back.

“I don’t know. We agreed that we would let ourselves feel how we want to this week but this morning we woke up and she just pushed me away. Literally dodged my hands. She said that she needs to prepare herself for what it’s going to be like in Starling.” Oliver sighs, letting his hands drop into his hands.

“So you agreed to love each other openly and let your feelings develop tenfold over the week. Now, you want to go back to how you were but maintain the relationship in public?” Moira asks and Oliver sighs, rubbing his hand over his face.

“When you say it like that, it sounds crazy.” Oliver chuckles and Moira raises an eyebrow.

“I think it is a little. Oliver, my darling boy, I have never seen you look at anyone the way you look at that beautiful girl. She has drawn a light out of you that I haven’t seen in such a long time. But she looks at you just the same way. You have given her something she never expected, I can see that. Felicity sees past that wall you put up and loves you for who you are. She adores you.” Moira tells him and Oliver sighs, knowing that he can’t tell his mom everything.

“Mom, things aren’t that simple though. Not back in Starling.” Oliver tells her and Moira smiles, running her thumb over his cheek.

“Why, my sweet boy? Because of that mask you wear?” She asks and Oliver freezes.

When? How? Where?

So many questions began running through his mind and Moira smiles, shaking her head when he finally goes to open his mouth.

“Hey, I need no explanation. You don’t need to say anything. I just want you to know that I could not be more proud.” Moira tells him and Oliver lets the tears fall, hugging her close.

“How?” He asks into her neck and Moira chuckles, running her hands through his hair.

“I’m your mother Oliver, there’s not much you can hide from me.” She chuckles and Oliver does too, unable to believe it.

His mother continues to surprise him, always.

“I love you, Mom.” He sighs, his arms tightening around his mother and Moira sighs, laying her head on his shoulder.

“I love you too, my beautiful boy,” Moira replies, kissing his temple. “So tell me, why you think you can’t be with that wonderful girl upstairs?”

“She’s the one who pushed me away.” Oliver sighs and Moira raises an eyebrow.

“Oliver, from what you’ve told me, that girl is attempting to guard her heart because she’s scared she’s going to get hurt. What have you told her?” Moira asks and Oliver sighs.

“That because of the life I lead, I cannot be with someone I think I could really care about.” Oliver mumbles and Moira sighs, shaking her head.

“But you’re already in the limelight with her? Why push her away behind closed doors? You can protect her, you’ve proven that already.” Moira tells him and Oliver sighs, letting her words sink in.

He’s been so sure that keeping Felicity at arms length is the safest thing for her. He never considered how being with her in public would be just as, if not more, dangerous than letting himself love her in private, and it’s causing them both pain.

He has some thinking to do.

“Felicity?”

Felicity looks up at the sound of Thea’s voice to see the younger girl stood in the doorway with two coffee cups in hand.

“Hey, give me a sec. I’ll put some clothes on.” Felicity smiles, wiping her tears when Thea turns and quickly pulls on some sleep shorts and a sweater. “Okay.”

Thea turns with a smile and follows Felicity over to the sitting area of the room as the blonde pulls her crazy curls into a messy bun.

“Are you okay?” Thea asks, handing Felicity her cup as the other girl tucks her feet up underneath her. “Did you and Ollie have a fight?”

“I don’t know whether I’d call it a fight.” Felicity sighs honestly, biting her lip as she attempts to figure out how to explain it to Thea without telling her everything.

“What happened?” Thea asks, tilting her head to the side and Felicity sighs.

“It’s my fault. I just… with going back to Starling with the truth being out, I’m worried about well… everything.” She chuckles and Thea smiles, watching how carefully Felicity clutches the coffee cup. It’s the most guarded and cautious she’s seen her be all week.

“Felicity… I have never seen Ollie act the way that he is around you. It’s like with one look at you, all his walls come tumbling down. He is so in love with you, I don’t think he’s even truly aware how deep it is.” Thea tells her and Felicity scoffs involuntarily.

“I don’t know… I just, all I hear is that I’m not Oliver’s type, that he’ll one day go running back to Laurel like he always does, that he’s only with me so that I can do all his work for him. Sometimes, I wonder if he agrees that I’m not enough for him…”

“Hey, hey! Felicity!” Thea calls, drawing Felicity’s attention back to her as the blonde’s eyes fill with tears. She moves immediately, safely placing down both coffee cups before she wraps her brother’s girlfriend in her arms. She strokes her hair as Felicity lets herself sob into her shoulder. “It’s okay, hey, it is, I promise. You are more than enough. He’s the one who needs to wonder if he’s good enough.”

“As if.” Felicity scoffs and Thea frowns, running her hand over Felicity’s hair.

“You’re literally gorgeous. You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met. You’re kind and generous and so warm-hearted. You’ve drawn Ollie back out of that chasm he was in and brought him back to us. Forget Ollie, I’ve only known you properly for a week and I would consider you one of my best friends because of your warmth and your light.” Thea tells her honestly, drawing Felicity back from her neck and holding her head in her hands.

“You truly think that?” Felicity asks, the tears coming back to her eyes again.

“Would I lie to you?” Thea grins and Felicity chuckles, wrapping her arms back around Thea.

“Thank you. You’re one of my closest friends too.” She smiles and Thea squeals.

“You know Ollie thinks the same thing about you.” Thea smiles, flicking some of Felicity’s short curls back.

“I don’t know. Just with Laurel and…” Felicity trails off before she says Sara’s name, knowing that the youngest Queen still thinks she drowned on the Gambit.

“Laurel? Felicity, Ollie hasn’t felt anything for Laurel in a long time. He’s in love with you. You can see it in the way he looks at you when you’re not looking.” Thea tells her and Felicity sighs.

“She still looks like a supermodel and I’m just… plain old Felicity.” She shrugs and Thea rolls her eyes, standing up. “Thea?”

“Now this is something I can help you with. Here, hold your coffee mug and look out the window.” Thea instructs and Felicity raises an eyebrow and does what she’s told.

She hears the click of a camera and concentrates on the way the wind is blowing through the trees.

“That’s the one!” Thea grins and Felicity turns back, gasping at the sight of the picture. She can’t see her face but she still looks more beautiful than she’s ever thought of herself. The light is shining on her, her legs are smooth and her neck is elongated.

“I look…” She trails off and Thea grins.

“You look exactly how Ollie sees you. How we all see you. You are sunshine. You are happiness, felicity if you will.” Thea grins and Felicity chuckles, drawing Thea in for a hug and kissing the side of her head.

“You are more remarkable than you know, Thea Queen.” Felicity smiles and Thea grins, relaxing happily into her.

“I’m so posting that to Instagram so that the whole world can see how gorgeous my best friend is.” Thea grins and Felicity laughs, squeezing her tightly.

“Thank you, Thea.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Are we ready to go?” Moira yells up the stairs a few hours later and Thea and Roy rush down the stairs, their last few bags in hand.

Felicity takes a deep breath and pulls her tote bag and handbag onto her shoulder before heading down the stairs. Oliver catches her eye, a hopeful look in her eye, and she can’t help but smile, watching that hope grow as he smiles back at her.

“Come here Felicity, my love.” Olivia smiles and Felicity grins, placing her bags on the sofa and walking into the hug with Olivia. “Thank you for bringing him back to us.”

“That was all him.” Felicity smiles but Olivia shakes her head, kissing Felicity’s temple as they pull back.

“You had a lot to do with it. I know it. You better keep in touch, young lady.” Olivia tells her sternly and Felicity grins, nodding her head.

“Yes, ma’am.” She chuckles and gets another hug before Olivia moves onto the others.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asks once he’s had his turn.

“Um yeah… can we talk on the plane?” She asks and Oliver nods, smiling down at her softly.

“Of course.” He takes a deep breath and tentatively reaches up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, smiling when she doesn’t move away as she did earlier.

“Alright, let’s get to the airport.”

They’re almost done with their journey when Oliver turns to Felicity, a serious expression on his face.

“Did you want to have that talk?” He asks and Felicity takes a deep breath before nodding, undoing her seatbelt and following Oliver down the aisle to one of the private rooms.

There are four seats and a large table, perfect for conferences and Felicity guesses that the entire jet was designed with work in mind. This professional environment helps her gain her confidence to have this conversation, flicking her hair back behind her shoulders.

“Would you like a drink?” Oliver asks and Felicity smiles, sitting down in one of the chairs.

“Some water would be great. Thank you.” She asks and Oliver delivers quickly, placing a glass down in front of her whilst he sips on a glass himself as he sits down across from her.

“I had a conversation with Mom this morning.” He starts and Felicity frowns, her head tilting. “She knows about the Arrow.”

“You told her?” Felicity gasps and Oliver shakes his head, a small smile playing on his lips.

“No, she said that she’s known for a while. It felt good to get everything out in the open.” He explains and Felicity nods, smiling.

“I’m happy for you Oliver, but I don’t really understand what this has to do with us,” Felicity asks and Oliver smiles, fiddling with his watch.

“With it all out in the open, I was able to have a full conversation with her about you and I. She asked me why I was so sure I’d be able to protect you when we’re together in public but I won’t let us be together in private.” He tells her and Felicity hums, tilting her head.

“And did you have an answer for her?” She asks quietly, watching the serious expression pass over his face.

“I’ve been hurting us both with this thing, thinking that I need to keep you at arms length to protect you. You are the person who knows me best in the world, the only person I feel like I can be myself around. I want to be with you. I want to show you that I can change, that I can be the person you need me to be.” Oliver tells her and Felicity sighs deeply, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“I had a discussion of my own this morning. With Thea. Oliver, I have never felt this way about anyone. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you the minute you walked into my office. It took you a little longer, I know.” She smiles and Oliver chuckles.

“You always were so much smarter than me.” He grins and Felicity rolls her eyes with a smirk.

“Oliver, I have been in love with you for over a year but I never thought you would feel the same way. How could you? You have Laurel and Sara and Helena and Mckenna, literal models. How on earth could I compare to that?” She starts and Oliver frowns.

“Felicity…”

“No, let me finish, please?” She asks and he nods, holding her hand softly. She looks down at it and takes a deep breath.

“I know how smart I am. I know that I’m pretty, that men find me attractive. I never thought you would love me, though. I think… I need some time Oliver. I need to figure out how I can still be me in this environment and I think, to be honest, I need you to prove to me that you can be the man you’ve been this week without the promise of sex.” She sighs, taking a deep breath. She looks at him cautiously and is surprised to find him nodding.

“Felicity, I know I’ve been more than awful. I’ve dangled maybes in front of you for too long. I totally understand that you need some time to figure this out and that I need to prove this to you properly. I promise you I will do that, that I will wait for you until you are ready. Are you… are you still happy to do this public thing?” He asks, only getting nervous at the last sentence.

“Yeah of course. I would never leave you in the lurch like that.” She promises and Oliver nods, squeezing her hand.

“Thank you. You’re an angel.” He smiles and Felicity chuckles, a blush coming across her lips.

“I promise I’ll let you know as soon as I’m ready.” She smiles and Oliver nods, winking as he lets go of her hand to take a sip of his water.

“This is your captain speaking, please put your seatbelts on in preparation for landing. Thank you.” A voice comes over the tannoy and Felicity looks at Oliver who clips his seatbelt in there and then. Felicity does the same and clasps her glass in her hand, downing the remaining water in it before the wheels touch down on the private airfield.

“You guys ready? Pretty pap free but Mr. Diggle’s here.” Thea grins as she appears in the door and Felicity grins, grabbing her stuff as she rushes to greet her friend.

“Digg!” She grins when she spots him waiting by the car and she practically flies down the stairs into a hug with him.

“Hey, you! Glad to see you back in Starling in one piece. Our boy look after you?” He grins, placing a brotherly kiss against her temple and Felicity grins, not realizing how much she had missed the man.

“I looked after myself. Oliver was there.” She replies with a smirk and Digg chuckles, squeezing her tightly before letting her go.

“That’s what I like to hear.” He grins, turning to Oliver as he approaches. “Good to see you, man.”

“It’s good to be back on home turf,” Oliver replies, hugging his brother tightly.

“Time for a whole new adventure now,” Digg smirks, looking between the two of them as they both take a deep breath.

A whole new adventure indeed.

Chapter Text

Felicity groans at the sound of loud banging on her door as she attempts to get ready for their first day back at work. A meeting with the board is not something she’s looking forward to, although she’s aware of how necessary it is to stabilize the company within the community as well as Oliver’s position within the company.

And for that, he needs her. No matter how much being around him is confusing and conflicting. She wants to be as close as they have been in the past week at the same time as pushing him as far away as possible. It’s utterly baffling and she wishes that she could get a slightly better handle on her emotions but for now, she’s stuck in this limbo she’s placed herself in.

The banging at the door continues and Felicity sighs, moving across her townhouse to yank her door open to the sight of her neighbors.

Susan is a single mother with the most adorable of five-year-old twins, Mikey and Alexis. Both blonde, inquisitive, and ever so sweet, Felicity is always happy to babysit when their young mother needs a night away from her delightful little terrors. This morning, however, Susan appears rather irate and impatient with two lunch bags and her handbag swinging from her hand as well as her twins standing slightly behind her with matching smiles on their faces.

What surprises her even more, however, is the bright flashes of cameras and the rather large crowd gathered on the street outside.

Suddenly, Susan’s annoyance makes sense and Felicity gestures her and the twins inside, shutting the door behind them.

“I am so sorry about all of this.” She immediately starts and Susan’s face softens a little as the twins smile innocently up at her.

“There’s a lot of people outside, ‘Licity.” Alexis states, her little head tilted to the side as she looks up at the older blonde.

“Momma said they’re here for you. Did you invent something, ‘Licity?” Mikey asks and Felicity smiles, running her hand over his wayward hair.

“No, my sweet boy. Well, not yet. They’re all here for a much more boring reason than that. They want to take my picture because of my boyfriend.” Felicity explains, wincing towards Susan with an apologetic look in her eye. “I’ll get the PR team at QC on it today, I promise. Are you guys okay to get to your car? My friend, who’s a bodyguard is coming to pick me up in ten minutes if you want to stick around?”

“It’s alright, we’ll find our way through. Just… is this all worth it Felicity? Is he worth it?” Susan asks, her eyes honest and Felicity knows it comes from a place of caring.

“I think he is.” Felicity replies, just as honestly and Susan nods, a smile on her face.

“Alright Rugrats, we better make a move if you aren’t going to be late. Say goodbye to Felicity.” Susan smiles and the twins grin, their little arms wrapping around Felicity’s waist simultaneously.

“Bye ‘Licity.”

“See you soon ‘Licity!”

“Goodbye Rugrats, I shall certainly see you soon.” Felicity grins, unable to stop the joy when faced with such sweetness and innocence.

“Come on, let’s get you to school.” Susan smiles and squeezes Felicity’s shoulder before she shepherds the twins out the door. Felicity watches around the curtain, glad that the mob parts and lets the children through, the cameras that continue to flash still directed at the house.

Felicity breathes a sigh of relief but startles as her phone goes off, directing her attention back towards the island where it sits, having lit up with a text from Digg.

On way, bringing caffeine and guilty Oliver

Felicity chuckles and instinctively glances in the mirror to check her hair. Slicked back into her signature, practical ponytail, she looks professional. She wonders for a second if she should let it down due to the number of cameras.

“No Felicity, just be who you are.” She tells herself and takes a deep breath, downing her cup of coffee and gathering her stuff as she waits for Digg and Oliver to arrive.

The din outside grows louder as the sound of a car pulling up also alerts her attention to the street. The knock on the door comes a moment later and Felicity checks the peephole to see Oliver stood there with two coffee cups in his hand. She unlocks the door and slips it open enough for him to slide in.

“I am so…”

“Oliver Jonas Queen, if the next word out of your mouth is sorry, I will leak that baby photo of you covered in lipstick to the entire world.” She threatens and Oliver chuckles, holding out one of the cups of coffee.

“Peace offering?” He smiles and Felicity smiles, taking it and taking a slurp.

“This is bribery but I love coffee so much, I will let it slide.” She smirks and Oliver chuckles, adjusting his suit. Felicity stops with her coffee cup posed to her mouth, wondering how on earth one man can look so good in a suit.

“Felicity? You okay?” He frowns and Felicity blinks, nodding her head.

“Yeah, yeah. You ready to go?” She asks, lifting her bag to sling it onto her shoulder.

“I got that.” He smiles and takes it from her, smiling as he offers her his other hand.

“Suits you.” She smirks and he laughs, opening the door.

He keeps her close as the cameras go wild and the reporters start screaming, questions and remarks that all fade into one loud din that is practically unbearable. Oliver grips her tight and forces his way through the crowd, keeping Felicity close to him and she doesn’t make her previous mistake of looking up. He opens the door for her first and she slides in, Oliver closes the door behind himself.

“Good morning. Seems like you’re quite popular today.” Digg smiles from the front seat and Felicity grins, sitting forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. He always seems to know just the thing to say to make her feel better.

“Something to do with some boy I hear.” Felicity winks at Oliver as she sits back, getting a laugh from him.

“Come on, let’s get you two to work.” Digg grins and they drive off towards QC.

Oliver heads downstairs to greet his mother, leaving Felicity alone in her office with the executives having their meeting in the boardroom.

“Don’t you think you should wait for Oliver?” Felicity asks as Isabel breezes past her as if Felicity doesn’t even exist.

“If Mr. Queen was so inclined to be here on time, then he would be here when we start. We have spent too much time waiting for Oliver and accepting his tardiness.” Isabel glares and Felicity sighs, glancing back to the elevator and willing its doors to open.

“He is here, he’s just downstairs.” Felicity calls after her but it falls on deaf ears and she sighs, leaning back into her chair and rubs her temple when she feels a headache coming on.

The elevator door finally dings around five minutes later and Oliver, Dig and Moira appear.

“Mrs. Queen, welcome back to the company.” Felicity greets as she stands with what she hopes is a warm smile on her face.

“Thank you, Felicity dear.” Moira smiles happily at her and Oliver winks at her. “How are you? I know the paparazzi have been rather relentless around your house.”

“I’m fine, a little worried about my neighbors however. We’re going to talk to PR later to see what they can do.” Felicity explains and Moira nods, reaching out to rub Felicity’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry about this all, we’re all very appreciative of what you’re doing.” The matriarch tells her and Felicity smiles with a nod.

“Thank you. Your hair looks fantastic by the way. Did you do something new with it?” She grins and Moira chuckles, reaching up to fix a non-existent stray hair.

“Yes, I shampooed it without eight women and a guard watching.” Moira smirks, the sarcasm evident in her voice and Felicity chuckles, grinning over at Oliver who’s smiling affectionately at the two of them.

“Shall we, Mom?” Oliver asks and sends Felicity a wink as he leads her into the boardroom.

Felicity settles down at her desk and begins to comb through emails when the phone begins to ring.

“Good morning, Felicity Smoak, EA to Oliver Queen, how can I help you this morning?” She answers immediately, pressing the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she continues to type.

“Good morning Miss Smoak, this David Conrad, I work security over at the Applied Sciences building. I’m afraid we’ve had a break-in. We figured Mr. Queen would like to look over the inventory and the police are also on their way.” The man on the other end of the phone explains and Felicity frowns, looking up to Digg who frowns back at her in question.

“We’ll be over as soon as possible, Mr. Conrad. Thank you.” She replies before hanging up the phone. “We have a problem. We need to get Oliver and head over to Applied Sciences. Now.”

The building is a mess, police everywhere and obvious evidence of a crime scene in the center of the floor. Quentin Lance is stood in the middle of it all and he turns towards them when he spots the trio making their way.

“Mr. Queen. Seems like your company can’t quite seem to keep out of trouble.” Quentin comments but Oliver’s attention is all on Felicity, catching her arm as she heads to step over a pile of metal.

“Careful, that’s sharp.” He frowns and practically lifts her over it, only turning back to the confused frown of Quentin Lance once he knows she’s safe. “Detective Lance, a pleasure to see you again. Any idea what happened here?”

They’re led over to the door where it’s lying on the floor after having been blown off of its hinges.

“This door was made of expanded reinforced titanium. What did they use to do this?” Digg frowns as he and Oliver bend down to examine the door with the large dent in it.

“Not sure yet. No sign of any explosives. Maybe a crane, maybe a forklift. I'm guessing there was at least three of them, maybe four. And given how quick they got in and out of here... They were fast.” Quentin explains and Oliver sighs, looking over at her as they stand up. “Any idea what these guys were so hot to break in here for? You didn't happen to leave a spare earthquake machine lying around, did you?”

Felicity glares at Quentin when Oliver whirls around to look at the detective.

“Sorry.” Quentin replies defensively as they’re approached by a security guard.

“This is what we were able to pull off the security cameras. He was the only guy we got on video. The rest of the crew must have come in after him.” He explains, turning the tablet around so that they can see the man attacking the guards.

“Actually, it was only one guy.” A new voice adds and they all turn to see a young man stood there, suitcase in hand and soaked from the rain outside. “Ah, sorry I'm late. But actually, my train was late. Well, the second one. The first one I did miss, but that was my cab driver's fault. I've got this great traffic app, and... But he thought that he was right. I'm here now, though. So...”

He moves towards them all as he explains his journey, only confusing them all further. Felicity can’t help but smile at her fellow rambler, it’s not very often she meets someone with a similar lack of control over their mouth.

“Great. Who the hell are you?” Quentin seems far less impressed as he appraises the man on the crime scene.

“And do your parents know that you're here?” Oliver follows up, looking him up and down. He’s moved slightly in front of Felicity which almost makes her want to scoff. What does he think some skinny young man is going to do to her?

“I'm Barry Allen. I'm from the Central City police department. I'm with the crime scene investigation unit. We're working on a case with some similar unexplained elements in Central City, so when the report of your robbery came over the wire, my captain sent me up here.” He smiles proudly at the end and Felicity smiles over Oliver’s shoulder, wanting to give the poor boy at least one friendly face.

“And you think one guy ripped through this door like it was tin foil?” Quentin questions, raising an eyebrow.

“One very strong guy, yeah.” He begins to fiddle around on the tablet in his hand and produces a photo of the guard from the police report. The bruises there make Felicity wince and she relaxes into the feeling of Oliver’s hand on her shoulder. “Uh, it takes about 1,250-foot-pounds of torque to break someone's neck. You see the marks on the guard's neck? The bruising pattern suggests the killer used only one hand. I'm guessing you don't know how hard it is to break someone's neck.”

Felicity has to hide her snicker as Barry directs the question to Oliver who puts on his best innocent face. “Hmm? No. No idea.”

He glares at her when Barry turns away and she just smiles, gaining a shake of the head.

“Uh, we're going to need a list of the entire inventory here to figure out exactly what was stolen.” The security guard tells them and Felicity nods, already going to pull her own tablet out her bag when Barry begins to speak again.

“Actually, I think I know what was stolen. A centrifuge. An industrial centrifuge. Probably the Kord Enterprises 2BX 900. Maybe the six series. Both have a three column base.” He leads them over to where the stolen item once was, the bolts used to nail it to the floor sticking out of the ground. They’re bent and misshapen as if the significant rounds of metal are as malleable as a paperclip. “Here, you can see the three sets of broken bolts where the thief just... ripped it out of the ground.”

“And what exactly is a centrifuge?” Quentin asks, gaining an appreciative nod from Oliver.

“It separates liquids. The centripetal acceleration causes denser substances to separate out along the radial direction. And lighter objects move to the top.” Felicity explains, looking over to the CSI with a frown. “What did you say your name was again?”

“Barry. Allen.” He reintroduces and Felicity nods with a smile.

“Felicity. Smoak.” She replies, rolling her eyes when Oliver raises an eyebrow at her.

“Um, you can see the cracks heading towards the door. Footsteps. One guy. Anyway, it's just a theory. One backed by a lot of evidence.” Barry states awkwardly as Oliver bends down to look at the misshapen bolts.

“There has to be another explanation.” Quentin frowns as he gestures to her to walk a few paces away with him.

“Yeah. I'm sure you're right.” Barry mutters in the background as he watches Oliver study.

“You might want to fill our mutual friend in on this.” Quentin tells her and Felicity nods, glancing back towards Oliver.

“Don't worry. I'm sure he's already on it.” She replies and Quentin nods.

“Hey, listen. Are you alright? He’s not forcing you into this or anything, is he? This whole relationship thing I mean.” Quentin frowns, looking between her and Oliver and Felicity smiles, affection for his concern flowing through her.

“Detective Lance, I assure you, I’m fine and everything is most definitely consensual.” She tells him, wincing as her mouth wins over her brain once more.

“You sure do have a thing about surrounding yourself with dangerous people, Miss Smoak.” Quentin tells her and Felicity sighs, looking back to Oliver.

“He’s not all as dangerous as he’d like you to believe, Detective.” Felicity smirks and Quentin chuckles.

“Now that I can believe.”

“Felicity? We should probably head back to the office, start investigating this a little further.” Oliver calls and Felicity nods with a smile, patting Quentin’s arm.

“Thanks for your help Detective.” She smiles and heads back over to Oliver and Digg, the former of which holds out his hand. Felicity frowns, unsure why he’s so insistent of keeping up appearances right here and now but she takes it, interlocking their fingers as she smiles at Barry.

“We need to make some calls.” Oliver frowns and Felicity nods, letting he and Digg lead her back to the office.

So much for a quiet first day back.

Chapter Text

Oliver sighs as he looks out the window of his office.

It can’t be the mirakuru. It was destroyed, how on earth would it be here in Starling? So far away from Lian Yu. He guesses that his past is something he’ll never be able to escape.

He glances over at his partners. Digg is on the phone and Felicity is typing away on her tablet, that adorable look of concentration on her face.

He prays to every deity he knows that this isn’t the mirakuru. He doesn’t want that in his city, he certainly doesn’t want it anywhere near Felicity.

She’s so gorgeous, her hair up in her usual ponytail which reveals her long neck and her dress with that perfectly placed cut-out right on her chest. God, he’s so ridiculously in love with her that he can’t even explain it.

“Oliver. Got the final inventory from applied sciences. That CSI from Central City was right. The only thing missing is a centrifuge.” Digg sighs as he hangs up the phone and heads straight into his office, making Oliver frown.

There’s something about that CSI he doesn’t like. He’s obviously good at his job but something seems off. It’s definitely not just the way that Felicity seems very cozy with him very quickly.

“You have to see this. I pulled up CC traffic camera footage from across the street of applied sciences. This is three minutes after the alarm went off.” Felicity adds as she enters the office, turning her tablet around to show them a video of a man lifting the centrifuge single-handedly.

Shit.

“Can we help you with something, Detective?” Oliver asks as he spots the CSI wandering around the corner with a confused look on his face. What confuses Oliver, even more, is the smile that Felicity sends him.

“Oh, CSIs aren't actually detectives. We don't even carry guns. Just some plastic baggies.” The boy, Oliver refuses to call him anything other than a boy seeing as he looks around 17, jokes and Felicity chuckles, making Oliver frown. “Uh, where should I set up my equipment?”

“I'll show you.” Felicity smiles and takes a step forward.

Wait, what?

“What's going on?” Oliver asks with a frown, looking at Felicity with a curious expression.

“Your assistant said that you preferred to keep the investigation in-house, so I cleared it with my captain to give you a hand.” The CSI smiles and Oliver’s frown only deepens as he grasps Felicity’s arm lightly and pulls her back towards the window.

“What are you doing?” He asks, keeping his hand on her arm but loosening it so he’s not gripping her at all.

“We need to find this intruder. And he seems to know more about it than any of us. Forensic science isn't exactly my forte, so... I'd say we need him. Wouldn't you?” She asks, looking back over her shoulder at the CSI. Oliver frowns, pursing his lips because she’s really not given him anything else to say here.

“Mm-hmm.” Is all that comes out and Felicity smiles, stepping out of his grasp to head towards her new friend.

“I'll show you around.” She nods and what Oliver does next is purely instinctive.

“Felicity?” He calls and she stops, turning back to look at him with a curious expression on her face. It’s the one where one eyebrow raises and she tries to look intimidating but really it’s just kind of adorable. Oliver can’t help but smile as he walks up to her, touching her cheek softly. “Big Belly tonight? Just you and me?”

“Oliver, we have an intruder to catch.” She says reproachfully but the smile tugging at her lips says otherwise.

“I said things would be different, I want to make more time for us, no matter what’s going on. Whatever’s happening by tonight can wait an hour for us to have dinner.” He tells her and can’t help but smile as her face lights up. He knows this is what she’s wanted, for him to put her first for once.

“Okay. Seven?” She asks and he smiles, leaning down to softly kiss her cheek.

“Perfect.” He whispers in her ear and smiles, his heart feeling a little lighter as she leads the CSI away. He catches a glimpse of the wide smile on her face and feels the pride rise in him for having put it there but he’d be lying if he said that he doesn’t also feel a little proud that the kid from Central City looks a little disappointed.

“Smooth.” Digg snorts and Oliver turns to look at his friend. “Why am I getting the feeling you know more about this than Felicity's new friend?”

Just like that, Oliver comes back down the earth and he heads back towards the window, memories of the island, Slade and Shado all coming back.

“Pray I'm wrong.”

He knows there’s one more thing to fix however so as Digg promises to keep an eye on Felicity and their new assistance, Oliver heads back to the mansion to speak to his mom about that morning and Isabel.

He finds her in the sitting room, looking through some files and she smiles when she sees him walk in.

“Hi. I'm sorry about what happened at the office this morning.” He tells her and Moira smiles, shaking her head.

“There are a lot of people who think I got away with murder, Oliver. Maybe I did.” She replies, her face growing serious and Oliver frowns.

“Mom, the trial, the Undertaking, Malcolm Merlyn, all of that is behind us now. And we need everyone to see that.” Oliver explains and Moira frowns, tilting her head as she looks at him.

“How are we going to do that?” She asks, her eyebrows raised as if she doesn’t believe that’s even possible.

“We throw a party.” He states as if it’s the simplest thing in the world and Moira guffaws as Thea and Roy walk into the room.

“Thea. Roy.” His mother greets, forever the observer of custom, even in dire circumstances.

“Did I hear you guys say something about a party?” Thea asks, perking up a little and Oliver smiles, looking over at his sister.

“A welcome back to Queen Consolidated party for mom.” He explains, watching the excitement pass over his little sister.

“I don't think so.” Moira states, shaking her head but Oliver knows that this will work.

“If things are going to get back to normal, then we need to start acting normal.” He tells her and he can practically hear Thea grin behind him.

“Normal for us is a lavish party.” The teenager adds with a grin and Moira chuckles as Roy’s phone buzzes.

“Oh. I'm sorry, Mrs. Queen, I can't stay for brunch.” Roy frowns at his phone, showing it to Thea who straightens and heads towards their mother.

“I guess we got to go. Bye.” She kisses Moira on the cheek and smiles at Oliver before following her brother out.

“I'll take care of everything,” Oliver tells his mom and Moira smiles. Oliver hopes the look in her eye means that she’s at the very least open to the idea.

He heads towards his room where his laptop is.

He has a party to plan after all.

Felicity frowns as she watches Barry scavenge around on the floor in the Applied Sciences building.

“What exactly are you looking for?” She asks as she watches him delicately pluck something off the floor.

“Your thief's shoes touched the ground, which means he tracked in dozens of clues as to where he's been the past few days. Got ya.” Barry grins and places something in a tube before placing it in one of the machines he brought. “Shouldn't take long. So you've seen him, right? The Vigilante? I read that he saved you. What was he like?”

His questions come hard and fast and Felicity freezes, never having been great under pressure. She’s usually okay with managing not to reveal Oliver’s secret but when questions that are that specific get thrown her way, she blanches a little.

“Green.” She replies and winces when Barry takes it and runs with it.

“Green. That's interesting, right? I mean, why green? Black would be better for stealth, and urban camouflage. Me, personally, I think that he trained in some sort of like forest or jungle environment, and the green is a nod to that.”

Wincing at how on point Barry’s observations are, Felicity moves away from him to turn off the lamps.

“I don't give the vigilante much thought.” She lies, hoping that Barry will pick up on her cues and know that she wants to stop talking about it.

She is not, however, that lucky.

“Police reports show that he uses carbon arrows, but if he switched to an aluminum carbon composite, he would have far better penetration.” Barry rambles, the excitement evident in his voice and Felicity curses the skies, wondering why on earth she got lumped with the CSI most interested in the Arrow.

“Maybe he thinks he penetrates just fine.” She blurts and then freezes as their nights from the mountains flood her memories. Nights spent wrapped up in Oliver’s arms, letting themselves succumb to what they want. She wonders what it might feel like to have him here, in her townhouse or sneaking around the mansion. Whether it will feel different, here in their home.

“Do you want to know something else?” Barry asks and Felicity snaps back to reality, blushing quickly. “I think that he has partners. Definitely someone with a background in computer sciences.”

That makes her freeze. This boy knows too much. He’s far too interested and she knows that she needs to move this conversation away from Oliver as quickly as she can but there’s something niggling at the back of her mind, that little part of her that cannot let a mystery go unsolved is going wild and she sighs.

“Why are you so interested in the Vigilante anyway?” She questions, unable to stop herself. Barry grows somber, his eyes a little dark and Felicity frowns, turning towards him.

“When I was 11, my mom was murdered.” He states and Felicity frowns, her next words instinctive.

“I'm so sorry.” She tells him and Barry sighs, taking a moment.

“They never caught the guy who did it. Maybe he would have.” Barry explains and Felicity nods, a soft smile on her lips.

That is what Oliver does, solves things others cannot. They, as a team, work through impossible cases and that’s the whole reason she believes in Oliver and his mission so deeply.  

The computer beeps and Barry looks at it before frowning. “The soil...there's a crystalline structure in it. That's weird.”

“What's weird?” Felicity asks, unable to see over Barry’s shoulder.

“It's sugar.”

“Sugar?” Felicity frowns and immediately turns to her computer, typing away.

“What are you doing?” Barry asks, looking up from the sample.

“Boom! Pass me my phone.” Felicity grins when what she’s hoping for pops up on her screen.

“Here.” Barry frowns, placing her phone in her hand and Felicity immediately shoots off a text to Oliver, telling him to get to the Applied Sciences building asap. “What have you found?”

“There’s a sugar refinery near here. One of their delivery trucks was stolen a few days ago. I bet you more than anything, that’s what our intruder is using to get around. If I can track the truck, I can find the guy.” Felicity explains and Barry frowns, looking down at her computer.

“Shouldn’t the police handle this?” Barry asks and Felicity scoffs, adjusting her ponytail a little.

“Please, I can do this ten times faster than the SCPD.” She gloats a little, noticing the look that Barry is sending her. “What?”

“I’m just wondering why someone so intelligent as you works as an EA for a rich dude who’s kind of a douchebag?” He asks and Felicity frowns, his last comment hitting home.

“Oliver isn’t a douchebag. Not in any sense of the word. He’s got a thick skin, he was marooned on an island for five years and that would’ve had an impact on anyone. The fact that he dedicates his life to continuing his parents’ legacy and has so thoroughly invested himself in helping the people of this… company, I think that shows how much of a good person he truly is.” Felicity frowns, catching herself before she slips up and reveals Oliver’s secret to this man that she met this morning.

Felicity’s text comes just as Oliver arrives back at the office and he alerts Digg before they both make their way back over to Applied Sciences.

Felicity and the CSI are bent over something, obviously deeply involved in whatever they are looking at and Oliver prays that the CSI has found something, given him some reason to keep him here.

God, he really doesn’t like how close he’s standing to Felicity.

“You found something?” Oliver asks, directing his question entirely to Felicity who looks up with a smile at the sound of her voice before looking towards Barry.

“We found something.” She corrects and Oliver raises an eyebrow, gesturing for her to go on and telling her silently that he really doesn’t care about the kid next to her.

“There were trace amounts of sucrose on a spec of dirt the killer dragged in here on his boot,” Barry explains and Oliver frowns, looking back towards Felicity in the hope that she can explain some of that crazy sentence to him.

“Which got me thinking. There is a sugar refinery two miles from here. The land around it is suffused in waste sugar. So, I checked. They had a delivery truck stolen a few days ago.” She tells him and Oliver’s shoulders slump in relief at the fact that they finally have a lead. He knew he could rely on his girl.

“Their truck matches the make and model of the truck the thief used to steal the centrifuge,” Barry explains and Oliver nods, having guessed as much.

“Can you track the vehicle?” He asks and Felicity sighs. He knows that’s her disappointed in herself sigh and Oliver frowns, reaching out for her hand when she replies.

“We've been trying.” She tells him and the computer beeps before he can reach her hand. She moves towards it, her face in shock as she looks at the screen.

“What was that?” He asks and Felicity sighs, tapping a few keys.

“You're not going to believe this. The truck, it was just used to rob a blood bank.” Felicity tells him and Oliver freezes for a second.

The centrifuge.

A blood bank.

This is all sounding far too much like a drug operation and the super-soldiers running around his city make it seem like his worst nightmares are coming back to haunt him.

“Are you sure?” He questions and Felicity frowns, shaking her head.

“Yeah. Our guy just made off with 30,000 ccs of O-negative.” Felicity replies, the disbelief evident in her voice as she looks up at him and the three of them share a look.

Oliver knows they need to get to the Foundry but getting away from Allen is going to be hard. He’s observant, that much is obvious, and Oliver doesn’t need another person in on his secret, especially if he doesn’t know if he can trust them.

“Wait, he has super strength, likes blood? Please don't tell me we suddenly believe in vampires.” Digg quips, attempting to lighten the mood but Oliver’s mind is on mirakuru right now and he’s worried about his best friend and his love. This is another thing he hasn’t told them, another thing he has to reveal to them, only to see their disappointment when they realize he didn’t stop it the first time.

He had been so sure.

“We should give this information to the local police.” Allen interrupts and Oliver frowns.

“I'll...take care of that,” Oliver tells him, glazing over the idea before he frowns, quirking his head. There’s something off about this kid, definitely. “Did you say that you were working a similar case in Central City?”

“Oh, yeah, um... Yeah, you know, it's similar. Has similar elements. A lot of similarities.” Barry rambles but it has none of the adorableness of Felicity’s rambles or even the endearment.

“Right.” Oliver frowns and then turns to Felicity. “Can you keep tracking that truck please?”

“On it.” Felicity smiles and Oliver nods, rubbing his hand over her shoulder before he leads Digg away.  

“I want you to look into this Allen kid. There's more to him than he's letting on.” Oliver says seriously and Digg smirks, looking over to where Allen has moved closer to Felicity again. It makes Oliver’s blood boil.

“His intentions seem pretty clear to me,” Digg smirks and Oliver glares.

This isn’t on Felicity. He knows that. Felicity’s warm heart and openness are exactly what endeared Oliver to her in the first place. She’s friendly and welcoming to everyone who she doesn’t have reason to dislike.

“Just do it, please.” Oliver sighs and Digg frowns.

“Oliver, when are you going to tell me what exactly we're up against?” Digg questions but Oliver ignores him, still wanting to believe that this isn’t what he thinks.

“Oliver! Oliver! Are you okay?” Felicity’s voice in his ear pulls Oliver back from the pain in his side as he drags himself onto his bike.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good.” He groans, wincing as he kicks his bike into gear and he heads back towards the Foundry.

This pain is nothing he hasn’t experienced before. Actually, he’s experienced a lot worse before but he’d be lying if he said he doesn’t like the way Felicity rushes to him and immediately starts fawning over him.

“What happened? What hurts?” She asks, her face a picture of concern as she places a soft hand on his cheek.

He catches Digg’s eye over her shoulder and he immediately looks away, blushing at the knowing smirk he finds on his best friend’s face. He just wants to appreciate this moment with his girl and not be judged for it by his brother. Is that too much to ask?

“My side, I think… it might need taping.” Oliver frowns and sighs a little as Felicity pouts, running her fingers through his hair.

“Alright, come on. Sit down over here and we’ll get you sorted out.” She pulls him over to a stall and helps him out of his suit jacket.

“Oh wow man, that does look bad.” Digg winces at the sight of the redness covering his side.

“Can you get the tap please Digg?” Felicity asks as she bends down to take a look. She presses her fingers around the area and Oliver cries out, perhaps ramping up the dramatics a little but it gets him a stroke on his knee so he’s not telling anyone.

“Here,” Digg smirks as he hands the tape over, rolling his eyes at Oliver as he moves back a few steps.

Felicity sets him up leaning on the table before she gets to work.

“Yeooww!” He cries as she accidentally nudges a sensitive area and Felicity winces, pulling his grey hoodie from the table behind him and helping him into it.

“Sorry.” She apologizes, zipping the jacket up for him and patting his cheek. He manages a weak smile for her and she smiles back, staying by his side as they both turn to look at Digg.

“You were right to ask if I knew more than I was letting on. I've seen men with abilities like that before.” Oliver admits, trying not to let the disappointment on his face show as Felicity moves away to stand next to Digg and face him.

“You have? Where?” Felicity frowns, looking at him with surprise in her eyes but there’s none of the judgment he sees in Digg’s in her gorgeous blues. She’s worried whereas Digg is annoyed Oliver didn’t tell him earlier.

“The island. My second year marooned there, we-- I came across the remains of a Japanese World War II military project. It was a serum designed to create human weapons.” Oliver explains, keeping his eyes on the end of his hoodie so as to avoid Digg and Felicity’s gaze.

“Human weapons. My God, what's next, aliens?” Digg asks in surprise and Oliver sighs, looking up at him with a reproachful gaze.

“This is real, Diggle. Those five years that I was away, I came across things that just... defy explanation. There's a doctor, his name is Ivo, and he came to the island to test the serum on people. The ones that survived, their endurance, reflexes, and strength were all enhanced.”

“And you think this Ivo's in Starling City?” Digg asks, his arms crossed and his irritation at the situation evident.

“He's dead. And so is every one that he injected with the serum. The last of which...I burned.” Oliver glances at Felicity before looking down in shame. There’s an unreadable expression on her face and Oliver doesn’t know what she’s thinking right now which he hates. He can usually read Felicity like a book.

“You think someone found the recipe,” Digg states more than asks and Oliver sighs.

“The centrifuge and a large supply of blood. I think someone wants to make more of it. A lot more.” He explains and Digg slumps, the severity of the situation finally dawning on him.

“Why couldn't you have been marooned on Aruba?” Felicity finally speaks and Oliver turns to look at her, unable to help the reassuring smile he sends her. She always knows how to make him feel better and he reaches for her hand to squeeze as he stands and leads her over to his arrow from the last mission.

“There's a third component-- a strong sedative.” He explains, lifting up the twisted arrow to show her and Felicity frowns, taking it into her free hand without letting go of his with her other.

“I think I preferred it when you left these in people.” She frowns and Oliver’s lips quirk.

“I need you to analyze the blood on the arrowhead. If we can figure out which sedative they're using...” He starts and Felicity nods, lifting it up to examine it.

“We can figure out where the next robbery will be. Barry and I will get right on it.” She nods and Oliver frowns, tugging her back to him when she takes a few steps away.

“Do you need to stay by it?” He asks and Felicity frowns, keeping the bloody arrow away from them.

“No, I can set up an alert on my phone for when it’s done.” She tells him and Oliver smiles, linking their fingers together.

“Did you want to meet me at Big Belly for that dinner once you get it set up?” He asks and she smiles, that beautiful light spreading across her face.

“I would love to.” She nods and Oliver grins, squeezing her hand. She leaves, smiling at him over her shoulder and he sends her a wink, turning to see Diggle’s smirk.

“I think our Miss Smoak is smitten.” His best friend tells him and Oliver rolls his eyes.

“Speaking of smitten, did you find anything out about Mr. Allen?” He asks and Digg’s expression turns serious. “Hang on, maybe you can tell me after I have dinner with Felicity?”

“Good call man, good call.”

Oliver smiles and heads home to clean up for dinner.

Chapter Text

“Hi, Oliver.” Becky at Big Belly smiles when she spots him in the booth by the window.

“Hey Becky, how are you doing?” He asks, turning his charming smile on their usual waitress.

“Oh you know, same old, same old. Just you today?” She asks, tilting her head and Oliver smiles, shaking his head.

“No, Felicity’s on her way.” He explains and Becky nods, a smirk growing on her face.

“Ah, I see. Quick date night?” She asks and Oliver chuckles.

“Something like that.” He blushes a little and Becky purses her lips, a giggle on her lips.

“Adorable. I’ll get your usual rung up.” She tells him and Oliver smiles.

“You’re a star.” He smiles charmingly and Becky smiles, heading up towards the register.

The bell over the door jangles and Felicity steps inside, shucking her coat off of her shoulders and revealing the fact that she’s changed since he last saw her. The outfit is still wonderfully her; white blouse, burgundy skirt, black tights, and heeled loafers but the fact that she felt the need to dress up for him even for a quick dinner at Big Belly fills his heart with hope.

She smiles widely when she spots him and makes her way over, dropping her black handbag and her coat into the booth before sliding in herself.

“Hi. The analysis is running and I’ve wired the alert to my phone. I know my algorithm and with the obscurity of the sedative, I’m yours for at least an hour.” She grins, her wide smile infectious and he reaches out to rub his thumb over the back of her hand.

“I’ll take every second I can get.” He tells her and Felicity smiles with that delightful blush spreading across her cheeks and disappearing beneath the neckline of her shirt. “You went home to change?”

“Yeah, I was feeling a little gross.” She smiles, blushing under Oliver’s obviously appreciative gaze.

“Have the paparazzi let up at all? I never asked if you made it to PR with everything going on.” He admits sheepishly and Felicity huffs a little.

“I did, they did what they could but there’s still plenty of reporters with cameras outside my house like that lacrosse player my freshman year of college.” She trails off and Oliver immediately frowns.

“Weren’t you sixteen during your freshman year of college?” He asks and Felicity freezes, her eyes widening as she looks up at him.

“You remember that?” She asks and Oliver frowns, holding her hand in both of his.

“Felicity, the fact that you went to college early is not exactly an insignificant detail in your life. I do listen when you talk.” He smirks and Felicity smiles, nodding her head.

“Right, sorry… I just… I’m not that used to people, well guys really, paying any attention to me.” She blushes and Oliver smiles.

“Except for lacrosse players?” He asks with a quirked eyebrow and Felicity laughs with a roll of her eyes, knowing the protectiveness that is seeping out through his joke.

“The police handled it, he did his time.” She tells him and Oliver nods, squeezing her hand.

“Now the fact that you were wearing a pink blouse when we first met and that you get this adorable little crinkle in your forehead when you’re woken up… that’s me paying attention.” He winks and Felicity shakes her head with a laugh.

“I was chewing a pen the day we met.” She tells him with a self-deprecating laugh but he just keeps his eyes on her.

“It was red.”

She freezes, her eyes immediately snapping up to meet his own. He knows her surprise is at his candor and his recall of such a tiny detail from their first meeting. To Oliver however, nothing to do with his interactions with Felicity are tiny details. Every single thing is important and the way her bright red lips were wrapped around that red pen over a year ago now is as obviously important. Those bright colors, it always reminds Oliver of how Felicity has brought brightness to his life, right from that very first day when she first amused him.

Now, she nods her head slowly, her eyes locked on his as her fingers unconsciously dance across her brightly painted lips.

“Here you guys are! Felicity, it’s so nice to see you! I’m obsessed with your outfit, as per usual.” Becky grins as she places their food down on the table and just like that, the bubble is burst. Felicity, as usual, handles it with far more grace than Oliver and grins widely at the waitress.

“Thanks, Becky! I’m a little ashamed to say this skirt was more than my month’s rent but hey, the things we do for fashion. Anyway, this one pays me more than enough so… wait, that did not sound so prostitute-y in my head.” Felicity freezes and Becky laughs as the blonde looks over at Oliver with a mortified expression.

“It’s okay baby, Becky’s lips are sealed. Right, Becky?” Oliver quips, gaining himself another laugh from their waitress and a pout from Felicity. The pet name just slips out but Oliver smiles when Felicity doesn’t react.

“Your secrets are safe with me. Can I get you anything else?” Becky smiles and Felicity shakes her head, the smile finally returning to her face.

“I think we’re good. Thanks, Becky.” She grins and the waitress smiles with a nod.

“Alright guys, enjoy your food.” She tells them before heading back towards the register.

“Oh, I was going to ask you earlier but then I got all distracted with you being practically beaten up by a… did you call them ‘human weapons’? Ugh, I can’t believe that’s actually a thing. Anyway, why did I get four texts from Thea asking me about a party outfit?” Felicity asks as she unwraps both their straws and pokes them through the holes in the top of their drinks. Oliver watches in amusement as she takes a long sip of his vanilla milkshake before handing it over as well as swapping half of his regular fries with her curly ones. It’s a dance he’s used to by now and he opens up his burger to flick the pickles into her basket as he answers.

“I thought it might be nice to have a ‘Welcome Back to the Company’ party for Mom, lift her spirits a bit after the disaster that was this morning. I was going to tell you but I kind of got distracted as well.” He explains and Felicity hums, tilting her head as she drinks her milkshake.

“That’s a nice idea. How formal are we talking here?” She questions and Oliver smiles.

“I’m wearing a bow tie.” He answers and Felicity grins.

“Fancy.”

Oliver laughs. This is what he wanted from tonight, the easy conversation between the two of them. He can truly be himself around Felicity, she makes him feel free in a way that he hasn’t for a long time.

“You’ll be my plus one then?” He asks and Felicity smiles.

“As if you even had to ask.” She winks and Oliver chuckles, reaching for the mustard and passing her the ketchup. “So, if I’m your plus one, does that mean an invitation is going free?”

“Who were you thinking?” Oliver asks, although he’s pretty sure he knows the answer and he doesn’t like it.

“Barry.”

Yup, he doesn’t like it.

Oliver doesn’t like jealousy, he decides. To be truthfully honest, he’s not sure he’s ever particularly experienced it in the romantic sense before. He didn’t have a leg to stand on in that regard with his relationship with Laurel and he never particularly cared that deeply about any other girl.

That is, until Felicity.

It seems that other men around his blonde light bring out the Bratva captain in him. It’s not a side of him he likes but the way he’s reacting to Barry around Felicity is purely instinctive.

“Do you have a little crush, Miss Smoak?” He counters, trying to keep his expression straight.

The glare he gets from Felicity reaffirms the fact that that was not the right thing to say.

“Oliver Jonas Queen, we both know I am entirely too much in love with you for that.” She levels him with a reproachful look and Oliver nods sheepishly.

“Sorry. Yes, he can, of course, have your invitation.” He tells her and Felicity smiles, her face relaxing and Oliver lets out a sigh of relief.

Hooked around her little finger and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Barry agrees once Felicity tells him that he does not have to dance and she grins, although his excitement at the idea that the Arrow is working the same case as them scares her a little. He’s really getting a little too close for comfort on that front and Felicity is worried he may unmask Oliver before his time in Starling is done.

“Central City is just a day away from making history when the controversial S.T.A.R. Lab's particle accelerator is finally turned on.”

Bethany Snow is explaining on the TV as they work through the data on her laptop.

“Pretty cool, right?” Barry grins and Felicity frowns, casting him a dubious look.

“You know there's been a hundred percent increase in earthquakes since they've turned on the Large Hadron Collider?” She asks, a smirk on her face and Barry rolls his eyes.

“That data is misleading.” He grins and Felicity laughs, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, do tell.”

“You know about misleading, don't you?” Oliver’s voice rings out around the executive floor and Felicity turns to him, her smile still on her face. She’s feeling great after their dinner last night, despite his slightly irritating remark about Barry. She wonders what it’s going to take to fully convince this man he’s worthy of her love.

“What are you talking about?” She asks, looking between Oliver and Barry, the latter of which has a guilty look on his face. Oh yeah, Oliver’s definitely hit the nail on the head.

“He's not from CSI, he's an assistant,” Oliver tells her and Felicity freezes, looking at the man next to her with a confused expression on her face.

Why does everyone she gets close to feel the need to lie so ridiculously? She wonders if it’s something to do with her.

It’s not as if Barry even means that much to her, they’ve only just met after all but he’s a kindred spirit in a world of people they constantly have to explain themselves to. He’s someone who understands every word that comes out of her mouth, rather than having to explain every other word. It’s just nice sometimes.

“Whose bosses don't know you're in Starling. And there is no similar case in Central City.” Oliver continues to tell Barry who is looking more and more sheepish by the second. “So, tell me, Barry... What are you really doing here?”

Felicity turns to look at Barry, an inquisitive look on her face. She wants to know the answer to that as well. If he wasn’t sent by his captain, what on earth possessed him to catch a train to Starling to work on a case he doesn’t have clearance to?

She sincerely hopes it isn’t anything to do with Oliver’s alter ego.

“I told you my mom was murdered.” Barry starts and Felicity nods, a frown on her face.

“By your father.” Oliver interrupts and Felicity swears she’s going to get whiplash with these two.

“He didn't do it.”

Okay, wow, she definitely didn’t think sweet, funny, awkward Barry had that kind of anger in him.

“You said that the police didn't find the man who killed her.” Felicity frowns, repeating his words from the day before.

“The police think they did. My dad has been serving a life sentence. They didn't believe me.” Barry sighs and Felicity sends Oliver a look. She’s glad to see that he at least looks a little apologetic.

“About what?”

“I was 11. One night... something just came into our house, like a tornado. A blur. Somewhere inside The Blur, I saw a person. My dad went to fight it. I tried to get 'em when suddenly I was 20 blocks away from our house. Nobody believed me. They thought I was trying to cover for my father. But what I saw that night was real. As real as the man that ripped down that metal door with his bare hands. That's why I look into cases like this. The ones nobody believes are possible. Maybe if I can just make sense of one, I might be able to find out who really killed my mother. And free my dad.”

Felicity sighs as Barry explains his story.

Her heart goes out to him, it truly does. He seems to have the same need to solve mysteries as she does. Kindred spirits. Of course, she doesn’t have the tragic backstory.

“I am sorry I lied to you. Better find someone else to take your invite.” Barry sighs and heads towards the door.

“Barry, wait,” Oliver calls out and the other man stops in the door, turning around near the elevators.

“Oliver…” Felicity frowns, wondering what he’s up to but Oliver merely sends her a soft look.

“Barry, you’ve been lying since you stepped foot in Starling, I’m not denying that.” Oliver sighs, standing tall about posing an intimidating figure in his office. Felicity briefly thinks that he looks like quite the CEO right now. “However, you have been a huge help with this case. We couldn’t have done it without you. Please stay and come to the party tonight. My way of saying thank you for your assistance.”

Felicity watches the hope grow on Barry’s face and a grin spreads across it.

“Thank you, Mr. Queen, Sir.” He answers and Felicity holds back a chuckle at the excitement evident in his body. She thinks that Oliver must have made quite the impression on Barry for him to be so happy about being invited to a QC function by its CEO. “I should go and find a tux.”

“There’s a rental shop near my dry cleaners. I’m heading there now. I’ll take you.” Oliver offers and Barry nods with a slightly awkward shuffle of his feet.

“Thank you. I’ll see you later Felicity?” Barry asks and Felicity nods with a smile. Oliver gives her a wink and heads towards the elevators.

“Oliver?” She calls and Oliver turns with a small frown on his face. She reassures him with a smile as she approaches and raises onto her toes to softly kiss his cheek. “I’ll meet you at the mansion? I’m getting ready with Thea.”

“Of course you are.” He chuckles and runs her thumb over her cheek. Felicity allows herself a moment to revel in the feeling before she remembers where they are and she steps back.

“See you both later.” She smiles bashfully and heads back towards her desk with a smile.

Staring after the elevators long after the two men disappears. She knows that even a month ago, Oliver would have thrown Barry out and she wonders for a second how much of an effect she’s having on him.

It can’t be that much, right?

“Oh my god, you look incredible.” Thea grins as Felicity exits the bathroom attached to the youngest Queen’s room. Hair and makeup done and dress on, Felicity has to admit that she does feel pretty good. She might just be able to get used to this kind of life after all.

Could still do without the paparazzi though.

“As do you! I love your dress.” Felicity smiles at her friend who shrugs, admiring herself in the mirror.

“It’s a few seasons old but it will do. It’s not as if this is an open event so no cameras or red carpets to walk.” Thea hums and Felicity blanches for a moment. She so needs to discuss the fact that she’s not walking a red carpet anytime soon without Oliver as a crutch with Oliver himself.

There’s a knock on the door and Roy’s voice comes from the other side.

“Babe? You guys ready?” He asks and Felicity smiles, loading a few things into her clutch before nodding at Thea who opens the door to her boyfriend.

“Well don’t you cut a nice shape in that suit?” Thea grins, adjusting his tie and Roy chuckles, kissing her cheek.

“You look beautiful, babe. You too, Felicity. Very classy.” Roy smiles and Felicity chuckles as they step outside and into the hallway.

“Well thank you, Roy. You look very handsome.” She smiles as they round the corner to find Oliver waiting.

“You weren’t lying about the bow tie,” Felicity smirks and Oliver chuckles, the look of reverence on his face as he looks her up and down making her freeze for a moment.

“You look… wow, Felicity. I just… you’re gorgeous.” He stutters out and Felicity chuckles, adjusting his jacket where it’s gotten a little skewed.

“Smooth.” Felicity chuckles and he blushes a little, that adorable expression coming across his face that just makes Felicity want to kiss him. She settles for a smile and he smiles back, taking her hand off of his jacket and holding it in his own.

A door opens and shuts behind them and Moira appears, looking elegant as ever in her ballgown and her hair perfectly styled around her head.

“Mom, you look beautiful.” Oliver smiles and Moira smiles at him.

“Thank you, darling. Felicity, that dress looks stunning on you.” Moira smiles at them and Felicity blushes, standing up a little straighter.

“Thank you, Moira, I love your dress as well.” She replies and Moira smiles, placing a hand on her shoulder before gesturing towards the stairs.

“Shall we?”

They head down the stairs and freeze in the door at the sight of the very few people stood in the cleared lounge. Felicity frowns, looking over at the matriarch who has expertly schooled her expression. Thea however, has not quite mastered that technique yet and her face is skewed in a frown, looking over at her mother with concern written all over her face.

“I guess these days, I only draw a crowd when I'm on trial for murder,” Moira comments dryly and Oliver frowns as she takes a step into the room.

“Mom, you don't have to...” Oliver starts but Moira shakes her head.

“We have guests. However few of them there are.” The matriarch comments and straightens her shoulder, heading over to the first small group of people gathered in the room.

“This is not your fault, Ollie,” Thea tells him before she also heads into the room and Oliver frowns, looking over to Felicity.

“She’s right,” Felicity tells him and Oliver sighs, squeezing her hand in his.

“I just wanted to make her feel better and now I’ve made her feel even worse.” Oliver sighs and Felicity shakes her head with a smile. She reaches a hand up to his cheek and turns his eyes to hers.

“Hey, listen to me. Your mom has done some awful things, it’s true but her motivation for them was always clear. You. And your sister. Therefore, all your mom needs is the two of you and the fact that you even wanted to throw this party shows your mom that you want to make her feel better. That will mean a lot to her, I promise.” Felicity tells him and Oliver sighs, reaching up to rub his thumb over her wrist.

“You think?” He asks and Felicity smiles.

“I know.”

“I don’t deserve you.” He blurts out and Felicity shakes her head as she stands on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Stop spurting lies, you.” She smiles and Oliver smiles back, holding her hand to his cheek.

“Oh um, hi guys.” A familiar voice sounds and they turn to see Barry stood there, looking a little awkward.

“Hey, Barry.” Felicity smiles and Oliver nods politely, his face back to his usual public persona.

“Why don’t the two of you start up the dancing? This place could do with a little life in it.” Oliver suggests and they both turn to frown at him.

“Um, are you sure?” Barry asks, looking at Felicity with a slightly terrified expression on his face which does make Felicity smirk a little. She knows Oliver is intimidating and, as irritating as his caveman behavior can be, she has to admit it’s also a little hot.

“Yeah. You’re not going to whisk her away with one dance Allen. I have a feeling your moves aren’t that good.” Oliver smirks, pressing a kiss to Felicity’s temple. “I’ll grab you a drink.”

“Okay.” Felicity smiles and rises to kiss Oliver’s cheek once more.

“They will card him at the bar,” Oliver whispers in her ear and Felicity giggles as she turns to Barry with a smile.

“Hi.” Barry smiles and Felicity chuckles as Oliver walks away. They move into the middle of the dance floor. “I was serious about not being able to dance. But I'll hold your hands and sway.”

“Sold.” Felicity laughs and they awkwardly move into position, swaying to the music.

It does appear to have to the desired effect as others move onto the dance area and join them, calming Felicity a little.

Handsome Oliver and a fun night with a new friend? This night does certainly seem to be going her way.

“Oh my god, Oliver please…” Felicity groans, tilting her head back as Oliver kisses down her neck. She gasps when he hits that spot behind her ear and her arms tighten around his neck.

“So… fucking… gorgeous…” Oliver growls into her neck, his arms banded tightly around her waist.

Felicity briefly wonders how she got here, literally hiding out in the Queen’s hallway closet. Once she finished her dance with Barry, she found Oliver at the bar who handed her a drink. She must have had a few more than she remembered, and Oliver too, because next thing she knows, she’s following him out the lounge and into the hall closet with his lips attacking hers the minute the door closes.

“Oliver…” She groans, pushing a little at her shoulders and Oliver frowns, pulling back.

“Are you okay?” He asks, his hands immediately ghosting over her skin as he searches her for history. All he finds is a rather prominent hickey he’s left on her neck.

“What are we doing?” She asks and Oliver sighs, his hands falling back to his sides.

“I… I don’t know. I’m sorry. With you and that dress, I just… I couldn’t keep my hands off you.” Oliver frowns, looking altogether too guilty and Felicity frowns, stepping up to him.

“Hey, it takes two to tango, Oliver.” She smiles and he chuckles, flicking her hair back behind her shoulder as he reaches out to brush his thumb over the hickey on her neck.

“But only one to do that.” He frowns and Felicity chuckles, reaching up to touch it herself.

“It’s fine, I have some heavy duty concealer at home.” She tells him and Oliver smiles.

“So, we’re okay?” He asks and Felicity smiles, nodding her head.

“Yeah. We’re okay Oliver. Same place we were yesterday.” She smiles and kisses his cheek before sliding out of the room, not seeing the heartbroken expression on Oliver’s face.

“Right, yesterday.” Oliver sighs to the air.

“Yes. Yes, sir. I-- yes, Director Singh, I know that this is not the first time. Yes, sir, I do value my job, very much. Look, I will be on the next train. Mm-hmm. I'll be back tonight. Ok. Thank—” Barry frowns as he paces back and forth in the Applied Sciences building in his tux. “Well, my boss found out I don't have food poisoning. I need to get back to Central City if I still want to be employed. Which I do. Tell the SCPD that the sedative in the thief's blood is Ketamine. It's a schedule three controlled substance. It shouldn't be too hard to track.” He tells Felicity who smiles nodding her head.

“Yeah, I'll make sure they get it.” She lies, knowing she’ll take this information straight to Oliver and Digg.

“It was really nice working with you.” Barry smiles and Felicity does too.

“We couldn’t have done it without you.” She tells him honestly and Barry smiles, sighing.

“Good-bye, Felicity.” He tells her and Felicity watches him go with a smile.

“Good-bye Barry.”

She changes out of her ballgown as quickly as she can and heads straight for the Foundry where Oliver and Digg are waiting.

“They found trace amounts of Ketamine in the thief's blood. It's a common surgical anesthesia derived from hydrochloric salt.” She tells them as she enters and heads to her computers, knowing that the three of them don’t need hellos right now. They need to get on this case.

“Can you use that to track him?” Oliver asks as he follows her over to her computer.

“With the current concentration ratio in the blood sample, there's only one possible location with a large enough quality of the sedative that correlates with the amount of blood the stolen centrifuge can process.” She explains, pulling it up on her computer and showing the two of them the image.

“What is it? There's no sign.” Digg frowns and Felicity purses her lips.

“A.R.G.U.S. doesn't like to advertise. It's a disaster bunker. Right on the edge of the Glades. A.R.G.U.S. has them all over the country. They store relief supplies-- food, clothing...” Felicity tells them, looking up at them as she explains what she’s found out.

“Medicine.” Digg finishes and Felicity nods.

“I'm on my way,” Oliver states, heading over to pick up his bow and Felicity frowns, picking up the bent arrow from her desk.

“Oliver... I can't believe I'm actually saying this. The way this arrowhead is bent... It means our thief's muscle density is at least 120 pounds per cubic foot. That's almost the same density as common concrete. Your arrows may cut this guy, but they will not stop him.” She tells him, frowning at the idea of him out there alone with this human weapon.

“Well, I've beaten someone like this before, Felicity. I can do it again.” He tells her and Felicity frowns, eyes sad as she stares up at him.

“What if you can't?” She asks and Oliver sighs, closing his lips on her forehead.

“I have you in my ear.” He winks as he goes to change and Felicity sighs, looking over at Digg with a scared expression.

“I do not have a good feeling about this.”

“His comms have gone quiet.” Felicity freezes as she looks over at Digg as she frantically tries to hack into the security cameras. “I can’t get in!”

“Come on, we should just head over there,” Digg tells her and Felicity nods, following him out to the van. She bites her lip for the entire ride, the two of them rushing into the building when Digg pulls up.

“Oliver! Oliver! Oliver! Oliver!” They both call frantically as they rush through the building.

Felicity freezes at the sight of Oliver passed out in the corner.

He looks…

No, Felicity, don’t jump to conclusions. She tells herself and rushes over to him, checking for a pulse as fear floods through her veins.

“Is he alive?” Digg asks, looking more concerned than Felicity has ever seen him.  

“His pulse is weak, but it's there.” She replies before looming over him. “Oliver! Can you hear me? His pupils are dilated!” She frowns as she checks his body for injuries, freezing at the sight of the syringe sticking out of his leg. She immediately rushes over to the computer in the room.

“What the hell was that?” Digg asks and Felicity frowns, looking down at the syringe but all she sees is code and a QR code.

“I don't know, it's coded.” She frowns before trying to boot the computer. “Damn it! I can't break into the dispensary files. I have no idea what he was injected with! Poisoned with.”

Felicity tries to not let her fears run wild, the idea of what could happen to Oliver right now, however, is a little overwhelming and she is really struggling to keep her mind off of it.

“All right, we have no choice.” Digg comments, pulling out his phone and Felicity freezes.

“What are you doing?” She asks, her eyes wide and the sight of his phone.

“Calling 9-1-1.” He answers as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world and Felicity’s eyes widen, moving towards him as quickly as she can.

“Digg, wait!”

“Can't wait!”

“How are we supposed to explain this? Everyone's going to find out Oliver's the Vigilante!” Felicity yells, knowing that Oliver will be ridiculously mad at them if he wakes up in the hospital as the Green Arrow.

“Which won't matter if he's dead. Felicity, we can't save him!” Digg yells right back and Felicity frowns, her mind working a million miles an hour for an answer.

Then she remembers Barry freaking out about the chemicals yesterday and the idea sparks in her brain.

“I know, you're right... We can't.”

God, she hopes she’s right. 

Chapter Text

Felicity has been scared for Oliver before.

He is a risk taker and it often doesn’t end well for him.

She’s patched him up more times than she can count but this isn’t something she can just patch him up from.

This is poison.

This is life or death.

All she can think is that it can’t end like this.

Not with so many what ifs hanging around.

They’re so close. They can’t have reached the end of the road now.

“Felicity…” Digg’s treacherous voice brings her back to the Foundry.

Oliver is unconscious on the med table but his pulse is still there. It’s weak but it’s still there and that’s what Felicity’s holding onto.

She senses movement from the chair Digg placed Barry in and she is over to her new friend like a dart, hovering in front of him as he wakes. He’s obviously confused, his eyes darting around to take in the Foundry and then Oliver before they finally settle on her face. She sees the realization pass through his eyes and Felicity is glad because they have a job to do.

They’re going to save the man she loves.

Because this isn’t the end of the road for them.

It just can’t be.

“Please save him. Please.”

Everything seems ago from there. Barry springs into action, asking Digg everything he can about what happened. Then Oliver’s body begins to jerk involuntarily and they all rush over.

“Hold him!” Barry yells and Felicity does her best but it’s not very successful until Diggle adds his strength to the table.

Felicity hates feeling like this. Helpless.

She doesn’t have the expertise for the science.

She doesn’t have the strength to be the muscle.

She doesn’t know what she brings to this situation. She doesn’t know how to help Oliver and that’s tearing her apart.

“He’s not going to make it.” Digg comments and Felicity glares, telling him with her eyes that he is not helping.

“I usually only work on dead people.” Barry stutters as he stares at Oliver and Felicity winces for a second as Oliver begins to jerk more violently.

“Barry!” She yells and that seems to startle him into action as he moves around the table, apparently getting closer to a diagnosis with each observation.

Felicity freezes at the explanation of the coagulant.

“Lucky you guys have a rat problem,” Barry comments as he grabs the poison and moves over to one of the desks.

“Are you kidding? That’ll kill him!” Digg speaks up and Felicity can only look back and forth between the two men, unsure who to side with. Barry knows what he’s talking about but her instinctive reaction is to side with Digg.

“He dies if I don’t!” Barry snaps back and suddenly Felicity is seeing his side of the argument a lot clearer.

“Felicity…” Digg questions, posing the question to her. Putting the decision, Oliver’s life, in her hands and she freezes just for a second. She can feel the warmth of Oliver skin under her hands and it’s like all the unspoken words are passing through that connection, just for that second. But Felicity doesn’t want those words to remain unspoken. She wants the future, a life, with Oliver and that means making the right decision to save his life now.

Barry’s idea may be crazy but it’s the only one they’ve got.

“Do it.”

“The right amount of this will thin his blood enough to get it circulating again,” Barry explains as he administers it through the IV and they watch as the jerking stops but then the heart rate monitors start to beep and Felicity feels her world crashing down around her.

“He’s crashing.” Digg cries out and Felicity moves over to Oliver’s head, searching for any sign of life in his eyes.

“Oliver, stay with me…” She calls, desperately trying to bring him back to her. They’ve got so far to go. So much she wants to tell him, to ask with, to do with him. She wants to explore the new side of him that he showed her he could be the other night at Big Belly. She wants to do all the stuff her college self thought was cringy. She wants to be a couple with him.

But for that, he needs to wake up.

“Oliver, please…” She begs and for the first time tonight, she allows herself to succumb to the panic. She leans over the med table, the tears fall and she clutches desperately to the open fabric of his jacket. This is the man she fell in love with, this mix of billionaire, lost boy, and vigilante and all she wants is for him to open his eyes.

“His heartbeat, it’s stabilizing.” Digg’s voice penetrates through her bubble but Felicity doesn’t need to look up at the monitor to realize that his words are true. Her ear is placed right near his chest and finally, the steady beat of his heart can be heard.

A heart-wrenching sob breaks through the Foundry and it takes Felicity a second to realize that it’s her that made the noise but she can’t find the energy to care as her tears turn to sobs of relief and she fists Oliver’s jacket tighter, not being able to face the idea of letting go now.

“Felicity, we still need to monitor him,” Barry comments softly but it’s a large familiar hand that lays on her back.

Digg.

“We gotta make sure he’s out of the woods.” Her friend’s calming words are in her ear and Felicity winces.

“Just… just give me a second?” She asks brokenly, amazed at how weak her voice sounds when she’d been so sure of herself a couple of minutes ago.

“Okay.”

Drawing herself back from his chest, she slowly lets go of his jacket and slides her hand up to cup his face. Running her thumb over his cheek, she wonders whether she’s seeing things or whether his face truly does have more color than it did a few minutes ago. She leans in close and softly brushes her lips over his forehead, before finally stumbling back to let Barry and Digg look over him.

“He’s gonna be okay,” Barry says after a few minutes and Felicity lets out a deep breath, looking over to Digg who smiles at her reassuringly. “I’d like to try and get a fingerprint off of his neck so we can maybe I.D. this guy? I mean, you can.”

It takes Felicity a second to realize that he’s asking her permission and she blinks rapidly a few times. “Oh yeah, of course. That’s a good idea.”

“I’ll get to work.” He smiles at her and Felicity nods, wiping her tears away before turning to Digg who’s looking at her with that big brother look he gets when he’s worried about her.

“I’m fine, Digg.” She tells him and he scoffs.

“Our boy’s rubbing off on you more than I thought. I’d be worried if you were fine after witnessing that Felicity.” He tells her reproachfully, tilting his head and Felicity sighs.

“Okay, I’m not fine. Definitely shaken up.” She admits and takes a deep breath. “He’s going to be okay though, right?”

“Come here, babydoll.” He tells her in that big brother tone and opens his arms. Felicity immediately walks into them.

There’s nothing quite like a John Diggle hug in her opinion. The way he wraps himself so fully around you, and there’s a lot of him and not much of Felicity, it makes her feel completely warm and just safe.

“Oliver is going to be fine because of you.” He tells her and Felicity frowns, shaking her head from where it’s buried in John’s chest.

“I didn’t… it was all you and Barry.” She counteracts but Digg scoffs, holding her tightly to him.

“Who knew to call Barry? I was ready to ship him off to the hospital and reveal his secret to the entire city. But once again, that big brain of yours found another way.” He tells her and as if to prove his point, plants a kiss on top of her head.

Felicity sighs as they pull away. Digg has a point. She still feels like she could have done more though.

“What happened between the two of you anyway? Because I promised him before you left for Thanksgiving that if he broke your heart, I’d beat him up. Now, I’d hate to beat a man when he’s already down but I will follow through on that promise if I need to.” Digg tells her and Felicity chuckles, smiling sadly up at her friend.

“No, um, if anything, you’d probably have to beat me up.” She counters and Digg frowns, raising an eyebrow. It’s obviously something he wasn’t expecting and that makes Felicity flush.

“I’m not doing that. You’d have me beat in a second.” He winks and Felicity scoffs with an eye-roll. As if.

It’s an out though. Digg is letting her change the conversation if she doesn’t want to talk about it. She glances over at Barry, who is indeed pretty immersed in whatever it is he’s doing over on the complete other side of the Foundry, and Felicity takes a deep breath, deciding not to push someone away again.

“No. Well, Oliver said that he’d… that he’d like to try. But I… I didn’t say no, I just… I said not yet.” She tells Digg and her friend frowns, his hands coming to rest on his hips.

“Felicity, I have watched you pine over Oliver Queen for over a year. Why did you say no when he offered what you’ve been wanting for so long?” Digg asks and Felicity sighs, twisting her hands around each other.

“I… The cabin, which is so not a cabin, by the way, it is a mansion in the hills and should be called as such…”

“Felicity…” Digg tells her reproachfully and she sighs.

“Right, well, the cabin was wonderful. I, honestly, it was like Oliver was completely free of all his burdens and I… we can’t have that here, Digg. There’s always something. The villain of the week, a new person from Oliver’s past who’s not quite as dead as we thought, some psycho trying to hurt everyone that we love. I just… I don’t know whether we could handle that and I just wanted Oliver to show me that maybe we could?” She tries to explain and Digg hums, nodding his head.

“Felicity, you’re right. There is always something. But that doesn’t mean that we should just stop living. You know, Lyla and I, we spent so long trying to figure out how to avoid the darkness and trying to save each other’s lives but we’re now just realizing how much easier it is to face it head on and fight it together. Felicity, you and Oliver, you have both improved each other beyond belief in the past year. He gave your life purpose, a true mission, gave you a chance to be the hero you’ve always been in your heart. You brought him back into the light. You taught him to laugh again, to appreciate the light and the goodness in the world. Together? The two of you are unstoppable and I don’t think there’s ever going to be a ‘good time’ for it. Sometimes you gotta grab life by the horns.”

Felicity takes in Digg’s words.

Bless that man and his infinite wisdom. There’s just something about how he always knows exactly what to say to bring Felicity, and Oliver for that matter, back down to earth when they’re spiraling uncontrollably. It’s wonderful and he’s a truly wonderful man and Felicity knows in her heart, that he is right.

There is darkness in their lives and avoiding it is impossible. Fighting it together, however? Well, they’ve gotten pretty good at that over the past year or so.

“Thanks, John.” She smiles and rises onto her toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Anytime, babydoll.” He smiles and Felicity does too, turning back to see Barry slowly peeling something off of Oliver’s neck.

All of a sudden, Oliver has darted off the table and his hand is wrapped around Barry’s neck with the CSI turning red very quickly.

Felicity and Digg move as quickly as they can, grabbing him and reminding him where he is.

“Oliver, let him go.”

“Oliver.”

Their voices seem to ground him and he stumbles up as Barry stumbles away, gasping for breath.

“What the hell’s going on?” He asks, looking between them and Barry with a seriously confused expression on his face.

“You were injected with a strong-acting blood coagulant,” Felicity explains and means to go on but Barry only makes it worse for himself as he finds his voice again.

“You would’ve stroked out but fortunately you had a very effective blood thinner handy. Warfarin, better known as rat poison.” Barry explains and Oliver is off the table, walking towards him. Felicity can see this all panning out horribly and she does not know what to do to stop this cart from flying off the rails.

“Kid saved your life, Oliver,” Digg adds to emphasize why Barry is here and Felicity knows Oliver is disorientated and confused but that anger towards Barry is completely unsolicited and she finds herself getting annoyed.

“This is the point in a life-saving situation where you thank the person that did the life-saving.” She reminds him, reaching out and rubbing a hand down his arm but he merely turns to look at her, a very confused and almost disappointed look on his face.

“You told him who I am.” He states and Felicity frowns, looking at him in slight disbelief.

“Yeah, I did.” She replies just as firmly, standing stock in her decision. Her only other decision, other than letting him die which was obviously not an option, was the hospital and one person still seems like a better idea than the entire city.

“That’s not your secret to tell, Felicity.” He frowns and Felicity immediately drops her hand from his arm, stumbling back a few steps in shock at his statement. “I decide who knows my identity.”

“Well, we didn’t really have time to get your vote, what with you unconscious and dying.” She retorts but it loses some of its gusto as her voice cracks at the end, the idea of coming so close to losing him still too imminent even though he’s standing right in front of her.

“What if he leaves here and goes straight to the police?” Oliver asks but his voice too has lost a little of its edge as he looks down at her, glancing back warily at Barry.

“He wouldn’t do that!” Felicity states, sure in her judgment of her new friend.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Barry affirms but Oliver pays him no mind as he keeps his gaze on her.

“I trust him.” She tells him, locking his gaze on hers and trying, with everything in her to get him to understand.

“I don’t!” He snaps back and Felicity frowns, looking over at Barry.

“What are you going to do, put an arrow in him?” She asks in retaliation, his reaction to this mixing with her previous fear and riling her up in a way she hasn’t felt in a while.

“I am considering it!” He retorts and Felicity immediately responds, glare back in full form.

“Don’t worry, he’s kidding!” She half-yells at Barry who looks terrified at what he’s stumbled into. “How is this any different from when your mother shot you and you came to me for help?”

“Your mother shot you?” Barry asks in disbelief and both Felicity and Oliver shoot him a look although the former has a lot less gusto than the latter and is more of a ‘not now’ kind of expression.

“Or when you brought Digg down he when he was shot with curare?” Felicity presses, the agitation rising in her now.

“The difference is I did my homework, on both of you! I don’t just tell people easily.” He states and what confuses Felicity is the seriously hurt expression behind his eyes.

What did he want her to do? Just let him die?

“I’m not gonna tell anyone. And you don’t have to thank me, but you should thank her instead of being kind of a jerk.”

Oh, Barry. Sweet, impulsive, lack-of-a-filter Barry.

Oliver squares up to him and at the moment, Felicity doesn’t know whether she’d really mind Barry giving him a piece of his mind or a fist to the face.

“Mr. Queen.” Barry backs down, handing Oliver respect that he certainly has not earned, and Felicity is ready to rip into Oliver, but he’s saved the incessant beeping of two cell phones.

Oliver and Felicity both reach their phones to see a text from Moira asking for them to come to the mansion. Felicity looks up at Oliver, not particularly wanting to go anywhere with him right now.

“I am telling your mother that I am tied up with an emergency in the IT department at the company. You go home.” She tells him and Oliver nods. She’s glad to see that it appears as if he wasn’t thinking anything different and even though Moira knows about the Arrow now, she doesn’t need to know everything about it.

“The man that I fought. He has a way to mass-produce the serum from the island. We need to stop him.” Oliver comments, looking back and forth between the two of them and Felicity takes a deep breath nodding her head.

“He touched your skin when he touched your neck. I was able to reabsorb the oils from his skin which, when added to a gel-based polymer, might be able to recreate a fingerprint.” Barry speaks up and Felicity winces, knowing that this isn’t making anything better even though it’s helpful to the mission and all of this science could very easily just make Oliver madder.

He simply nods, taking a deep breath and then looks back and forth between the both of them.

“Thank you.” He states simply before hobbling towards the door and though it’s unclear who that apology was directed towards, Felicity knows that he means it. Underneath all that anger, he is grateful for what they did tonight.

Good lord, is she confused.

Chapter Text

Oliver’s ashamed of the way he acted back in Foundry.

Not for Allen, sure he’s grateful for the assist, but the kid is still way too in your face.

No, he snapped at Felicity, in a way he knew he shouldn’t. He should never.

She was just trying to keep him safe and he…

He’s been feeling so out of control lately, like nothing he does is helping or even having its intended consequences. They’re no closer to figuring out how to stop the mass reproduction of the serum or even who’s behind it. They have no idea what this person’s MO is.

Not only that but Isabel has been hounding him at the company, waiting for exactly the right moment to snatch it out from underneath his fingertips.

His mom seems sadder than ever and Thea somehow got herself so twisted up in something that Oliver shot her boyfriend in the leg with an arrow in an attempt to get her away from it. Sure, he does feel a little bad but he’s put the best man he knows on the job. Digg will take of him, he knows it.

It feels like he has no control over anything in his life at the moment and now he’s hallucinating his dead ex-lover?

That feels about as out of control as it can get.

He needs to head back to the Foundry and see whether there are any side effects from whatever Allen gave him. Rat poison did he say?

 But first, maybe sleep.

Yeah, sleep sounds good.

When he reaches the Foundry that afternoon, it’s to find his partners and Allen already there. Digg and Felicity both look busy whilst Allen is looking around, a slightly amazed expression on his face and Oliver resists the urge to roll his eyes at the kid.

“Barry! The rat poison that you gave me, are there any side effects?” He asks as he stalks into the room, throwing his coat down on the side.

“Um yeah, I think hallucinations, maybe,” Barry admits and Oliver frowns, letting the information sink in. Hopefully, it’s just the poison and not him going crazy but then he is seeing Shado? She is appearing to him. So why her? And what did she mean by honoring her and her father by living and not fighting?

Barry says something else but it doesn’t quite compute. Oliver thinks he asks a question.

Then something familiar grounds him. A warm touch on his arm, loving and comforting.

Felicity.

“You’re hallucinating? What are you seeing?” She asks, her voice soft and concerned and Oliver frowns, taking a deep breath.

 “A woman named Shado that was with me on the island.” He tells her, expecting her to pull back but she merely frowns, rubbing her hand up his arm.

“You mentioned her once, in one of your nightmares. Afterward, you said that she had a connection with Sara.” She comments and Oliver nods, leaning into the feeling of her hand on his arm.

“There was a brief time when we were all together on the island, with another man. She’s dead now, truly. I saw it happen.” Oliver tells her quietly, wincing at the thought of Slade Wilson and the memory of Ivo turning the gun too quickly on the dark-haired beauty. God, he truly hopes this reappearance of the mirakuru has nothing to do with all of that. Felicity nods, tilting her head at him in concern.

“You did train in a forest or jungle environment! Hence the green!” Barry jumps in, looking far too much like a kid on Christmas morning for Oliver’s liking. Sure, Felicity can be… exuberant but she also has tact, a lot of it, and that seems to be what this kid is missing.

Felicity sends him a look to match Oliver’s glare and he seems to get the hit, backing away a little awkwardly before he gestures over to the med table.

“Let me draw some blood, see what’s up?” He suggests and Oliver follows him pretty much just for the gentle nudge of Felicity’s hand on his back.

How she can be so calm and understanding after his behavior earlier is insane to him but he is so grateful.

He needs to talk to her.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t get that chance. Not as soon as he’d like.

She’s too quick for her own good and has a location on Cyrus Gold, the man they’ve been fighting enhanced with the mirakuru. With Digg down and Oliver a liability with his Shado hallucinations, he calls in the next best thing.

Lance is rightfully confused, especially when Oliver loses focus halfway through the conversation.

But that figure, standing on the top of the stairwell access.

The face Oliver was so sure he’d never see again.

The man he burned. The man he called brother. The only one who can be causing this mess in his city.

Seeing Shado is one thing. He feels guilty about her death but she was never a threat, not to Oliver. But once Slade had the mirakuru in him and Ivo convinced him that Oliver was the reason Shado was dead?

Still to this day, after everything Oliver has been through, that fight was one of the hardest he’s faced.

“Oliver?” The voice in his ear asks once he leaves the meeting with Lance, his head reeling. The voice in his ear. Felicity.

“I… I’m okay.” He tells her but he stumbles a little as he makes his way back to the Foundry.

She and Barry are both there when he gets back, he sent Digg home earlier to recuperate.

“Hey, not that I don’t trust you, but you look anything but okay,” Felicity comments as he enters the room and Oliver frowns, unable to shake the sight of Slade from his head.

He hadn’t said anything. Why not? The ghost of Shado spoke to him, asked him to stay, told him to keep living. Why wasn’t Slade talking now?

“I… I…” He stumbles and Felicity frowns.

“Hey, Barry? You think you can give us a second?” She asks and Barry nods, looking at Oliver with concern before he heads up the stairs. Felicity’s attention is back on Oliver in seconds, directing him into a seat and running a concerned hand over his shoulder. “The hallucinations haven’t stopped then?”

“Different person now. Someone else whose death was my fault.” Oliver explains and Felicity frowns, bending down in front of him to hold his hands.

“Oliver…” She starts but Oliver jumps in.

“Felicity don’t tell me that they weren’t my fault because they were. I can’t put this on someone else, there’s no one else to put the blame on! Shado and Slade are dead because of me and now, whatever is wrong with me, has them coming back to haunt me.” He laments and Felicity frowns, her hands darting up to frame his face.

“That was not what I was going to say. I was going to say that we are going to figure out what is causing this and we will deal with it. If it’s something in your blood, or something else. We will figure it out because that is what we do.” She tells him and her hands are so warm on his face, her eyes so full of conviction.

“Thank you.” He smiles and Felicity nods, a small smile on her face.

“You know I hate a mystery.”

Her pitiful attempt at winking is what has him chuckling more than her comment but it happens all the same and she smiles.

“Will you let me take you home?” She asks, still cradling his face gently in her hands and Oliver takes a deep breath but he nods, his hands coming up to draw hers away from his face. He loops them together and Felicity smiles, rising onto her feet to pull him up.

“We’re going in your car?” He asks and Felicity levels him with a glare as she begins to tug him towards the bathroom.

“Don’t even Mister, you’re not going anywhere on that bike in the state you’re in and even if you were in a state to drive it, I am not dressed appropriately to ride on the back of it.” She smiles and Oliver chuckles, squeezing her hand.

“I’ll get you on it someday.” He promises her and Felicity smiles, running her hand up his arm.

“Keep dreaming, bud. Go change and we’ll get you home, alright?” She asks softly and Oliver nods, walking towards the bathroom before he freezes.

“Felicity?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you. For everything.”

“It’s what I’m here for, Oliver.”

“Felicity, darling, there you are! I’ve been trying to get into contact with you all night!”

Felicity frowns at the sound of Moira’s voice as she ushers Oliver through the door of the Queen mansion. He’s exhausted and needs to go to bed, she knows this but the sun is rising now and there’s no way to ward Moira off.

“Moira, you’re up early.” Felicity greets in surprise, hugging the matriarch back when it’s offered. Oliver smiles tiredly at her and Felicity attempts another wink, smiling as the smile on his face grows.

“Oh darling, you look exhausted. Why don’t you head up to bed? Felicity and I can deal with the Christmas party whilst you get a couple of hours.” Moira frowns as she looks over at Oliver. He frowns deeply and looks over at Felicity in concern but she merely smiles at him.

“I’m okay, I promise. I got some sleep before you and Digg went out earlier. Not that you were doing anything strange at night! Oh, wait, you know now? Did you know about me or did I just incriminate myself? What’s the procedure here?” Felicity freezes, looking between mother and son in confusion but she receives in return is amused smiles from the both of them.

“It’s fine, Felicity. I am aware of everything. You, my son and Mr. Diggle are doing a great service for this city.” Moira tells her and Felicity smiles, blushing a little at the compliment.

“Thank you.” She smiles at the older woman before she turns to Oliver.

“I was right though, you should go to bed. Do you want me to come with you? Just to make sure you get up there okay, not for anything else! I… oh god, someone stop me talking, please.” She winces and Oliver chuckles, stepping forward to kiss first his mother on the cheek before he steps in front of Felicity.

“I’m good, I got it. Thank you again, for everything.” He smiles down at her and Felicity shakes her head.

“You should know by now you never have to thank me.” She smiles and Oliver shakes his head, kissing her softly on the forehead before he heads up the stairs.

Felicity sighs and watches him go, her head still reeling from the events of the past two days.

The sound of Moira clearing her throat makes her jump and she turns to see the matriarch smiling at her.

“Right, the Christmas party. What did you want to talk about?” She asks and follows Moira through to her office, banishing all thoughts of Oliver to the back of her head.

Oliver wakes up a couple of hours later feeling a lot better than he did before.

The sight of Slade is still haunting him but Felicity and his mother’s insistence that he get some sleep does at least seem to have done something for how tired his body was feeling, even though his psyche is still a little all over the place.

Checking the time, he wonders if Felicity is still here and dresses quickly in a t-shirt and jeans, grabbing a sweater before he heads downstairs to the bright light of the hallway. He can hear soft murmurs coming down the hallway and he smiles at the sound of Felicity’s distinctive voice.

Taking a step in its direction, he’s distracted by the sound of a knock on the door and he moves towards it.

“Hi, Ollie.”

Oliver frowns in surprise at the sight of Laurel. She’s carrying files in her hand and clearly dressed for work and Oliver frowns at the thought of something else to add to his plate.

“Hi.” He continues to frown but moves to let her in the front door. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I’m here to see Thea.” She explains and Oliver frowns, praying that his sister hasn’t gotten too caught up in this thing again. If she’s brought Laurel into it… then again, there’s always the chance Laurel is just here to chat with her friend.

“She’s upstairs in her room,” Oliver tells her, giving his little sister the benefit of the doubt for now.

“I couldn’t help but notice on the drive up here that your house wasn’t festooned with Christmas decorations,” Laurel comments as Oliver leads her over to the stairs.

“Ah well, the last Christmas party we threw here didn’t go over so well so Mom decided it would be better to host it at the company this year. Make it more of a company affair, like they used to do before Thea was born. You did get an invite, didn’t you?” Oliver frowns, he was sure he’d spotted Laurel’s name on the list of names for invitations he’d approved a month or so ago.

“Yes, I did. I’ll be there.” She nods with a small smile and Oliver nods too. “I remember last Christmas. Tommy and I came to your party. It was one of the best holidays I’ve had in a really long time.”

Oliver doesn’t really know what to say to that comment. He knows Laurel is still desperately mourning Tommy, not that he isn’t, and he doesn’t want to say anything that might upset her.

“He would be so proud of you, you know? He knew how much your career meant to you, we both did.” Oliver decides on, a soft smile on his face and Laurel nods, one pulling at her lips.

“Thanks, Ollie, that means a…”

“Oliver? Is that you? You know, two hours isn’t really getting some rest.”

Oliver’s smile grows at the sound of Felicity’s voice and the clack of her heels against the floor of the mansion. He turns to see her walking towards him but she freezes as him moving reveals Laurel in front of him.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you had company. Didn’t mean to walk in on a thing. Although, we are in a hallway and not a room and… I’m gonna stop talking.” She blushes and Oliver smiles, reaching an arm out towards her. He tells himself that Laurel is technically a member of the public and therefore, as far as she’s aware, they’re happily together.

“You didn’t walk in on any thing, gorgeous. C’mere.” He smiles charmingly and Felicity sends him a look but curls up to his side, one hand resting on his back whilst the other fists in his t-shirt. “Everything okay with Mom?”

“Yeah, she just wanted to double check everything about the party and she assumed, correctly I might add, that I had a lot more to do with it all than you did.” Felicity grins up at him and Oliver chuckles, instinctively brushing a kiss to her forehead. She hums and curls a little further into him. He knows that she’s been worried sick ever since he went down with the coagulant and their arguing has meant that they’ve been keeping each other at arm’s length. This acting in front of Laurel, however, seems to be allowing her to settle some of that worry if he’s judging by how tightly she’s holding onto him. “Hi, Laurel.”

“Hi. Felicity, right?” Laurel guesses and Felicity smiles, nodding her head.

“That’s me. Did you need me to disappear? Sorry if I interrupted your conversation.” She blushes, looking directly at Laurel so that Oliver has no chance to protest.

Smart girl, Oliver smirks to himself.

“No, it’s fine. We were just saying hello. I’m here to see Thea actually, which I should get to doing.” Laurel explains and smiles at them both. “It was nice to see you, Ollie.”

“You too, Laurel.” He smiles and she heads up the stairs, her heels muffled by the carpet.

“Sorry.” Felicity apologizes again with a wince and Oliver shakes his head as they pull apart from each other.

“No, it’s fine. You’re fine. Nothing to apologize for.” He tells her and Felicity grins, grabbing one of his hands with both of hers. She’s got that mischievous look on her face and Oliver is worried about what she’s going to say next.

“You might not be saying that in an hour. Your mother wants your approval on some last minute stuff for the party.” She grins and begins to tug him down the hallway. Oliver groans but follows Felicity’s giggles knowing he’d follow this woman anywhere.

Felicity leaves Oliver at the mansion, with the promise that he’ll get a little more rest and she’ll see him later at the Foundry.

Truth be told, she doesn’t want him down there at all. When he’s down there, he’s with her alerts and that means he’s more likely to pick up his bow and hit the streets when he’s really not in a state to do so.

That’s what you get for loving a vigilante, she tells herself and takes a deep breath as she heads down the steps of the Foundry. Truth be told, she could really do with a little more rest herself but she’s determined to help Oliver get to the bottom of what’s going on with him and then find Cyrus Gold so that they might be able to at least get some answers.

Barry is boiling something in a beaker over by her computers and she frowns, heading towards him.

“I thought you were trying to figure out what’s causing Oliver’s hallucinations?” She asks quietly, not wanting to scare him but he doesn’t jump, simply moving the beaker off of the flame. It’s then she realizes that the liquid is the exact same color as Oliver’s suit and she frowns, moving closer.

“Sample’s still being scanned. Shouldn’t take that much longer.” Barry replies and Felicity nods, moving past him to sit down. She sighs heavily and runs a hand over her forehead. Worrying is just making her feel ten times worse. “You’re really worried about him, huh?”

“He takes crazy chances.” She answers simply, knowing that Oliver would most likely head off into the streets in the condition he’s in. She can’t stop him but that doesn’t stop the worry from eating her up. He’s the man she loves, and that’s not something she can stop, but the thought of him hurt, or worse, is just the worst thing she can possibly imagine. “Even when he’s not hallucinating people from his horrific past.”

“It’s easy to see why you’re in love with him. I mean, Oliver Queen. He’s a billionaire by day and he saves the city by night.” Barry tells her and Felicity smiles.

“Sounds like you want to date him.” She jokes and Barry chuckles, shaking his head.

“You know what’s funny though? Men like that, they seem invulnerable but they all have something, someone, to bring them down. Han Solo has Princess Leia. Tony Stark has Pepper Potts. Oliver Queen has Felicity Smoak.” Barry grins and Felicity rolls her eyes, regarding the man in front of her with a dubious look.

“Life isn’t a movie or a comic book, Barry.” She sighs and Barry just laughs, gesturing around the lair.

“Yours seems pretty close to it.”

Oliver should’ve known that even Felicity couldn’t help clear his mind that much.

It had been one thing to see Slade on that rooftop.

A random rooftop in the city, away from those Oliver loves and unable to do any harm.

But down here in the Foundry? The place he trusts to keep his friends, his love, safe?

It’s rattled him far more than he cares to admit.

And to have a fight with a hallucination?

Maybe he is going crazy.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs makes Oliver jump but he relaxes when he sees that it’s just Felicity, Digg, and Barry although all three are sporting very confused and on Felicity’s part concerned looks.

“What happened in here? Did someone break in?” Felicity asks as she stalks over to him, looking him over for obvious injury.

“No.” He states simply and she tilts her head in concern, her hand coming to rest on his arm.

“Oliver…” She sighs and he shakes his head, hoping that she’ll drop it. At least for now. He already feels like a crazy person. He really doesn’t think he needs her confirmation on it.

There's a beeping and Felicity moves towards her computers but it’s Barry who speaks as he walks towards the other corner. “Um, your blood analysis is done.”

Oliver places the broom down and heads over to him, watching as he stares at something that Oliver cannot understand for the life of him.

“Good news,” Barry speaks and Oliver frowns immediately, standing up a little straighter.

“So you know what’s in my system?” He asks hopefully but Barry frowns, looking between him and the screen.

“Well, um, that’s the thing. Your blood’s clean. There’s nothing wrong with you.” Barry tells him and Oliver frowns, thoughts whirling around in his head. The sight of Slade stood there in his sanctuary, his taunting words.

“Then why am I hallucinating?” He bites back, the anger flowing out of him before he can stop it.

“I don’t know. I mean whatever your problem is, it’s not pharmacological. It’s psychological. It’s…”

“It’s in my head.” Oliver finishes with a sigh, the sound of an alert from Felicity’s computers this time, ringing through the Foundry.

“Oh my god. Oliver.” Her worried voice calls and Oliver is by her side in a second, his hand on her back. He freezes as he reads the police report that’s come through on the screen.

Detective Lance is in the ICU.

And it’s all his fault.

Felicity bites her lip as she sits in the Foundry. Barry is working on something and she’s sat with him but Oliver is at the other end of the room. She knows he needs space right now, he’s clearly thinking through a lot if the obsessive way he’s sharpening those arrows means anything but she’s just so terrified.

She’s never seen him like this.

He’s so caught up in his own head and the situation with Lance only has him blaming himself more.

These few days have been a walking nightmare for him and she just wants to be able to take all his problems away. She wants him to understand that none of what is happening right now is his fault and that they are all there, she, Digg and even Barry, because they believe in him and his mission.

The only issue is finding a way to make the words get through.

She hears Oliver and Digg talking and does her best to keep Barry engaged in conversation. She knows if there’s anyone who can talk Oliver down, it’s John Diggle. Digg’s truly a godsend, Felicity loves him like he’s her family and she knows Oliver feels the same way.

She just hopes Digg has more luck getting through to him than she has.

“Got it.” She grins to herself as her computer beeps and she immediately turns to Oliver and Digg. “Guys, we got something here. I scanned the key Lance gave you and traced it’s serial code back to the manufacturer.”

“This particular key fits a locked gate somewhere on Crescent Circle in the Glades,” Barry adds and Felicity nods but she immediately frowns as Oliver reaches for his bow.

“Where are you going?” She asks and stands, moving towards him immediately. “You can’t go out there in your condition.”

He looks over her shoulder and she knows he’s looking at Digg. God, sometimes she wishes they weren’t such men. “I have to stop this.” He tells her in that soft voice that usually makes her melt but she's too worried right now to take pause.

“Oliver, Gold left you half dead which is 50% better than how he left Detective Hilton.” She reminds him but her dumb, stupid vigilante doesn’t seem to want to hear any of it.

This is what she was saying about crazy chances.

“Felicity, I don’t have a choice.” He tells her and Felicity takes a deep breath, their eyes locked. “I’ll come back.” He tells her but Felicity knows that it’s empty words, that he doesn’t truly mean it. It’s a placation.

“Promise me.” She dares, even though it’s a promise that she knows he can’t make.

It’s a promise that she knows he can’t make but somehow when he brushes his lips over her forehead and steps around her to head for the door, her heart still breaks a little and she steels herself not to cry as the sound of his boots on the stairs reverberates around the Foundry.

Chapter Text

Figure out what yours is trying to tell you.

Oliver smiles at the thought as he lets himself into the side entrance of the Foundry.

The last face he ever expected to see was Tommy’s. His best friend’s face often haunts his dreams but not like this. This was different. This is what Oliver needed, something to tell him to keep fighting. Something to remind him of the point of his mission.

He’s going to save this city and he’s not going to do it alone because he doesn’t need to. He has friends, family, a love, and he knows that they are going to be able to fight this.

He has to admit, it feels pretty good when Felicity flies into his arms. He knows he scared her earlier but he promised himself a long time ago that he wasn’t going to lie to her. That promise would’ve been a lie and deep down, he knows that she knows that too.

“Still have a ghost problem?” Digg asks and Oliver sighs, squeezing Felicity tightly.

“No.” He says softly, feeling her step back and slip out of his embrace. Her concerned expression is still directed at him however and he gives her a small smile in the hopes that it reassures her a little. “I got the message. But we have other problems.”

“Wouldn’t be us if we didn’t.” Digg quips and Oliver smirks a little as he moves to place his bow back in its spot.

“Roy was injected with the serum.” He fills them in and he can see the shock pass over their faces.

“Oh my God, is he okay?” Felicity asks and Oliver sighs, looking at her with a wince.

“He’s alive, but we are going to have to keep an eye on him.” He answers and Felicity nods, sinking into her hip as she sighs.

“And Cyrus Gold?” Digg questions, his eyebrow raised.

“Died on Saturday, buried on Sunday. But he was working with someone. I saw him. He wore a mask with an image of a skull. He’s trying to mass produce the serum to build an army.” Oliver explains and Digg sighs, nodding his head.

“There’s only one thing you need an army for. War.” He retaliates and Oliver nods, looking back to Felicity. It’s only looking at her that he realizes the missing person from the Foundry. It’s not that he’s concerned to see Barry gone but the kid has been useful and he’d be concerned if he got himself into any kind of trouble.

“Where’s Barry?” He asks her and she smiles, moving past him to her desk.

“He went back to Central City. Wanted to get back in time to see them turn on the particle accelerator.” She explains and her phone beeps with a text. “Speaking of… he left you this.”

Picking it up, she hands it to him with a smile. The box is wrapped in newspaper as if Barry wrapped it in whatever he could find but he freezes at what he finds when he pulls the lid off.

“Even the Arrow deserves a Christmas present.” Digg quips and Oliver smirks a little as he pulls the mask out of the box.

Find me a mask that conforms perfectly to my face and doesn’t affect my ability to aim whilst I’m on the run.

Seems the little smartass managed it. Oliver smiles as he feels the lightweight material in his hand.

“Here.” Felicity offers as she moves in front of him and he lets her take it off of him. He stands patiently as she pulls it over his head and adjusts it around his eyes until it sits perfectly and Oliver has to hand it to the kid, it feels as if it’s an extension of his own skin.

“How do I look?” He asks Felicity who smiles up at him, the affection clear in her eyes.

“Like a hero.” She tells him and moves out the way so that he can pull his hood up.

He heads outside to train a little. He gets used to running through the streets with the mask on his face and he trains a little more as he leaps through the buildings but a couple of hours later, all that’s on his mind is a certain blonde.

He knows that she’s in the Foundry, she said she was going to get started on the skull mask searches, so he heads there, ducking into the bathroom to change before he heads back out to find her.

"Hey, can we talk?” Oliver asks as he walks in on her, typing away on her computer. She turns to look at him and he can see that her walls are back up high which makes him feel awful. He never wants her to feel like she has to guard herself from him.

“Yeah.” She shrugs and Oliver sighs, pulling the stool over to sit in front of her.

“I am so sorry for how I have acted over the past couple of days. I should never have lashed out at you the way I did when I woke up from the coagulant. It was instinctive and awful and I feel absolutely terrible about it.” He tells her honestly and Felicity sighs, closing her eyes as she breathes deeply.

“Oliver, do you know how terrifying it is to be in this chair? To watch the man I love go out and risk his life every night? I believe in this mission and I believe in you but that doesn’t mean that it makes it any easier on me. Seeing you lying on that table? I… I haven’t been that scared since the Undertaking, Oliver, and even then, you were still in my ear. Then earlier, you heading out there in the condition you were in… I thought my heart was going to leap out of my throat. I have accepted that I am always going to worry about you but that… that was something else.” She explains, looking down at her hands. Oliver frowns, wanting to reach out and comfort her but knowing that he needs to let her talk.

“Felicity…” He starts but her head snaps up with an annoyed look schooling her features.

“Still talking.” She reprimands and Oliver smiles softly, nodding his head.

“Sorry, go on.” He tells her and she nods, pursing her lips.

“Oliver, I had three choices the night we found you unconscious. I could loop in someone who I knew we could trust, even if you didn’t. I could’ve let Digg call the ambulance like he wanted to and revealed your identity to the entire city. Or I…” She trails off and her voice shakes with a teary sigh. Looking up, her eyes meet his and Oliver breaks at the heartbroken expression in them.

“Hey, I promise I will always do my best to come back to you.” He tells her as he leans forward, taking her hands in his and Felicity’s shoulders buckle as the tears start streaming down her face.

“You can’t promise that. That’s why you didn’t answer me earlier. Right?” She sniffles and Oliver shakes his head, tenderly wiping the tears from her face.

“I can promise this. I can’t promise that I won’t be in situations that mean I might not make it home but I am promising you, here and now, that I will always fight my hardest and do my best to find my way back to your arms.” He tells her, cupping her cheek in his hand to keep her eyes on his.

“Sounds like a weird boy scout promise.” Felicity smiles through her tears and Oliver chuckles, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

“Surprisingly, I was never a boy scout.” He winks and Felicity smiles, nuzzling into his hand. “Felicity, I cannot imagine how scared I made you and I can only apologize for that and for the way I reacted. I just feel like this mission is getting away from me and I am losing sight of where we’re going.”

“Hey, we will figure this out. We always do. We’re heading towards a safer Starling. A safer place for the citizens of this city. You fight for them every day, Oliver and I could not be prouder of you for that.” She tells him and Oliver smiles, rubbing his thumb over her cheek.

“I couldn’t do it without you and that’s not just because of your tech skills. You are my guiding light, my angel.” He tells her and Felicity smiles, blushing as her eyes flick down towards her lap.

“The past few days have reminded me of something else as well.” She says quietly and Oliver frowns, quirking his head with a soft smile on his face.

“Hmm?”

“It reminded me that because of what we do, of how we live our lives, we’re not always promised tomorrow or the day after.” She tells him and Oliver nods, his eyebrows furrowing a little as his gaze stays on her, intense and calming at the same time. “Oliver, I don’t want to live with this maybe dangling over me. Last night taught me that.”

Oliver’s heart soars.

What she’s saying, it sounds like… maybe…

“What are you saying?” Oliver asks, trying not to get his hopes up but Felicity smiles at him, standing up and moving in-between his legs. Her hands come up to cup his cheeks and his fall to her waist, holding her in place as she leans forward and finally does what they’ve both been waiting for since they landed after Thanksgiving.

With her lips against his, Oliver feels free and he feels home.

“Shh,” Oliver tells her to quiet her giggling as he shuts the door of the mansion behind her.

“I feel like a delinquent teenager.” She grins and Oliver smiles at her, shaking his head as he grasps her hand to lead her towards the stairs.

“You obviously never were one, you suck at this sneaking around thing.” He smirks and Felicity pouts but it turns into a grin as Oliver frames her face with his hands and kisses her softly.

“Oliver is that you?” Moira’s voice sounds through the hallway and they both freeze, putting an inch of space between them as the sound of Moira’s heels grow closer and she appears in the doorway to the lounge. “Oh, and Felicity as well, hello dear.”

“Hi, Moira.” Felicity smiles, biting her lip as Oliver loops an arm around her waist and pulls her into his side.

“Sorry about being so late. It’s cool if Felicity stays the night, right?” Oliver asks and Felicity blanches, looking up at Oliver in surprise for his candor. She was expecting an excuse at the very least, not an outright request for her to stay over.

“Of course. You’re always welcome here, you know that Felicity. I assume I don’t need to ask the maid to sort out a room?” She asks, raising a perfectly styled eyebrow and Felicity is sure she’s the same color as her red skirt by now.

“No, she’s staying in my room. Thanks, Mom, see you in the morning. Goodnight, love you.” Oliver smiles and grabs Felicity’s hand to tug her up the stairs.

“I love you too, darling. Sleep well, Felicity.” Moira smiles and Felicity frowns.

“You too.” She replies politely before yelping as Oliver tugs her hand a little harder to encourage her up the stairs.

“Come on.” He grins and leads her to his room, shutting the door tightly behind her.

“Well, that was weird.” She frowns and Oliver shrugs, immediately stepping into her personal space and kissing down her neck.

“Just thought it would be better to be open about it.” He answers and suddenly Felicity is far too caught up with the feeling of his lips against her skin to care about his mother.

“You are so beautiful.” Oliver sighs as he watches her walk back across his room an hour later.

He’s lying on his bed on his side, propped up on his elbow with his head in his hand as he admires her. She’s completely nude, like him, her hair loose around her head and tussled in that glorious messy way. He can spot a couple of hickeys forming on her neck and he smirks, liking the look of his mark on her. Something about Felicity just brings out the jealous side of him, he can’t help it.

She stops her walk across the room to pick up his white shirt from earlier in the day, slipping it over her body and Oliver frowns. “Whoa, why are you putting clothes on?”

“Because we are in a house full of your family.” She chuckles, leveling him with a no-nonsense look as she throws his boxers at him. Oliver pouts but pulls them on before sitting up on the bed and reaching for her. Felicity chuckles and allows him to pull her onto his lap.

“We were at the cabin and you didn’t care then.” He reminds her and Felicity rolls her eyes, doing up a couple of the buttons on his shirt. He reaches out to stop her but she slaps his hands out of the way, leveling him with a glare.

“And how many times did your sister barge into our room?” She counters and Oliver sighs, knowing she’s got him beat there. He sits back and looks at her, unable to stop the dopey grin that spreads across his face. She’s just so gorgeous. “Now come on, you need some sleep. Desperately.”

Oliver allows her to push him back onto the bed and he smiles when she crawls into his arms, her hair fanning out across his chest like her own golden halo.

“I love you.” He whispers and he hears her chuckle before she presses a kiss to his chest.

“I love you too, you big lug. Now go to sleep.” She tells him and Oliver sighs, wrapping his arms tightly around her and letting his eyes close.

Oliver wakes up cold, frowning at the empty bed and wondering if last night was all a beautiful dream but then he smells Felicity’s perfume on the sheets and spots the folded up piece of paper on the pillow next to him.

Morning Sleeping Beauty,

Figured I’d let you sleep off the past few days. Headed to find some clothes from Thea and in search of coffee.

Felicity

He smiles at the little heart she’s drawn in the corner and turns to look at the time, freezing when he realizes that it’s nearly half nine. He hasn’t slept this long in a while and he stretches, feeling truly refreshed for the first time since his first fight with Cyrus Gold.

Dragging himself out of bed, he pulls on some sweatpants and a hoodie before he heads downstairs to the kitchen.

His eyes immediately find Felicity, a wide smile on her face, sat at the island. She’s dressed in yoga pants and his favorite green hoodie, clasping a mug between her hands and Oliver makes a beeline for her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He can’t stop himself, it’s like there’s a magnet drawing him to her. He’s constantly craving the feeling of her.

“Well good morning sleepy head.” She smiles, turning her head to kiss his cheek. “You sleep well?”

“Very, guess you were the sleeping pill I needed.” He smiles and Felicity sighs with a contented look on her face, relaxing into his arms.

“Oliver dear, good morning. You’re just in time for some food.”

Oliver looks up to see his mother smiling from the stove where she’s scooping scrambled eggs from a pan into a bowl which she moves to place on the island with a plethora of other breakfast foods.

“It all looks great Mom.” He smiles and presses a kiss to her temple as he heads past her to the coffee machine.

“You guys excited for the QC Christmas party tomorrow?” Thea asks from her spot at the table a few feet away. “Felicity showed me a picture of her dress Ollie, you’re going to fall on the floor.”

“Thea!” Felicity hisses and his little sister frowns, shrugging her shoulders.

“Felicity always looks gorgeous,” Oliver states, smiling over at his girl who rolls her eyes.

“Sap.”

“Just a truth-teller.” He winks and Felicity scoffs but Oliver delights in the blush that breaks out over her cheeks.

“You two are both adorable and sickening. Mom is it okay if I take mine and a plate for Roy up to the room he’s in? He says he’s feeling fine but I still think he should rest.” Thea asks as she stands and moves towards the island.

“Of course dear, what did you say was wrong with him again?” Moira asks as she watches her daughter load up two plates.

“Oh, the flu. You know with everything that happened with the Count and stuff, barely anyone got their flu shots. It’s been really bad this year.” Thea lies before scurrying out the room, balancing the plates in her hands.

“That girl is an awful liar.” Moira comments and Felicity smiles into her coffee.

“You know she’d tell you if it was anything awful Mom,” Oliver reassures her and Moira nods, plating up some food for herself.

“I know. I believe in both of you. Thea is allowed a little teenage rebellion, just not as much as she was into last year.” Moira frowns and Oliver chuckles, kissing his mother’s cheek.

“She’s fine Mom.” He tells her and the matriarch nods, smiling over at Felicity. He loads up a plate with eggs, toast, a couple of pancakes and a small serving of avocado before placing it in front of his girl. Her nose scrunches up at the sight of the avocado but it turns into a grin as he passes her the syrup. He chuckles and places a kiss on top of her head before moving to grab some breakfast of his own.

“So, Oliver has warned you about the red carpet tomorrow night I assume?” Moira asks and Felicity coughs, her first bite of the food having got caught in the back of her throat.

“I’m sorry… red carpet?” She asks, looking between the two Queens. Moira frowns, turning to look at her son with a reproachful look.

“Oliver Jonas Queen, what did I tell you when we discussed the party yesterday?” Moira asks, her lips pursed and Oliver suddenly has flashbacks to being scolded as a small child.

“That I needed to warn Felicity about the red carpet at the event so as not to freak her out and so she knows what to expect. I was getting to it, Mom.” He tells her, whining a little and shooting a look to Felicity when he hears her trying to cover up a chuckle.

“The press at the event is important. It’s the one event a year where we personally invite them into the life of QC and therefore our lives. You’ll walk the red carpet together, Oliver will be with you the entire time. Snap a few pictures, answer a few questions, voila you’re done and you can enjoy the party.” Moira explains softly, smiling at Felicity who looks like a deer in headlights.

“Questions? I’m not exactly great with talking.” The blonde frowns, looking to Oliver in fear but he merely smiles, rounding the island to wrap an arm around her and kiss the top of her head.

“I’ll do the talking.” He winks and Felicity relaxes a little, smiling up at him.

“And I trust you completely Felicity, you’ll do an excellent job,” Moira tells her and Felicity takes a deep breath, nodding her head.

“Thank you, Moira.” She blushes a little and Moira smiles, downing the last of her coffee.

“Alright, I should return to my office. No rest for the wicked, as they say. I’ll see you both later.” Moira smiles affectionately at them both before she leaves the room, her heels clacking against the hardwood floor of the hallway.

“Because that wasn’t an insane amount of pressure.” Felicity comments but she squeals as Oliver turns the stool she’s sat in quickly so that she’s facing him. He smiles at her adorable pout, brushing his thumb over her lips.

“You’ll charm them all, just like you charmed me.” He tells her and Felicity smiles, eyebrow quirking and Oliver knows she’s about to tease him.

“I thought you were the charming one of the two of us?” She asks, that sly grin on her lips and Oliver chuckles, leaning forward to kiss the end of her nose. He delights in the way her face scrunches up so sweetly and he pulls her into his arms, lifting her off of the chair. Her legs wrap around his waist and her arms around his neck, squealing again before he settles her weight easily in his arms.

“I’ll show you how charming I can be.” He tells her and Felicity giggles loudly as he presses his face into her neck and his beard scratches across her skin. She writhes as she tries to get away from the feeling but Oliver’s grip on her is sturdy and strong, never wielding. He won’t let her fall and she knows that.

“Uncle! Uncle!” She yells and Oliver laughs, carefully setting her down on the floor. She’s breathless and her chest is rising and falling heavily, her eyes shining with mirth. She hasn’t got a lick of makeup on her face and her hair is falling out of the ponytail she threw it in this morning but Oliver doesn’t think he’s ever seen anything so beautiful.

“You finished with food?” He asks, looking down at Felicity’s mostly finished plate and she nods, pushing some wayward locks out of her face.

“Give me a head start?” She smirks and Oliver grins, shaking his head.

“Two minutes.” He tells her and chuckles a little as she rushes out of the room, his hoodie falling off of her shoulder to reveal that creamy skin. Oliver groans as he watches her round the corner, counting down two minutes in his head.

She’s sat on the edge of the bed when he reaches his room and he notes with a smirk that she’s ditched the yoga pants, his hoodie just covering her.

“Well, Mr. Queen, fancy meeting you here.” She giggles as he steps through the door and Oliver steels his expression, walking towards her.

“We have a bit of an issue to discuss Miss Smoak.” He tells her, looming over her and letting his hand come to rest on the bare skin of her shoulder. He can feel her shiver as his cold fingers press against her warm skin but she looks up at him with those wide eyes and Oliver’s sure he could lose it right there.

“And what issue is that?” She asks, her own hands sliding under his shirt to roam over his stomach. Her nails scratch across his abs and it takes everything in him not to throw her back on the bed.

“You, my sweet, wonderful, light of my life…” He starts, using one hand to steel the movements of her hands before his other slides his hoodie even further down her shoulder. She grins at his words, the pure joy on her face making him freeze for a moment. She is such a light in his life. God, he adores her. “You are a little thief.”

“Am not!” She gasps and Oliver smirks, his finger tracing the line of his hoodie before he finds the zip.

“And what do you call this?” He asks, raising an eyebrow.

Felicity, however, gains that defiant expression on her face and rights her posture. “I’ll have you know, Mr. Queen, that I am merely borrowing your hoodie because your house is cold.”

“Well, I’d better have a discussion with the staff. We can’t have you cold.” He tells her, watching the mirth dance behind her eyes. He tugs on the zipper, revealing more and more of her skin underneath the hoodie until it’s completely unzipped and she’s revealed to him. “Although, it might be beneficial to wear something before you complain of the cold.”

“I can put some clothes on now if you’d like.” She grins and goes to move but he stops her, leaning over her and forcing her to lay down on her back.

“Hmm, I can think of some far more efficient ways to keep you warm rather than clothes.” He smirks and drowns in the sound of her giggles as his lips descend on her body.

“I feel safe with you.”

Oliver looks down at Felicity.

They’ve been silent for a while, just reveling in the feeling of each other with her head resting on his chest. He’s been stroking his fingers through her hair and he doesn’t know how long it’s been since they finished their lovemaking but he’s been content to just feel her golden strands in between his fingers and the sensation of her naked skin pressed against his.

“I feel safe with you too.” He replies honestly, his hands resuming his movements in her hair and Felicity hums at the feeling, cuddling further into his chest.

“Can we watch a movie in a bit?” She asks and he chuckles, wondering how she can switch gears so quickly. He knows there’s more to her admission but he also knows that she’ll share them when she’s ready.

“Sure, you wanna go to the theatre?” He asks and Felicity frowns, looking up at him.

“Does anything about this suggest that I want to leave this house any time soon?” She asks and then her eyes widen as she realizes what she’s said. “I mean today like… you know… oh god…”

She flushes and tucks her head back into Oliver’s chest. He chuckles and rubs his hand over her back.

“I know what you meant and I wasn’t suggesting the movie theatre. We have a screening room that Mom calls the theatre.” He explains and Felicity looks up at him with a shocked face that morphs into a smile.

“Of course you do.” She giggles and he shrugs, knowing that his extraneous wealth can be a little intimidating. He doesn’t know what to do with it most of the time. Although, he’s got a few ideas relating to the angel in his arms as of late.

“I don’t know what DVDs we have though.” He admits and Felicity shrugs.

“I’m sure I can figure something out. Anything, in particular, you want to watch?” She asks, her finger drawing patterns over his abs and he smiles.

“I don’t mind. Something happy.”

“Something happy. I like the sound of that.” She grins up at him and he chuckles, drawing her up his chest to kiss her softly.

They eventually make it out of his room, dressed once more. Oliver has at least donned a pair of jeans and a t-shirt but he assures Felicity no one is going to judge her for spending the day in yoga pants. It’s not as if any of her clothes are here anyway.

Oliver goes to the kitchen to grab snacks whilst Felicity picks a film. He’s sure she’ll probably pick a rom-com but he doesn’t mind as long as he gets to hold her. They need to go to the Foundry later but today has just been so nice, the two of them finding each other once again. It’s all he’s wanted since the wheels of the jet set down in Starling a few weeks ago.

“Hey, Ollie.” Thea smiles from her spot stirring a pot at the cooker. Oliver smiles back at her, moving towards the pull out cupboard where all their unhealthy stuff is kept.

“Hey, Speedy. Hot chocolate?” He asks, smelling the sweetness of the liquid as she stirs.

“Yup. Nutella.” She explains with a grin and Oliver chuckles, moving to the microwave to start popping a couple of bags of popcorn. “Watching a movie?”

“Yeah, Felicity’s in the theatre choosing one right now. How’s Roy?” Oliver asks, finding a few packets of crunchy M&Ms which he knows are Felicity’s favorite. He’s still feeling a little guilty about shooting Roy in the leg and his terrified about what the serum may do. The rate at which he’s recovered from the wound in the past day has made Oliver aware of the fact that the mirakuru has definitely entered his system.

“He’s okay. I still can’t believe the vigilante shot him. He was trying to help him.” Thea frowns, reaching for a couple of mugs from the cupboard above her head.

“He must have had a reason. If I know anything about the vigilante, there’s always a reason behind his actions.” Oliver tells his baby sister who hums solemnly before shrugging her shoulders. She pours the hot chocolate into the mugs before carefully lifting them up, leaving her mess behind which makes Oliver chuckle. There are truly some things that will never change and his baby sister’s inability to clean up after herself seems to be one of them.

“I guess so. Enjoy your movie night, big brother. See you later.” She smiles and kisses his cheek when she passes, making Oliver smile.

“See you later Speedy.” He grins, heading back to the microwave when it begins to beep loudly.

Chapter Text

“Don’t go.”

Felicity sighs, looking over at him lying on his bed.

He’s looking at her with this adorable lost puppy expression on his face and it gives her pause as she pulls on her day-old clothes but she steels herself and buttons her blouse over her bra.

“I have to go. I need to check on the searches and we need to be at the office early tomorrow to direct the decorators for the gala. I have no clothes here, it’s already going to be on every gossip magazine in the city that I’m leaving your house in day-old clothes.” She explains to him again but she moves towards him and bends down by the bed, pulling him into a soft kiss.

“But you look so good in day-old clothing.” He continues to pout, pulling at her blouse and she rolls her eyes, scooting back just out of reach.

“Nuh-uh Mister, not going to work. We need to establish some boundaries and that means not spending every night together.” She tells him and that smile on his face is just a little too much like a smirk for her liking.

“But I thought you loved spending the night with me?” He teases and she scoffs, standing up and locating her shoes from where they’d been thrown last night.

“You aren’t helping yourself.” She comments as she finally finds the other one wedged underneath the door to Oliver’s closet. She finds her purse and her coat, pulling her phone out just to see if it has any juice left in it and she freezes at the news alert on her screen.

“Felicity?” Oliver asks but she can’t concentrate on him right now as she opens the article and gasps at what she’s reading.

It can’t be.

She spoke to him just yesterday.

“Felicity?” Oliver asks again and his hand on her back makes her jump. “Sorry.”

“No, I just… I…” She stumbles for the words, looking around the room in shock until Oliver’s hands on her face bring her back down to reality, directing her eyes onto his and in those deep blues, she finds the grounding she needs. “The particle accelerator. It exploded.”

“That science thing you and Barry were talking about?” Oliver asks and Felicity winces at the sound of his name. “Felicity, what is it?”

“It’s… Barry, he was struck by lightning.” She finally gets out and Oliver’s demeanor changes immediately. He softens and his hands drop to her arms, rubbing soothingly up and down.

“Oh my God, is he…?” Oliver trails off, obviously not wanting to finish the sentence.

“The article says he’s in a coma.” She explains and Oliver nods, his eyes closing for a second. She sniffles and Oliver frowns, the concern all over his face.

“Hey, c’mere.” He tells her and pulls her into his arms. She doesn’t even realize she’s crying until his hand strokes through her hair.

“I don’t even know why I’m so upset. I barely know him.” She mumbles into his chest and she relaxes when she feels Oliver’s lips kiss her hair.

“Baby, we may have only met Barry a few days ago but you two have spent practically every hour of those few days together. Of course, you’re upset and it’s totally understandable that you are.” He tells her, speaking into her hair and Felicity squeezes him a little tighter before stepping out of his embrace, wiping her eyes.

“Thank you.” She smiles a little with a blush gracing her cheeks and Oliver smiles, grasping her hand to squeeze.

“No need for thanks.” He smiles and then he frowns, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. “Do you want to go there? We can ditch the gala and head down first thing tomorrow.”

Felicity shakes her head, taking a deep breath and getting her composure. “No. Your mother would kill us, for one, and I don’t think Barry’s friends in Central City are going to be particularly appreciative of a random blonde I.T. girl from Starling just rushing into his hospital room. No, I’ll hack into the servers and see what’s going on but I can wait until after the party to go.”

“You sure?” Oliver asks, squeezing her hand and Felicity nods, taking a deep breath.

“Yeah, I am. Plus the gala is important, both for your reputation as CEO and our images in the press. We need those interviews to go well and for the company to get some good press. Us not turning up would kind of be the opposite of that.” She smiles softly and she can spot one pulling at Oliver’s lips as well.

“Okay well, at least let me drive you home?” He asks and Felicity frowns, reaching forward to wipe her tears from his bare chest.

“Oliver, my car is here.” She reminds him and Oliver shrugs.

“Yeah but, you’re staying tomorrow after the gala, right? Digg and I will swing by and pick you up in the morning.” He states as if it’s the simplest thing in the world for her to just leave her car here.

Still somehow…

“Okay, yeah.” She nods and Oliver smiles, cupping her cheek in his hand before he places a soft kiss to her lips.

“Thank you.” He whispers as he pulls away before he starts to search for some clothes of his own.

“Okay, thank you. Yes, no, I’ll be there later this week. There are some things in Starling that I can’t get away from.” Felicity sighs as she speaks to the hospital in Central City the next morning, having managed to get herself onto the list of Barry’s visitors. So maybe she did a little dirty work and lied to say they went to college together but hey, she didn’t go to MIT for nothing. Well, actually now she apparently went to CCU.

The knock on the door makes her jump and she relaxes at the sight of Oliver and Digg as she swings the door open, smiling at the sight of the coffee in Oliver’s hand.

“What have we told you about opening the door before you know who it is?” Digg immediately asks, stepping inside and ushering Oliver in so they can shut the door on the cameras posted outside that are going crazy trying to snap a picture of the current IT couple of Starling.

“I knew it was you.” Felicity rolls her eyes, turning to Oliver with a grin and making grabby hands towards the cup.

He chuckles at her and dislodges one of the cups, handing it over and smiling at the serene smile that crosses her face after her first sip.

“Oh, I love you.” She sighs and Oliver chuckles, removing his own cup before throwing the carry container into Felicity’s recycling bin.

“I love you too… you were talking to the coffee, weren’t you?” He asks and Felicity blushes, turning to him with a sheepish smile.

“Maybe?” She offers with a coy smile and Oliver laughs, moving towards her and kissing her softly in greeting.

“It’s okay, I know I’m always going to be number two in your life.” He smirks and Felicity grins, leaning into the hand that cups her cheek. “Morning.”

“Morning.” She blushes a little bashfully and Oliver smiles down at her, that adoring look in his eyes.

“Glad to know I’m chopped liver to you now.” Digg’s amused voice alerts Felicity to the fact that they are not alone and she turns to him with a sheepish smile, moving into his outstretched arms for a hug.

“He brought coffee.” She offers as an explanation and he chuckles, squeezing her tightly.

“Looks like I’m not gonna have to be beat up by you after all, huh? That’s good news for me.” He whispers in her ear and Felicity giggles a little, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she pulls back.

“Still no way that would have ever happened.” She rolls her eyes and Digg chuckles but then his face grows serious, crossing his large arms over his chest.

“I may have been joking about that but I’m serious about the door. Felicity, there are at least 25 reporters outside your door right now, all of them desperate for a shot of you or for some information about your life. I have no doubt that they would not hesitate to knock on your door at the chance of getting that exclusive.” He tells her with a stern expression and Felicity at least has the humility to look a little sheepish.

“They know that’s kind of illegal right? Plus, I could have any picture erased from the entire internet in five seconds, so your point is kind of moot, Digg.” She retaliates nonetheless and Digg rolls his eyes at her with an affectionate smirk on his lips.

“You’re too much sometimes Smoak.”

Felicity’s phone beeps and she looks down to see a message from the VP’s assistant letting her know that the decorators have arrived.

“They’re already at QC, we need to get going.” She tells the boys who nod and Felicity goes to move towards the door, frowning when Oliver doesn’t follow her. “Oliver, didn’t you hear me?”

“Felicity, you need a coat.” He tells her, looking at her bare arms and legs.

“It’s two seconds in and out of the car at either end, I’ll be fine.” She rolls her eyes and Oliver looks like he wants to argue but she fixes him with a look and goes to pull the door open.

That has both Digg and Oliver by her side in seconds and she smirks at the overprotectiveness of her boys, dutifully falling back behind Digg and in step with Oliver. She resists the urge to hiss as the cold air hits her bare skin, not wanting to give Oliver the satisfaction of being right but there’s cloth draped over her shoulders before she can even think and she recognizes the expensive material of Oliver’s suit jacket.

“Won’t you be cold?” She asks and Oliver smirks, slinging an arm around her shoulder to pull her into his side as they approach the throngs of paparazzi.

“I don’t really get cold, not after the island.” He tells her and Felicity winces. Of course. She reminds herself and curses herself for being insensitive. She grips onto his shirt and tucks her head into his chest, trusting him to lead her through the reporters.

“So they want to put the lights across that wall there and then these dangling decorations at random points around the room.”

Felicity bites her lip in amusement as she watches Oliver attempt to appear interested in anything his mother is saying. He looks like he may fall asleep standing and she has to agree that this decorating session is as dull as it comes. The decorators surely know what they’re doing? Why does Oliver have to sign off on every little detail?

Her work phone starts to ring and she moves from Oliver’s side to answer it, grinning to herself as he sends her a helpless look the minute she’s away from his side.

“Felicity Smoak speaking, executive assistant to Oliver Queen. How may I help you?” She speaks professionally, drawing her lip between her teeth as Oliver mimics shooting himself in the head before almost getting caught by his mother.

“Felicity! Oh thank god, I caught you. Huge disaster!” Felicity recognizes the voice as Anna, one of the women put on the committee for the party. “You’re with Mr. and Mrs. Queen, right?”

“Yes, I’m with them. Anna, what’s going on?” She asks, frowning slightly at girl’s use of the phrase ‘disaster’.

“So you know Mrs. Queen wanted to resurrect the late Mr. Queen’s tradition of having someone from within the company sing at the party?” Anna tells her and Felicity frowns.

“Yes. Isn’t Angelina from accounting doing it?” She questions, holding her hand up as a member of the decorating team approaches her with an obvious question on his lips.

“Well she was supposed to but she’s come down the most awful flu and says she’s not going to able to make it. Hence, huge disaster!” Anna’s voice is panicky and Felicity takes a deep breath.

“Anna, this company employs nearly 10,000 people. Surely more than one of them can sing?” She asks and her conversation alerts the attention of Moira who has apparently finished explaining the ideas to Oliver.

“What’s going on?” The matriarch asks, approaching her and waving off the decorating guy with a single hand.

“Angelina, who was supposed to sing tonight, has come down with the flu.” She explains, covering the receiver with her hand so Anna doesn’t hear.

“Surely someone else can sing?” Moira asks and Felicity sighs.

“I am currently trying to figure that out.” She explains with a small smile before she places the phone back up against her ear. “Anna, look back through the replies to the email we sent out last month. There must be someone else.”

“Unless…” Moira speaks up and she turns to smile at Oliver who immediately shakes his head.

“No, absolutely not! Out of the question!” He snaps, moving away from his mother as if her words had physically hurt him.

“It’s the reason we stopped the tradition in the first place. You and Tommy sang together when you were ten.” Moira smiles, that soft one she gets whenever she reminisces but Oliver merely shakes his head absolutely, crossing his arms.

“It’s not happening Mom. No.” He states and Moira shakes her head with a smile, leaving Felicity to look back and forth between them with the phone still half poised to her ear.

“Felicity?” Anna asks and Felicity frowns.

“See if you can find someone from the email and get back to me, okay?” She tells her and Anna responds in the affirmative before they hang up.

“You are making a speech, though?” Moira insists and Oliver sighs, that slightly perturbed expression coming across his face. Felicity steps in, slipping her arm through his and squeezing his bicep comforting.

“He is. I finished writing it last night and we’re going to practice later, right hon?” She prompts and Oliver hums, clearly agitated. She knows this whole morning has been grating on him, this isn’t what he signed up for when he took over as CEO and as much as he loves and believes in QC as a company, this much preparation for a holiday party on his part is making him want to tear his hair out. “Actually, it seems like you’re pretty much sorted here. Is there anything else we can do?”

Moira hums, looking around the room before she appraises them with a smile. “No, I think you’re good. I will see you both later. Please try to be on time.”

She directs her last comment to Oliver as she steps forward to kiss his cheek and Oliver hums in agreement before pulling back. Moira smiles and steps forward, wrapping her arms loosely around Felicity in a hug.

“Thank you for keeping him in line.” She whispers and Felicity chuckles as she pulls back, her fingers instantly finding Oliver’s arm again.

“I will keep you updated about the performance situation.” She promises, waving her phone in her free hand and Moira nods.

“Go on, get out of here.” The matriarch smiles and they both do too, gesturing to Digg who’s been waiting at the side of the room.

“You are an angel, an actual angel.” Oliver groans and Felicity squeals as his arms wrap around her as they’re still walking. They stumble a little but her hands fly up to grasp his arms around her chest and she leans into his lips as they brush a kiss against her temple.

“…and I hope you all have a lovely evening. Enjoy the rest of the party.” Oliver finishes as he stands behind Felicity’s coffee table, delivering his speech to his audience of one and Felicity grins, clapping her hands enthusiastically. Oliver laughs at her, placing the cue cards on the table before he flops down next to her on the couch, immediately pulling her into his arms. “Nice speech.”

“Thank you. Nice delivery.” She grins and Oliver smiles, burying his face in her neck. She hums as his lips find that particular spot, his tongue sneaking out to lather over it. “Hmm, Oliver, I need to start getting ready.”

“We have over three hours.” He counters, lifting her into his lap and Felicity groans, her hands gripping his arms where they’re banded around her waist.

“Hmm, and in three hours, ugh, nearly every magazine in, hmm, Starling is going to have a camera pointed at me.” She stumbles, tilting her neck to allow him easier access despite her words.

“You could show up in your pajamas and you’d still be the most beautiful one there.” He whispers into her neck and Felicity groans, closing her eyes for a second to savor the feeling before steeling herself and pushing up off of him.

“As charming as that is, it’s just not the truth.” She smirks and hands him the TV remote before she heads over to her bathroom. “Don’t mess up my DVR.” She calls over her shoulder with a smirk and giggles as she hears his groan just as she shuts her bathroom door.

“Do you think having my hair down is too informal? I don’t want to look old but I don’t want to seem like I thought this event was more casual than it is and I understand that this means nothing to you and Oliver… can you stop staring please?”

Oliver blinks at the sight of Felicity in front of him. She’s not dressed for the gala yet, in fact, there’s just a purple silk robe tied around her body but she still looks absolutely stunning. Her makeup is classy but very minimal, it highlights everything naturally beautiful about her. Her lips are shiny, painted a much more understated color than her usual choices and she’s looking at him through thick lashes, raising a perfectly quaffed eyebrow. Her hair is in loose waves around her head, much more tamed than her natural curls and the way the light from the bathroom is hitting her, she looks exactly like an angel.

“Hair down. Definitely hair down.” He stutters and Felicity’s features morph into a smile, that shy blush that Oliver adores coming across her cheeks.

“Okay, hair down it is.” She agrees, quieter than before and she shifts a little on her feet, tilting her head at him. “Are you going to head home soon? I mean, you’re welcome to stay but isn’t your suit there?”

“I called the dry cleaners whilst you were in the bathroom. They should be delivering it here in the next ten minutes or so.” He explains and Felicity nods, looking between him and the door to her bedroom.

“Okay, well I’m just gonna…” She gestures awkwardly and heads that way.

“Felicity?” Oliver calls out, unable to stop himself and Felicity freezes, turning on the balls of her bare feet.

“Yes?” She asks, her hair fanning out around her and Oliver loses his breath for a second, wondering how he ever got to be so lucky.

“You look incredible.” He tells her and that blush spreads further over her cheeks but she grins before she slips into her room. Oliver grins as he hears the loud contented sigh she lets out and wonders how mad she’d be at him for messing up her efforts but he’s distracted by the sound of the doorbell and moves that way instead.

Felicity stares at herself in the long mirror of her bedroom, brushing her hands down over her dress as she obsesses over her reflection.

The dress is gorgeous and she fell in love with it at first sight. She didn’t want to go too obviously holiday, red or green would’ve only made her stand out more than she already will on the arm of the CEO. So when she spotted the champagne colored number in a boutique in the few days between getting back from the cabin and Barry’s arrival in Starling, Felicity had jumped at the chance. From her shoulders to her waist is covered in a sheer material which sparkles slightly in the light and silver and grey beaded details cover her from her bust to her hips, before the skirt falls down elegantly in a satin material. A single band around her waist matches the material of the skirt and highlights her figure, cinching in and giving her slightly more of a shape. She’s kept her jewelry to a minimum, a pair of dangly earrings and a delicate, matching bracelet around her wrist. Her shoes can only be seen when she walks but the silver color sparkles in the light when the toes peep out from under the skirt.

She’s never been one to particularly nit-pick, she enjoys putting outfits together but they’ve always fallen into the ‘cute’ category. Cute and quirky, that’s been her game for a while now. With her promotion and now this whole thing with Oliver, the way she’s been thrust into the limelight is intimidating to the extreme. The media aren’t looking for cute and quirky, they’re looking for the Moira to Oliver’s Robert and Felicity feels like that’s a task she’s really not up for. Being one half of a so-called ‘power couple’ was never something that even crossed her mind.

“I can hear you thinking from over here.”

Felicity screams at the unexpected voice, jumping as she turns to see Oliver leaning against the doorframe. He looks ridiculously and unfairly gorgeous, how can a suit do so much for a man? He’s staved off the bow tie, opting instead for a silver tie that Felicity quickly realizes matches some of the detailing on her dress.

Must have been Thea, she realizes before she turns to face him, her eyes seemingly unable to move off the handsome figure he cuts. So effortlessly handsome and goddamn hot.

“You look gorgeous.” She blurts out before she even realizes what she’s saying and Oliver smiles, pushing up off of the doorframe and walking over to her, catching her hands and pulling her closer.

“Pretty sure that’s my line.” He smiles, his thumbs rubbing over the band of satin at her waist.

“It is nearly 2014, mister. If I want to call my… you gorgeous, then I can.” She catches herself before she blurts something out she might regret, realizing that they haven’t quite yet established what this thing between them is.

“Oh I’m aware, I just think you’re infinitely more beautiful than I could ever be and therefore, I am the one who should be doling out the compliments.” Oliver smiles charmingly and Felicity cannot help the blush that spreads over her cheeks, her hands coming up to rest on his arms. “You are a vision, so what’s got you so worked up?”

“The carpet.” She mumbles but of course Oliver catches it and frowns, one hand immediately cupping her chin to force her eyeline up onto his.

“Hey, you are going to be incredible.” He tells her and Felicity frowns, shaking her head.

“No, they’re… they’re expecting someone like Thea or your mother. Someone who can handle high-pressure situations effortlessly and charm the socks off of anyone but I can’t do that Oliver! I’m clumsy and practically incapable of not putting my foot in my mouth and I just… I’m not what they’re expecting.” She pushes out of his arms and walks away, sitting down on her bed with a sigh.

“Hey.” Oliver frowns, bending down in front of her and grasping her hands in his. “Look at me.”

Felicity bites her lip for a second before doing as asked, her frown softening at the look of utter belief and trust and love in Oliver’s eyes.

“So, what you’re not what they’re expecting. Felicity, this whole thing between us has been so unexpected. When I walked into your cubicle that day, you changed everything. You helped to show me the man I could be. You’ve helped me find another way and you’ve stood by my side through everything, your faith never shaking. We’re unexpected and that’s what makes us so incredible.” He tells her, his eyes never leaving hers and that trust so evident in them that it makes tears spring to Felicity’s eyes.

“You’re going to ruin my makeup.” She sniffles slightly and Oliver chuckles, moving his hand to her cheek and rubbing his thumb softly over her cheekbone.

“I love you, I believe in you and I’m going to by your side the entire time.” He smiles softly and Felicity blinks a few times, before biting her lip.

“Promise?” She asks quietly and Oliver smiles, bringing the hand that he’s still grasping to his lips to kiss.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be, baby.”

Oliver often forgets just how young Felicity is.

He can see it now as they sit in the back of the car, her fingers drumming nervously against his thigh.

Her eyes are wide and there’s just this innocent overwhelmed look to her that Oliver hasn’t seen on her in a while.

Realistically he’s always known her age but thinking of everything that she’s accomplished before the age of 25? Oliver’s heart thumps with pride at the idea and his fingers grasp hers from his thigh, squeezing her hand reassuringly with a smile when she turns those wide eyes on him.

“You’re gonna be great.” He whispers and presses a soft kiss to her temple, smiling at the way she leans into him. “I’m right here.”

The car pulls to a stop and the driver (not Digg, Oliver’s given him the night off so that he can actually enjoy the party) announces as much through the coms in the car, seeing as the divider is up. Oliver can practically feel Felicity’s body tense up and he presses another kiss to her temple before bringing their joined hands to his lips as well.

“We’re gonna do this together. Wait for me, okay?” He asks and Felicity nods, wide eyes on him once more and Oliver winks before he climbs out of the car.

The cameras immediately start going crazy and he smiles, holding up a hand in greeting as he walks around the car. He waves away the security member who has gone to open Felicity’s door and opens it himself, smiling reassuringly at her as he offers her a hand.

The minutes her heels hit the floor, it’s like the mob behind them has doubled in size. There are people shouting their names from all directions and a million camera flashes going off but Oliver maintains a charming smile, offering Felicity his arm and he calmly leads them to the start of the carpet, laid out across the wide sidewalk between the road and the pulled back entrance to the main QC building.

The first section of the carpet is obviously designed for photographs and Oliver leads Felicity over to where the security guard is ushering them, facing the wall of photographers that are stood behind metal railings.

“You know the first red carpet I ever walked, I fell flat on my face?” Oliver tells Felicity when he spots her overwhelmed expression and his comment has the desired effect, that gorgeous smile of hers spreading across her face and lighting her up as she looks at him.

“Really? Now that I don’t believe.” She grins and Oliver chuckles, facing the cameras for a second so that they can get a few shots where he’s not staring at Felicity but his eyes are back on her in pretty much an instant.

“It’s true. I was twelve and Mom and Dad finally thought I was old enough. I was bored so I was nudging the carpet with my foot and then when I went to walk, I tripped over and fell straight to the floor.” He recalls and Felicity laughs which only makes the photographers call her name more desperately as their cameras click to get a photo but she’s more relaxed and that was Oliver’s main goal.

They stay there for a while longer, his arm looped around her back and smile dutifully. He pinches her side and she giggles a little before sending him a mock glare. He smiles and kisses her cheek in apology, making the photographers scream one last time.

“Mr. Queen, Miss Smoak, if you will.” A security personnel prompts, gesturing to further down the carpet and Oliver takes the cue to move on, sliding his fingers into Felicity’s as they head down that way.

There’s an obvious line of interviewers and Oliver pulls Felicity up to the first one, wrapping an arm around her waist as they settle in front of the camera.

“Hi, nice to meet you Mr. Queen, Miss Smoak, I’m Timothy Jacks here with the Starling Technology News. You guys excited about the party?” The interviewer asks with a smile and Oliver smiles back, glancing at Felicity to see that she’s looking a little more relaxed than she was in front of the photographers. This is at least, only one camera and the interviewers talk to you rather than scream so Oliver understands her position.

“Very much so. A lot of people have worked very hard to put everything together so that our wonderful employees have a terrific night.” Oliver answers diplomatically, smiling charmingly into the camera before he looks back at Timothy.

“QC’s had a rough time of it lately, what with all the bad press, the funds transfers to Stellmoor and your mother’s trial. Are you feeling optimistic about the future of your company?” Timothy asks and Oliver maintains a smile, although his free hand flicks a little agitatedly.

“I’m very optimistic about the future. We’ve got a lot of exciting projects coming up, our Applied Sciences team are working very hard, and we’re moving forward like the rest of the city.” Oliver replies, relaxing a little as Felicity rubs her hand soothingly over his back.

“Thank you.” Timothy smiles and Oliver resists the urge to roll his eyes at his complete ignorance of Felicity as they move onto the next interviewer.

The next few carry out pretty much the same way, intrusive questions for Oliver about the company and a few tactless remarks about Felicity’s dress or her position in the company, all of which she handles effortlessly and makes Oliver beam with pride.

“Mr. Queen, Miss Smoak, it’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Jessica from Starling Stars.” The next interviewer greets and Oliver smiles, shaking her hand with the arm that isn’t wrapped around Felicity securely.

“Lovely to meet you.” Felicity smiles charmingly as she shakes her hand.

“I may have been listening in a little on your last few interviews and I’m very surprised that no one’s asked this yet but how did the two of you meet?” Jessica asks and Oliver immediately relaxes with an easy smile.

“Well, I had just gotten back from the island and I was feeling very overwhelmed with how much the technology world had moved on when I very stupidly split a latte all over my computer which had some important work documents relating to the club I opened last year.” Oliver grins, bending the truth effortlessly and his smile only grows at Felicity’s matching grin. “I asked my then step-father, Walter Steele, if there was anyone at the company who could help me out and he sent to who he called ‘the most reliable person QC’s IT department has ever seen’.”

Felicity blushes at the compliment but grins nonetheless. He looks at her in question, wandering if she wants to continue seeing as she’s been forced to stand there and smile as people talk to him for a while but she shakes her head slightly, the intrigue obvious in her eyes.

“She was completely oblivious that I had even approached her cubicle, so caught up in whatever it was she was doing. I cleared my throat and she whirled around and she was chewing on this red pen, I remember it matched the color of lipstick you were wearing.” Oliver smiles, looking at Felicity who blushes at the mention of her chewing on the pen. He changes direction, so he’s talking to her and she smiles, it lighting up her face in that way he just adores. “When I introduced myself, you just went off on one of your babbles and I couldn’t help it, you just intrigued me.”

Felicity smiles at him, her bottom lip caught between her teeth and Oliver swears he could stare at her face forever. The way her eyes sparkle like an extension of her smile, so bright, the light to his dark. His angel.

“And that’s when it started?” Jessica prompts and Oliver jolts a little, honestly having forgotten there’s someone else there.

“For me, definitely.” Felicity finally speaks up, smiling up at him. Jessica’s eyes flick over to her in delight, the intrigue evident on her face. “I think it took this one a little longer to realize what was going on. Always was a little bit brighter than others.”

“So smart.” Oliver groans under his breath and Felicity grins, nudging him with her shoulder.  

“No, we both were scared about what it meant, about how it would affect our lives but at the end of the day, we decided that the way we make each other feel and our love is worth it.” Felicity smiles, speaking to Jessica but turning towards Oliver as she finishes, settling him with that soft look that always has his insides fluttering and makes him feel like a teenager again.

“I know that I came overcome anything with this one by my side, she’s my guiding light, my angel and I am forever thankful for whatever it was that brought her into my life. I’m so lucky to be able to call her mine.” Oliver smiles, keeping his eyes on Felicity even though he’s talking to Jessica and Felicity blinks in that way that he knows she is holding back tears.

I love you. She mouths and Oliver smiles, leaning forward to press his lips to her forehead, savoring the feeling of her skin under his lips.

“I love you.” He whispers in her ear as he pulls back and the sparkling smile he’s rewarded with is worth every hardship under the sun. He grins proudly as she leans her head on his shoulder for a brief second.

“Oh wow.” Jessica comments and Oliver grins, agreeing with a journalist for once. “Thank you guys so much, that was so much more than we were expecting. We hope you’ll consider Starling Stars for any future interviews.”

“Thank you.” Oliver smiles politely and they move onto the next reporter.

They do a few more together. Appearing to have reached the gossipier section of the line, a lot more of them are interested in what Felicity has to say and Oliver is so proud of how she handles herself. She’s her usual charming self, catching the interest of every reporter they speak to and Oliver can clearly see how each one is captivated by her warmth.

“Sir, there’s a few who would like separate interviews.” One of the security personnel approaches and Oliver frowns, his arm tightening around Felicity’s waist.

“We didn’t agree to that.” He frowns but he’s surprised as Felicity shakes her head, separating from him a little and resting a comforting hand on his arm.

“No, it’s okay. It’s only a few, right?” She asks and the worker nods her head, looking between the both of them.

“Sweetheart, are you sure?” He asks with a soft frown, knowing how anxious she was earlier.

“I’ll be okay. Just don’t blame me if something comes out wrong and there are some strange headlines tomorrow morning.” She grins and the fact that she’s joking relaxes him. He leans into the kiss she places on his cheek before they’re directed off to separate reporters.

He charms his way through those interviews, acting the part easily and happily gushing whenever anyone mentions Felicity. He finds it very easy to speak about her and the reporters latch onto that, most of them keep him talking about her for the majority of his time slot but Oliver can’t say that he particularly minds at all.

They’re finally reunited by the entrance to the party and Oliver finds he can relax a lot easier once Felicity’s within arm’s reach.

“Everything alright?” He asks, looking her over and Felicity chuckles, placating him with a quick kiss.

“I’m fine. Didn’t even babble that much.” She grins proudly and Oliver does too, offering her his arm.

“May I escort you inside, milady?” He teases and she giggles adorably, looping her arm through his.

“Lead the way, Sir.” She smiles, eyes sparkling and Oliver doesn’t think he’s ever been so proud to have a woman on his arm.

“Felicity!” A loud voice catches Felicity as she’s attempting to weave her way through the mass of people to the bar. She left Oliver with a couple of members of the board, chatting happily about one of the company’s upcoming projects.

She turns to see Thea rushing towards her, looking stunning in a deep red dress and moving far faster than anyone should in five-inch heels. The teenager throws herself into Felicity’s arms and the blonde returns the hug with a laugh, squeezing tightly when Thea begins to rock them back and forth a little.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!” Thea exclaims and Felicity smiles as they pull apart, keeping hold of each other’s hands tightly.

“I was at your house yesterday.” Felicity laughs and Thea rolls her eyes, sinking into her hip.

“Yes, but you were spending all your time with Ollie. He’s not that interesting you know?” Thea laments and Felicity grins, leading her friend towards the bar and away from the throngs of people.

“Well, I think your brother’s plenty interesting but I have missed you too.” She answers diplomatically, chuckling when Thea grins widely.

“Please tell me we can have a girl’s day soon? I’ve been dying for some normal after everything that’s been going on lately.” Thea comments and Felicity frowns.

“What’s been going on?” She asks.

Sure, she and Oliver have had an eventful few weeks and she supposes that Thea could very easily be talking about dealing with the arrow that Oliver shot through Roy’s leg but it seems like there’s more to Thea’s comment.

Wow, never a sentence Felicity thought she’d think.

“Nothing. Nothing at all. You know, living in Starling, there’s always something going on.” Thea covers badly and Felicity raises an eyebrow. “Don’t worry about it. Next weekend though? Just you and me, home face masks and a little bit of retail therapy?”

Thea’s face is so hopeful that Felicity grins immediately, squeezing her friend’s hands. “Of course. I would love nothing more.”

The teenager squeals and pulls Felicity into another hug that has both girls laughing.

“I certainly had a feeling I was missing the best part of the party.” A familiar voice states fondly and the girls turn to see Moira smiling at them affectionately. She looks elegant as always in a floor-length navy dress and her hair perfectly styled in its usual bob.

“I was wondering where you’d gotten to!” Thea grins and Moira smiles, shrugging her shoulders.

“Hi Moira, you look stunning.” Felicity greets and Moira turns her affectionate smile to her, stepping forward to pull her into a light hug.

“I could very well say the same to you. Everyone I’ve spoken to is simply delighted by you, dear. You’re doing an incredible job.” The older blonde praises and Felicity feels herself flush.

“Thank you.” She smiles bashfully, giggling when Thea bumps her with her hip.

“Get it, girl!” The teenager grins and Felicity laughs, squeezing Thea’s arm affectionately before smiling at Moira.

“I should get my drink and head back to Oliver before he sends out a search squad. You know what he’s like.” She laughs a little and Thea rolls her eyes but Moira simply nods.

“Of course, sweetheart. We’ll see you later. Are you heading home or to the mansion afterward?” The matriarch asks and even though Felicity knows it’s just a matter of convenience so that Moira knows who’s in her house, the blonde still flushes deeply.

“The mansion, if that’s alright?” She can’t resist adding and Moira shakes her head with a smile.

“You know that it is, you’re always welcome in our home, Felicity.” She adds and Felicity cannot help the grin that spreads across her face.

“Thank you.” She accepts one last hug from Thea before she heads to the bar, unable to wipe the smile from her face.

It’s nearing on two in the morning when the party finally starts to wind down and people start to leave. She's had a fantastic time; the replacement singer Anna found was fantastic and Oliver was charming and suave when giving his speech. It’s been far too more smooching, pomp and circumstance for a lot of drinking so all Felicity feels is tired as more and more people start to leave.

“So, when do you think we can slip away?” Oliver’s voice in her ear and his arms around her waist make her jump but she quickly relaxes into them, her eyes falling shut with a soft groan.

“Soon, hopefully.” She pouts and she feels Oliver chuckle against her skin as his lips find her hair.

“Tired, gorgeous?” He asks and she lets out another soft groan, followed quickly by a yawn that she tries to hide but he catches it easily.

“Sorry.” She mumbles and Oliver shakes his head.

“Just let me flag someone down and we’ll get the car pulled around.” He tells her and Felicity hums, pouting at the loss of his warmth as he steps away.

Oliver smiles at the sight of her. She’s so adorable when she’s sleepy. She yawns into her hands and then rubs her cheek into her palm, obviously wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed. He’s quick in ordering the car and is back by her side in a second, dropping his suit jacket over her shoulders. She hums at the warmth but still seeks out his arms, nuzzling into his shoulder.

“You guys off?” Digg asks, approaching them with a soft smile on his face.

“Yeah, think this one might fall asleep where she is if not.” Oliver smiles, running a hand up Felicity’s back when she groans a little.

“She’s right here.” She grumbles and Oliver chuckles, kissing her temple before she steps towards Digg. He wraps her up in a hug, his arms practically engulfing her. “Sorry, we didn’t really get to talk.”

“Hey, I get you all the time. This lot needed some Smoak.” Digg replies, his hand coming up to cradle the back of Felicity’s head protectively. Seeing their bond always makes Oliver smile, the three of them truly are a family and Digg treats Felicity exactly like he would a little sister.

“You got a way home?” Oliver asks, resisting the urge to laugh at the way Felicity practically flops back into his arms. She’s like a ragdoll, so obviously exhausted.

“Yeah, no worries man. Thanks for a great party. You better get our girl to a bed stat though.” Digg laughs and Oliver smiles as Felicity grumbles.

“I’m fine.” She pouts and Digg chuckles, stepping forward to kiss her cheek.

“Sure you are, babydoll. I’ll see you guys soon.” Digg smiles warmly, patting Oliver’s shoulder before he heads towards the door.

“Mr. Queen?” A voice asks and Oliver turns to see one of the staff working the event gesturing them towards the door.

“C’mon you.” Oliver smiles affectionately and directs Felicity outside.

“We going home?” She asks sleepily and Oliver can suddenly see a million other nights just like this one but the promise of home is a place the two of them share, their own haven from the world.

“Yeah baby, we’re on our way.”

Oliver smiles as he leans against the headboard early the next morning. He glances down at Felicity to see her still sleeping peacefully, her hair a mess of curls around her head and her eyelashes fluttering as she breathes in her sleep. She looks so angelic and Oliver can’t resist reaching down to run his fingers lightly through her hair. She groans a little and reaches out, nuzzling her nose into his thigh adorably but she doesn’t wake and Oliver grins, counting his lucky stars for the millionth time in the past twenty-four hours.

The tablet on the bedside table has been buzzing like crazy with notifications and Oliver lifts it into his lap, careful that it’s not too near Felicity’s slumbering form.

The majority of the notifications are from the Twitter account Felicity insisted he set up a few months ago. He barely uses it but he’ll admit that it has been useful when it comes to announcing stuff to do with the company.

There’s a particular video that he’s been tagged in over a thousand times and he frowns with intrigue, reaching for the headphones that are also conveniently sat on the bedside table. He plugs them into his tablet and presses play on the video, smiling at the sight of Felicity’s gorgeous face on his screen.

“Are you excited for the party, Miss Smoak?” The interviewer, who’s off camera for this particular interview, asks and Felicity smiles, shifting a little.

“Very much so. I’ve been involved in a lot of the planning and it’s incredible to see how it’s all panned out. A lot of people have worked very hard on tonight and I’m so glad to see how spectacularly it’s all come to fruition.” She smiles and Oliver grins, wondering how she was ever worried.

“You said you were involved in a lot of the planning of tonight, that’s a part of your job description?” The interviewer asks and Oliver sees the flash of confusion pass across Felicity’s face but she masks it well, her smile quickly returning.

“Well, it’s part of Oliver’s job as CEO to ensure that the party happens as it should. He gets his information from me and for me to give him that information, yes I was involved in the planning.” She smiles effortlessly but it’s more guarded than before.

“Let’s talk about your move up to the executive floor. You were an I.T. girl before, right?”

“Yes, I worked in the I.T. department as a consultant.” Felicity subtly corrects and Oliver smiles, the pride rising in him at her polite yet curt response.

“If you don’t mind me saying, it seems like a very strange career move. Background checks on your education and articles from plenty of papers across town state that you were probably overqualified for your job in the I.T. department, let alone to spend your days fetching coffee for Mr. Queen.” The interviewer comments and Oliver notices the expression that crosses Felicity’s face before she schools it. It’s one he’s been on the receiving end of plenty of times. She’s mad and he doesn’t blame her. Goodness, if he didn’t know that she deals with this, he’d be finding out the name of that reporter now and making a visit in a certain mask.

“I don’t fetch coffee. Mr. Queen is very aware of that.” She starts and Oliver grins. Damn right he is. “Plus, anyone who has ever been an executive assistant is very aware of all that the job encompasses. Believe me, it’s so much more than most people think. My job is still very much based in I.T. Queen Consolidated is primarily a technology company and it strives to push forward in the tech world. I do my best every day so that Mr. Queen and Miss Rochev can make that happen. And my best? It’s so much more than fetching coffee.”

“Thank you.” The interviewer comments a little meekly and the last frame of the video is of Felicity’s smile, back in its full force after her spectacular bring down. Oliver smiles and scrolls down to some of the replies, grinning at how easily his city has fallen in love with his girl. It’s practically as easily as he fell in love with her.

@queenstan4lyfe: omg our girl freaking KILLED it

@starlingforever: looks like SC has itself a new royal and she’s EVERYTHING

@computingchick: so glad to finally see some representation for ladies in IT and such gorgeous representation as well! LOVED her defense of EAs, they really don’t get the recognition they deserve!

@gladesgirl: goodness, what an awful reporter! glad to see some people in this city still have some class! Felicity brought him down incredibly and did it with so much charm, I may have to start liking the queens again!

Oliver grins and looks down at his girl, still slumbering peacefully. Her head is resting against his leg and her arm is extended out across his lap. He’s so proud of her. She proved last night that she is everything she was so worried she could never be and Oliver is so glad that his city is starting to see just how incredible she is.

“Hmm…” She groans a little and Oliver smiles, watching the way her eyelids flutter as she slowly wakes, her eyes flicking open and she winces slightly at the light. Oliver reaches down, moving her hair out of her face before he softly strokes her cheek in an attempt to ease her into the land of the living.

“Morning, gorgeous.” He smiles down at her and she smiles sleepily, that lazy little quirk of her lips that is just so endearing. God, she’s adorable.

“Hi.” She whispers softly, moving just a little so that her head is laid in his lap rather than resting against his leg. Oliver immediately moves the tablet out of the way and threads his fingers through her hair, rubbing his thumb over her temple. “Whatcha looking at?”

“Oh, just reading how everyone in Starling has practically fallen in love with you overnight.” He smiles and she flushes red, turning her head into his lap. She murmurs something and he frowns, moving his hand to run lazily down her spine. “What was that, baby?”

“Only one opinion that matters.” She repeats as she looks up at him, her eyes sparkling and Oliver grins, his hand reaching the small of her back.

“Hmm, and whose is that?” He teases, chuckling at the way she pouts, obviously still very sleepy.

“Old Mr. Rivers in HR.” She quips and Oliver grins, delighting in the way she squeals when he pinches her side. “No, dummy, yours. Obviously.”

“Oh, obviously.” He grins and leans down, drawing her into a soft kiss that has them both groaning as they pull away. She lets out a long yawn and Oliver smiles, directing her head back to his lap and his fingers back into her hair. “Sleep baby, it’s still early.”

“Hmm ‘kay.” She smiles softly, nuzzling into his leg and Oliver grins, knowing he’d be content to lie there forever with her.

(Little Moodboard):

Chapter Text

“Ollie?”

Thea’s soft voice follows her knock and Oliver looks up from the work he’s been doing on his tablet to smile at her.

“Oh sorry!” Thea whispers, dropping her voice down dramatically as she notices Felicity asleep with her head in Oliver’s lap, covered by the thick and warm blanket.

“It’s okay, she’s out.” Oliver smiles, softly running his fingers through her hair and he is unable to stop the smile that spreads across his face at her gentle and serene expression.

“It was a late night. Or early morning I suppose.” Thea smiles as she enters the room a little more certainly, sinking down onto the bed at the end of it. “Wow, she really is asleep.”

“Yeah, she woke up a little earlier but I told her to sleep. She deserves it, after all, the way the press is swooning this morning.” Oliver smiles, it only growing as Felicity lets out a small whimper as she cuddles closer to him in her sleep.

“Tell me about it. My Twitter’s been going crazy. Everybody loves her, understandably.” Thea chuckles and Oliver does too, agreeing immensely with his sister. He is glad the press has fallen in love with her but he is not at all surprised by it. She is walking sunshine, you can’t help but be drawn to her light. “Have you got her something for Christmas?”

“She’s Jewish, Thea.” He reminds his little sister but he keeps his eye on his girl, watching the soft rise and fall of her chest. His reminder that she’s here and therefore, his life is full of light and joy.

“I know that.” Thea rolls her eyes, adjusting a little so that her legs are crossed. “But I also know that you didn’t get her anything for Hanukkah and, whilst she loves you as much as you love her, you can’t deny the sacrifices she’s made for you recently. A surprise wouldn’t hurt, Ollie.”

You don’t know the half of it, Oliver thinks as he ponders his little sister’s words.

“Doesn’t have to be anything big, Ollie. It’s the thought that counts, that’s all we want. A recognition every now and again.” Thea smirks and Oliver chuckles, moving the blanket over Felicity’s shoulders where it’s slipped a little. “Do you think she’s going to be surprised about the press?”

“Oh, undoubtedly. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that she doesn’t give herself enough credit.” Oliver rolls his eyes lovingly, an amused smirk on his face because it is honestly funny to him that his sweet girl cannot recognize what an incredible person she is. He reaches down to push some of her hair off of her face where it’s gotten caught on her lip and that movement wakes her, her lips forming a pout and brushing his fingertips as he moves the hair away.

“L’ver?” She asks sleepily, groaning a little and curling further into him.

“Good morning.” He smiles softly, helping to keep the blanket around her as she wriggles adorably as she slowly wakes up. She extends her legs and frowns deeply when they hit something hard, turning her head to see Thea smile at her amusedly.

“Morning.” The teenager grins, waving a little and Felicity groans, cuddling into Oliver’s arms as she sits up, happily ducking her head into his chest when he wraps his arms around her.

“Hi.” She finally responds, settling the blanket under her armpit and wrapping her other arm tightly around Oliver. “What’s’a’time?” She mumbles and Thea smiles, illuminating her phone where it’s sat in her lap.

“It’s ten. Not doing too badly seeing as you guys got in at around half two.” She chuckles and Felicity groans once more, shaking her head. Oliver chuckles and drops a kiss to her crazy curls.

“Thea, you wanna give us a chance to get up and we’ll meet you in the kitchen for breakfast?” He asks and Thea smiles, nodding her head.

“Sure, see you guys in a bit.” She grins and ducks out the room, winking at Felicity as she does so. The blonde giggles and then falls back onto the pillows with a soft groan.

“I guess that means I’m showering first?” Oliver asks but instead of a response, he gets a light kick to the thigh, making him laugh as he heads towards the bathroom with one last glance back at the beauty in his bed.

“So, the point is that they’re trying to develop something that will be self-sustaining but also as powerful as its predecessors that take its energy from other sources,” Felicity explains later, sat in the living room of the mansion with Oliver on the couch next to her and papers everywhere.

“Okay, I think I get it.” He tells her and Felicity smiles, nodding her head.

“Alright, the last thing we really need to do today is you need to sign these.” She says as she searches for the papers before handing them over. When Oliver starts to search for a pen, she produces the one that’s been placed behind her ear since they started.

“What would I do without you?” He asks with a smile, leaning in for a kiss which she leans away from, laughing at the pout that crosses his face.

“Hey! We promised none of that whilst we work! Sign those papers and I’m all yours, mister.” She laughs, squirming away from his hands that are reaching out and trying to grab her.

“You’re no fun.” He pouts and Felicity laughs, straightening her skirt as she stands. She rolls her eyes when she notices Oliver’s eyes zeroed in on the fabric moving against her bare legs.

“I am going to locate some lunch. You sign those papers and then we’ll talk about fun.” She smirks, drawing her hand across his face as she passes him, relishing in the look on his face. She does like teasing him, the power it gives her is fun.

Felicity heads into the kitchen, pulling open the fridge as she searches for something that will not require her to cook in the slightest.

“Bingo!” She grins at the sight of ham and cheese as well as the last pieces of the French stick left over from breakfast. She busies herself making the sandwiches and even throws some veggies in there, knowing that Oliver is always a stickler for these sorts of things. Just as she’s placing her creations onto a plate, she squeals as familiar, strong arms wrap around her and scruff rubs against her neck.

“Papers all signed,” Oliver growls into her ear and Felicity smiles, lifting her hand to comb through his hair as his head nuzzles into his neck, his stubble scratching deliciously against her skin. “Why did I agree to do so much work today?”

“Because tomorrow is Christmas Eve and you were kind enough to shut down the company between Christmas and New Year. That means having everything in order so that we don’t spend those 7 days dealing with everything because no one is in the office.” She reminds him, tilting her head back a little and smiling as his arms tighten around her.

“It’s hard being a benevolent boss.” He comments and Felicity snorts, shaking her head in amusement.

“Sure. I’m half convinced you just want a week with no work so you can lock me in your bedroom.” She jokes but gasps as Oliver’s lips finally make contact with her skin, nudging her shirt out of the way as he kisses down her collarbone to her shoulder.

“Can you blame me? I mean, you have looked at yourself in the mirror, right? It’s no wonder I can’t get enough of you.” His voice is low as he whispers in her ear and Felicity hums as one of his hands slips between their bodies, roughly grasping her ass in his hand.

“Oliver…” She half-speaks, half-gasps, her head falling back onto his shoulder as the arm around her waist sneaks up a little to cup her breast, his thumb sneaking below the fabric of her shirt.

“Do you know how gorgeous you are? How crazy you drive me? Damn baby, I’m obsessed with you.” He husks in her ear, his lips trailing back up her neck as his hands continue their ministrations.

“Oliver, we’re in your kitchen.” She reminds him but it’s weak and comes out in gasps.

“Thea went to Roy’s. Mom’s out. We’re all alone.” He reassures her and Felicity bites her lip, turning her head to look at him with wide eyes. “Grab the sandwiches angel, we’re going to need the sustenance.”

With that warning and a second for her to grab the plate, Oliver spins Felicity around and scoops her up. She marvels at the fact that he did what she wanted without her even having to ask, removing them from the situation she’s uncomfortable with. Her heart swells at the thought but she’s quickly distracted as she realizes that Oliver is literally carrying her with one arm banded around her waist, her legs dangling down to the ground. She looks and groans at the sight of the muscles in his arms straining, especially as they reach the stairs. With her free hand, she reaches out, reveling in the feeling of his display underneath her fingertips.

“Do you want me to drop you?” He asks with a chuckle and Felicity pouts, moving her hand instead to stroke his face which makes him look at her, blue meeting blue and smiles spreading across both their faces.

“Not my fault you’re so fracking hot.” She responds and Oliver laughs as they reach the top of the stairs.

“Just a second, baby, then I’m all yours.” He promises, using his free hand to open the door to his room.

He tenderly places her down on the floor, shutting the door as she places the plate on the table by his window and their eyes lock across the room, darkened by the pulled drapes.

“Now, where was I?” He asks, stalking over towards her with an intensity in his eyes that makes Felicity weak at the knees. “I think it was somewhere around here and here.”

His hand lands on her breast and the other snakes around to her ass, bringing them right back to where they were in the kitchen. However, Felicity is a little lust-consumed after her ride up to his room and instead pushes him back until his knees hit the bed and he falls onto it, his legs immediately spreading as she steps between them.

“What are you doing?” He asks softly, his hands gentle on her waist as she stops to kiss him sweetly before she pulls back with a devilish smirk painting her lips.

“Shh baby, it’s my turn to make you feel good.” She tells him and places her finger against his lips, keeping it there as she descends to her knees in between his legs.

Oliver is surprised by the fire he sees in Felicity’s eyes as she pushes him back towards the bed. She’s always let him take the lead before but he can’t deny that this confidence is ridiculously hot.

“Shh baby, it’s my turn to make you feel good.”

Her voice is like soft silk, as smooth as the smile painted on her lips and Oliver swears he could blow his load there and then as she falls to her knees in between his legs. She slowly undoes the button and zipper holding his pants together and Oliver wastes no time in lifting his hips to help her maneuver them down his legs.

“Felicity…” He starts but he cuts off into a long groan as her hands settle on his thighs and her lips wrap tenderly around his head. The sight of her red lips around him, those perfect blue eyes staring up at him, it’s almost too much for him to handle.

“Oliver, relax. Here.” She smiles, taking his hands in hers and threading them through her hair for him. When he’s got a grip on her, she places her hands back on his thighs and leans forward, licking from the base to the tip in one long stroke.

“Oh fuck, baby…”

“That’s it, my love. Just relax.” Felicity smiles and looks straight into his eyes as she closes her lips around his head and takes as much of him in her mouth as she can.

She’s slow and methodical in her technique, making sure to tighten her lips around him when she pulls back to the tip and hollow her cheeks out as she strains towards the base. Each time, she manages to take him a little deeper and she’s rewarded by the most glorious sounds from Oliver. She can feel his control slipping as his hands tighten in her hair until finally, his hips thrust up into her mouth when he’s buried at the back of her throat. Felicity groans at the sensation, her eyes meeting his worries ones to let him know that it’s okay and she moves one hand to the top of his on her head, applying a little pressure to direct him into directing her.

He doesn’t hold back then and Felicity resists the urge to fidget on her knees as she feels her own arousal growing at the moans and groans Oliver lets out as he takes his pleasure. She continues to suck, darting her tongue up around him every so often and she revels in the strained cries she elicits.

“Oh fuck, baby… baby, I’m gonna…”

His hands loosen in her hair and Felicity only pulls back a little, letting him release into her mouth. She easily swallows, smiling proudly up at him as he breathes harshly, trying to level it out as he recovers from his high.

“You’re unreal.” He finally breathes at her and Felicity giggles, ditching her clothes as she stands before she straddles his lap, pulling his t-shirt over his head as she does so.

“Hmm, I think you’ll find that’s you.” She smirks, pushing him back on the bed and moving up his body until her core comes into contact with his abs.

“Shit, you’re so wet.” He groans, his hands landing on her hips.

“That’s all for you, my love. You’re just that sexy.” She tells him, leaning down to kiss him soft and long, drawing his lip between her teeth as she pulls away. He goes to pull her down but Felicity shakes her head, grinding down into his hard muscles and gasping as she hits just the right spot.

“Oh, you wanna to do it like that, huh baby? Get yourself off on my abs? Use my body for your pleasure baby, go on. Fuck, you’re so gorgeous.” Oliver groans, watching the way she tilts her head back, her mouth opens in a silent gasp as her hips move sensually, grinding to find just the right spots to drive her wild. Her breasts swing as she grinds and Oliver rests his hands on her ass, groaning as he feels the muscles move under his hands. He feels her legs start to tremble and her arms shake from where they’re resting on his chest. He takes pity on him, slipping his hands past her arms to rest on her ribcage, his fingers moving quickly to flick her nipples.

“Oh!” She cries and Oliver watches as she falls apart, her release spilling all over his abs and her muscles falling lax as she melts into him. She closes her eyes for a moment and Oliver is fully prepared to run them a bath to relax but that same fiery look is in her baby blues when they snap open and Oliver rolls over on top of her, capturing her lips harshly as he holds his body weight above hers.

Felicity smiles as she looks at herself in the mirror the next day.

She looks less of a mess than she did when she woke up. Her hair had been a crazy mess around her head, her lips swollen from Oliver’s kisses and she has enough hickeys on her body that one might think she’s contracted a deadly disease. Thank goodness for concealer, that’s all she can say.

She’s back at her apartment, only briefly, however. She’s packing a bag to prepare to spend the next few days at the mansion over Christmas.

She’s excited, she’s never done Christmas before. Not with a family like the Queens. Sure, she and a couple of her other friends at college did something together when none of them went home over winter break but it wasn’t truly celebrating the holiday like she knows the Queens do.

She’s a little sad that Olivia isn’t coming. She would have liked to have seen Oliver’s grandmother again but Oliver explained that her health doesn’t generally permit her to fly and after taking the week off of re-establishing herself in Starling over Thanksgiving, his mother just can’t spare the time over the holidays to fly out to New Hampshire again.

She checked in on Barry earlier, hacking into the hospital system once more to see that there’s still no change in her friend but that he’s had frequent visits from a Joseph and Iris West who, after a little googling, she discovers are the family that took him in after his mother died and his father went to prison. She and Oliver are planning to go visit in the days between Christmas and New Year but she’s glad that he’s got people with him, even if he may not be aware of it.

There’s a loud knock on her door that breaks her out of her thoughts and she walks out of her bathroom, stopping to check the peephole before swinging it open with a wide grin at the sight of Digg.

“Hi, John!” She grins and he smiles widely too, accepting her hug as he walks through the door and shuts it tightly behind him. The cameras flash like crazy behind him and Felicity sighs, reveling in the comfort that her friend’s arms around her bring.

“You okay, babydoll?” John asks, frowning in concern as they pull back from their hug and Felicity resists the urge to roll her eyes as he checks her over for injuries.

“I’m fine John, I mean covered in bruises but those were sort of self-inflicted and it’s not as if I didn’t enjoy getting them…”

“Felicity! Please stop talking.” John groans and Felicity’s eyes widen at what just slipped out of her mouth, her face flushing bright red in embarrassment.

“Oh sorry, John! You know what I’m like! I didn’t think!” She cringes, leveling him with an apologetic look as she steps towards the living room.

“Just… not something I need to know about, okay?” He tells her and Felicity nods, biting her lip. “Alright, but that’s not what I was talking about. That sigh. Something’s bothering you.”

“I’m fine, I promise. I just… the last few days, hell weeks have been crazy. I’m looking forward to not having to think about press or cameras for the next few days.” She explains, running her fingers through her hair.

“That’s all that’s been bothering you. The paparazzi?” John presses and Felicity frowns.

“You say that as if they’re not awful.” She replies and John smiles softly.

“No, they are but I know you. I know Felicity Smoak and she is strong and badass and she doesn’t let reporters and their cameras get her down.” John tells her and Felicity smiles. “Everything okay with Oliver?”

“Everything with Oliver is great. I think you’re just looking for an excuse to beat him up.” Felicity grins and John laughs.

“Maybe. Come on, speaking of your man, I said I’d have you at the Foundry five minutes ago and you know what he’s like.” John laughs and Felicity rolls her eyes, grabbing her bag from her bedroom.

“You know, for a guy who’s always late, he sure does care about us being prompt.” She laments and John laughs as he opens the door.

“Still nothing?” Oliver asks as he gets back from dealing with a simple fight in the Glades and Felicity sighs, leaning back in her chair.

“Still nothing.” She confirms and looks over at John who is also frowning.

“I just don’t get it. Why haven’t we had another hit?” Oliver asks and Felicity frowns.

“Holiday spirit? Maybe even criminals and terrorists play into the Christmas commercialism?” She suggests and her boys both chuckle.

“Well, I say we call it a night. Felicity’s got an alert on her phone and I know I have places I’d rather be than staring at a computer screen.” John suggests and Felicity smirks.

“Places with a certain ex-wife of yours?” Felicity asks, nudging John as he walks past her and he gives her an amused eye roll.

“Maybe. I’ll make sure the back entrance is shut.” He tells them and Felicity nods, looking over at Oliver who takes a deep breath before nodding as well.

“You okay?” She asks softly, standing from her chair to take his hands in hers. The leather of his gloves is soft and warm and Felicity rubs her thumbs over the backs of his fingers.

“Yeah, just trying to compartmentalize.” He tells her and Felicity nods with a soft smile.

“I get it. Go change and we’ll go back to yours, okay?” She asks and Oliver nods, accepting her soft kiss before he heads into the small bathroom at the back of the Foundry.

“Alright, I’ll see you guys in a couple of days.” Digg smiles as he opens Felicity’s door for her outside of the mansion.

The blonde is in his arms in seconds, making him laugh as she rocks their hug to and fro.

“Have a wonderful Christmas, John.” Felicity smiles as she pulls away, a bright smile on her face and Digg smiles too.

“Thanks, babydoll. You have fun, don’t cause any trouble.” He tells her and Felicity grins, taking her bag from him and kissing his cheek before she steps back to let Oliver hug his best friend.

“Relax, if that’s even in your vocabulary,” Digg tells him and Oliver chuckles.

“Merry Christmas, John.”

“Merry Christmas, Oliver.”

Felicity sighs with a smile as they watch John drive off. Oliver’s phone goes off and he smiles at Felicity a little too widely, making her frown.

“What’s going on with you?” She asks, eyebrows furrowed as she looks at him.

“Come on, I have a surprise for you inside.” He tells her and takes her bag, clasping her hand in his as he pulls her towards the house.

“Oliver, I hate surprises!” She laments and Oliver laughs.

“No, you hate mysteries and this one will be solved in about thirty seconds.” He laughs as they reach the door and Felicity pouts because he’s right and she doesn’t like that. Oliver only laughs more at the sight of her pout and he cups her chin, kissing her softly to make her pout go away. “You may be cute, but my resolve’s pretty strong on this one.”

He smiles and opens the door, letting her walk in first.

Chapter Text

Felicity frowns as she enters the hallway, looking around at the normal looking entranceway to the mansion. Nothing looks out of the ordinary and she turns to look at Oliver with a raised eyebrow.

“Mom? Thea?” Oliver calls but the response they get comes in the form of a loud, high-pitched and excited squeal.

Felicity spins on her heels immediately, her face lighting up at the sight of blonde curls, a tight electric blue dress, and sky-high heels.

“Baby!” Donna Smoak screams and within seconds Felicity is surrounded by the scent of flowery perfume, hairspray and something she can only describe as Vegas. It smells like home and she immediately wraps her arms around her mom, unable to stop the childlike giggle that escapes her as her mom squeezes her within an inch of her life.

In an instant, Felicity realizes that this is what she’s been wanting since Thanksgiving. There’s been a niggling feeling in the back of her brain since then, guilt for abandoning her mom over Hanukkah that could’ve only been settled by a Donna Smoak specialty hug. The fact that Oliver understood that before she even realized what was bothering her? Felicity thinks she might just fall in love with him all over again.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” Felicity grins as they pull away from each other. Donna’s hands immediately find Felicity’s hair, fixing it around her face and twirling a few of her curls around her fingers.

“Oh look at you baby, you look so beautiful. Did your boobs get bigger?” Donna asks dotingly and Felicity’s eyes widen as her mom’s hands reach out.

“Mom!” Felicity cries in horror, her eyes flickering to behind her mother where Thea and Roy are attempting to hold in laughs. Moira’s unreadable expression, however, is what has Felicity worried.

“Oh sorry hon, I’m just so excited to see you! It’s been far too long!” Donna grins, wiggling Felicity’s shoulders with her hands and Felicity smiles, pulling her mom back in for another hug.

“I missed you too Mama.” She whispers and sighs in contentment as her mom places a kiss in her hair.

“Mrs. Smoak, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person.” Oliver smiles charmingly once they pull away and Donna practically preens, fixing her hair before she takes Oliver’s outstretched hand.

“Oh goodness, you are even more handsome in person. Please, call me Donna. Mrs. Smoak just makes me sound so old.” She laughs and Oliver chuckles, shooting an amused look over to Felicity who is half deciding whether to hug her mom again because she’s missed her so darn much or smother her, seeing as her ability to say the most inappropriate things has not improved since she last saw her.

“Donna it is.” Oliver smiles and Felicity shakes her head in amusement as her mother practically swoons at his charm.

“Shall we head back through to the living room? Dinner shan’t be long.” Moira finally speaks and Felicity smiles at her appreciatively.

“I’m just going to run this upstairs,” Oliver tells them, holding up Felicity’s bag which makes her frown.

“I can do that.” She tells him but Oliver smiles, shaking his head.

“It’s okay. It’ll take two seconds. Go catch up with your mom.” He tells her, kissing her on the forehead before rushing up the stairs.

“Oy vey.”

Felicity’s eyes widen and she grabs her mother’s shoulders, turning her away from where she’s ogling Oliver’s ass.

“Not a word.” She hisses to a giggling Thea and Roy as she directs her mom towards the living room. She hears Thea snort loudly before both of them burst into laughter and she sends a glare over her shoulder.

“Donna, I don’t think Felicity’s ever told me what you do. Are you involved in tech as well?” Moira asks politely over dinner, presiding over the table in the dining room. Felicity had resisted the urge to snort at her mother’s expression when they entered the room. It’s extravagant, even for the Queens.

Now, Donna snorts loudly, shaking her head with a laugh. “Oh goodness no! I don’t know what she’s talking about half the time. No, all that genius comes from her father. She got my looks and his brains, which is lucky really because the other way around she would have been dull and average.”

“Mom…” Felicity frowns, not liking the self-deprecating tone her mother takes.

“Oh no, baby, it’s okay. I know my looks are my best asset. A girl’s gotta use the tools she’s been given.” Donna smiles, directing her charm to Roy whose eyes widen dramatically, making Felicity bite her lip to hold in her grin. Her mom, as usual, is certainly making a splash.

“So, what is it that you do?” Moira repeats her question, the polite smile still painted on her face.

“Oh, I’m a waitress. It’s easy work but it pays well and I’ve always been a people person, you know? Plus, when Felicity was little I could work the day shift at one casino, the evening at another and even take up a graveyard shift at a diner if I needed the cash. There’s always a job in Vegas.” Donna reveals, a wide smile on her face and Felicity feels her heart break a little at the fact that her mom doesn’t even understand how harrowing her words are.

“You worked three jobs?” Thea asks, her eyes wide with an obviously impressed expression on her face. Even Moira looks slightly impressed by Donna’s words.

“I wanted to give my baby her best chance in life. If I had to put in a little more elbow grease to do so, I was willing. She was worth it, worth it all in the end.” Donna smiles, turning to Felicity who’s sat next to her and cupping her face in her cheek. It’s the same look her mom has given her since she can remember. Through every fight, every ‘I hate you’, every moment of mortification that Felicity swore she’d never forgive her for, her mom had always cupped her cheek and looked at her like this, the promise of forever and unconditional love in her eyes.

“I love you, Mama.” Felicity whispers and Donna grins, moving her hand to smooth down her baby’s hair.

“I love you too, baby girl.”

Felicity looks down into her lap when her mom’s attention returns to her plate but when she looks up, she’s looking into Oliver’s eyes.

Thank you. She mouths and Oliver shakes his head with a smile, winking before he turns his attention back to whatever it is her mom has started talking about now.

“I love your mom.” Thea grins as she comes up to Felicity in the kitchen later. The girls and Roy are fetching drinks and snacks for everyone who sat in the living room.

“She’s certainly something, isn’t she?” Felicity smiles, pouring water from the filter jug into glasses.

“She’s amazing. Although, I can certainly see where your lack of filter comes from.” Thea giggles and Felicity chuckles with an eye roll, smiling over at Roy.

“Hey, how’s your leg doing?” She asks, watching the way that he’s walking around perfectly fine. She and Oliver are worried about the mirakuru in his system but he doesn’t seem to be displaying any signs that are too out of the ordinary.

“It’s so weird, it got better in like a day after the Arrow saved me. Which I still don’t get, why shoot me and then save me?” He frowns and Felicity smiles.

“It sounds to me like he was trying to warn you to stay away from danger. I don’t think he wants you dead.” She tells him and Roy shrugs, finishing filling a bowl with chips.

“I don’t know. I’m just going to enjoy the holidays and I’ll let myself worry about it afterward. This is the first holiday I’ve spent with a family in a while.” He smiles softly and Felicity smiles too.

“Me too.”

“Your mom is pretty cool, by the way.” He grins and Felicity laughs, loading glasses onto a tray.

“Yeah, she is.” She agrees with a grin, concentrating deeply as she doesn’t want to drop anything.

“She was all sad and pouty and I didn’t know how to fix it because I didn’t understand a single word she was saying. She looks up at me and she goes ‘but Mama, the PSU has stopped converting AC to DC and I don’t know how to fix it!’ Apparently, my suggestion to listen to It’s a Long Way to the Top was not helpful. That was the first time I knew I was never going to be able to keep up with her. She was six.”

Her mom sends her a loving smile when she notices her enter and Felicity blushes at the impressed looks she’s receiving from Moira and Oliver. She places the tray of drinks on the coffee table and takes two glasses of wine, handing one to Oliver as she slides in next to him in the armchair.

“I eventually came around to your version of AC/DC.” Felicity grins, sipping her wine and her mom smiles affectionally, nodding her head.

“We saw them at Grand Garden when she was twelve,” Donna explains with a smile.

“I for one, cannot believe it’s Christmas Eve already. It seems like this year has flown by.” Thea comments as she and Roy settle in on the empty couch. Felicity sighs, resting her head on Oliver’s shoulder as his arm comes around her. They’re curled up tightly in the armchair, there’s not really space for two and her legs are entwined over his. Felicity cuddles into his warmth, smiling softly as he gently kisses her temple.

“I know and so much has happened in the past year,” Moira answers, her voice a little wistful as she looks between her children. “It seems like only yesterday my world came shattering down in the best way imaginable.”

She looks over at Oliver, her eyes filling with tears and Felicity takes a deep breath, her hold on him tightening a little. She hadn’t known Oliver before the island but she’s nearly lost him enough in the past year to know that she wants to hold him as tightly as she can and never let him go.

“I’m sure you can agree with me Donna, that nothing makes a mother happier than seeing her children happy. For me, I have you two, Felicity and Roy, to thank for that. You have both pulled my children back into the light, shown them what love truly means and for that, I am eternally grateful for the both of you.” Moira tells them and Felicity feels her eyes well up with tears at the matriarch’s words.

She’s always been slightly terrified of Moira but she’s always admired her as well. A woman who knows who she is and what she stands for. That’s all Felicity has ever wanted to be. Moira knows that she’s a mother and she stands for the safety of her children. Sure, Felicity doesn’t see that as a means to an end in the way that Moira does but she admires her dedication to the love she feels for her children nonetheless.

“God Mom, you’re going to make us all cry.” Thea sniffles and they all laugh. Oliver smiles down at her and Felicity turns her head, smiling softly up at him as she gets lost in the look in his eyes.

“Alright well, seeing as you’re all older now, I’m assuming you don’t want to do one present on Christmas Eve anymore?” Moira asks in a much lighter tone and Felicity can’t help but laugh at the indignant gasps that leave not only Thea’s mouth but Oliver’s as well.

“We really shouldn’t break with tradition!” Oliver tells his mother who chuckles with a sparkle in her eye.

“Alright, Thea? Do you want to do the honors?” Moira asks with a smile and Thea jumps up, heading over to the tree.

“How does this work?” Felicity asks out of interest, keeping her voice low as she looks up at Oliver.

“Thea randomly selects presents for everyone from under the tree. Everyone opens one and you have to guess who it's from.” Oliver explains and Felicity frowns.

“What if there’s a card?” She asks and Oliver chuckles.

“Then you win immediately.” He winks and Felicity laughs as Thea starts divvying gifts.

“Oh!” Donna frowns as Thea hands one to her, looking at Moira in shock.

“We couldn’t have you come to stay and have you go present-less? I know you don’t celebrate Christmas but perhaps you could consider them late Hanukkah gifts?” The woman smiles charmingly and Donna grins, pulling Moira into a hug that has the sophisticated woman’s eyes blown wide. Both Felicity and Oliver attempt to hide their giggles as Donna practically smoothers Moira in gratitude.

 “Felicity.” Thea smiles as she hands her over a small square shaped box with a tag attached. Felicity immediately recognizes the handwriting and looks up to Oliver.

“You didn’t think flying my mom out here was gift enough?” She asks and Oliver smiles, gently brushing his lips over her forehead.

“First of all, you deserve all the gifts in the world. Second of all, I didn’t get you anything for Hanukkah which was awful of me so technically after than one, I have six more to go.” He tells her and Felicity rolls her eyes.

“You know that whole thing is practically made up so that Jewish kids don’t get sad that their classmates get loads of presents in December and they don’t?” She raises an eyebrow, making Oliver chuckle but he merely shrugs.

“So what? I can capitalize on that if I want to.” He tells her and she chuckles.

“You really didn’t have to get me anything but thank you.” She smiles, brushing her lips softly against his and Oliver smiles as they pull away.

Thea hands Oliver a large, squishy present and settles down on the couch with one for herself. They take it in turns opening, starting with Moira and making their way around the room. Moira guesses correctly that hers is from Oliver, a beautiful silk scarf that Felicity knows most likely costs more than her entire collection of shoes. Donna’s is from Moira, a selection of very expensive soaps and scrubs that has her mother cooing as she claims she’s seen them in the bathrooms of the very high-end hotels in Vegas. Thea has selected Felicity’s present and the teenager grins at the framed photo of the two of them as well as the spa certificate that she promises she will cash in with her friend. Roy’s is also from Moira, a nice shirt and a new pair of jeans that the matriarch deliberately pulled the price tag off of, waving off the boy’s inquiries of how expensive they were. Oliver is next and he smiles widely at the new sweater from Thea. It’s a dark blue color, one that Felicity loves on Oliver and he immediately pulls it on over his t-shirt.

“Oh, it’s so soft,” Felicity comments as she relaxes back down next to him and Thea grins.

“Your turn!” Thea squeals and Felicity chuckles, noting the excited look on her mother’s face as she turns the tag over to read Oliver’s message.

My beautiful love,

I struggled to find something that would match your beauty, that’s pretty much an impossible task but I hope you like these. I wanted to give you a piece of me to carry around, you already have my heart of course, but this is just a symbolic representation of that.

All my love,

Oliver

Felicity tears up at the note, looking up at Oliver who smiles at her.

“Go on, open it.” He encourages and Felicity chuckles, carefully peeling back the wrapping to reveal a jewelry box. She lifts the lid off and gasps at what she sees inside.

Three bracelets line the box. The top a simple yet immensely elegant line of diamonds. The bottom a similar pattern in emeralds. The middle bracelet is less flashy but Felicity immediately knows it’s the one Oliver spoke of in the note. A simple silver chain connects on either side to a silver arrow. Simple but symbolic.

Felicity doesn’t even realize she’s crying until a tear splashes her hand and she sniffs, looking up at Oliver in adoration.

“You like them?” He asks, the nervousness evident in his voice and Felicity chuckles, carefully placing the expensive items on the arm of the chair before she wraps her arms around him tightly.

“They’re perfect. You’re perfect.” She tells him and Oliver chuckles, squeezing her tightly.

“Far from, angel, but with you, I might be one step closer.” He tells her and Felicity melts, her head buried in his neck.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The words are whispered between them like a promise and Felicity feels like she could happily stay in his arms for the rest of her life.

“Okay, I get the diamonds and the emeralds because hello, bling, but what about the arrow?” Thea’s voice sounds out and they pull back to see Thea stood there, holding the box with a frown on her face.

“You know how you pull an arrow back before it flings forward?” Oliver answers quickly and easily, covering for the story as quickly as he can. Thea nods and Donna leans forward, obviously wondering what the significance is as well. “When I got back from the island, I felt like I was stumbling around, often taking one step forward and three steps back. Then I met Felicity and she helped me find my footing, pulled me towards the future with her. She’s my arrow.”

“Aww.” Donna coos and Felicity smiles, looking up at Oliver with teary eyes. She knows it’s a cover but it was still very sweet. Moira sends them both knowing smiles.

Felicity carefully takes the box back from Thea and closes it, setting it safely out of the way, very aware of how expensive the three bracelets must have been.

Her beautiful, dumb billionaire. She hopes he knows that she doesn’t need priceless bracelets, she just needs him.

“Oh, baby. I’m just so happy to be here.” Donna tells her later as Felicity stands in one of the guest rooms, watching her mother unpack a little.

“I’m so glad you’re here too Mom.” She smiles and Donna grins, pausing in her task and sitting down on the bed. She pats the space next to her and Felicity goes willingly, cuddling into her mom’s side as she wraps an arm around her.

“So Oliver seems delightful.” She comments and Felicity chuckles, dropping her head a little in embarrassment.

“He’s wonderful, in a million different ways.” She smiles, sighing deeply as she thinks of her man and how he cares for her, respects her, adores her.

“And I mean, that body… that’s a perk too.” Donna grins, nudging Felicity who laughs, nodding her head.

“He works out shirtless,” Felicity reveals and Donna gasps, smirking a little.

“If you tell me he cooks, I might have to ask whether you built him in a lab.” Her mother teases and Felicity giggles. “No, but seriously baby, I haven’t seen you this happy in a very long time. I’m so glad you’re opening your heart back up again.”

“Thanks, Mom. I… truthfully, I’ve never felt like this before. It’s like when I’m with him, everything else just goes away. Does that make sense?” She frowns and Donna chuckles, clasping her face between her hands.

“Oh baby, that’s how it’s supposed to feel when you love someone.” Donna chuckles and Felicity does too, biting her lip.

“I love you, Mama.” Felicity smiles and Donna grins, a little teary.

“I love you too, my beautiful, beautiful girl,” Donna tells her, planting a kiss right between her eyebrows. “Now go on, go to bed. We’ve got to celebrate tomorrow and eat a lot of food.”

“Can you imagine eating something other than Chinese food on December 25^th?” Felicity grins and Donna chuckles, kissing her hair.

“Go on. Sleep tight baby, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Night Mom. I’m just down the hall if you need anything.” She smiles and gets one last kiss from her mom before she heads to Oliver’s room, knocking once before she enters. “Hey, it’s just me.”

Oliver is lying on the bed, writing away in his notebook when she enters and he immediately perks up, putting his pen and notebook away. He’s stripped down to only his cargo pants and Felicity trails her eyes appreciatively over his body as she heads over to the bed, ditching her heels in the process.

“Your mom okay?” He asks and Felicity hums, running her fingers through her hair as she settles down on top of the blankets.

“Yeah. Thank you so much. How did you know? I didn’t even know.” Felicity frowns and Oliver chuckles, reaching out to take her hand.

“Felicity, when I asked you about spending Christmas here you launched into a ten-minute explanation of how you and your mom always used to eat Chinese and enjoy the empty roads in Vegas. I figured that was big enough of a clue that you missed her.” He smiles and Felicity pauses.

“Oh.” She frowns and Oliver chuckles, squeezing her hand.

“Come on. We should sleep. Thea will up at five am and she won’t want to be the only one.” He chuckles and Felicity smiles.

“Alright, I’m going to hop in the shower quickly.” She tells him and Oliver nods with a smile, releasing her hand as she moves towards the bathroom.

Chapter Text

Christmas is one of the best days Oliver has had in a while.

Sure, Thea wakes them up early enough for the sun to not be up but he and Felicity are used to getting home at that time so he’s not bothered too much by it. Plus, his sister has the widest smile on her face and that’s something that’s been missing for a while as well.

When they all make it downstairs, Oliver is surprised to see how well put together Donna already is. Even his mom is wrapped up in a robe, sure her hair’s perfectly quaffed and there’s definitely makeup on her face, but she’s in her pajamas. Donna is dressed in matching sweatpants and hoodie with wedges on her feet, her hair curled and her makeup perfectly done. He looks over to Felicity, wearing yet another of his hoodies, who is rolling her eyes affectionately.

“Don’t even. I’m her daughter and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her without at least concealer on.” She chuckles and Oliver smiles at her sleepy tone. She’s tired so that means she’s cuddly and Oliver chuckles as she practically flops into his lap when he sits down in the armchair.

“Are you dressed? You are. Why? You know it’s like 5 am, right?” Felicity frowns when she spots Roy sat on the couch. The boy looks almost as immensely tired as Felicity does but he is indeed dressed in a checked shirt and jeans.

“I promised a friend of mine that I’d drop by the homeless drive she’s volunteering at. They really need people for the breakfast slot so I’m going to head over there in a minute.” Roy explains and Felicity nods, closing her eyes for a second.

“Oliver?” She asks slowly, her voice suddenly soft and sweet and Oliver laughs.

“Yes, I’ll get you coffee.” He tells her, lifting her onto the couch next to Roy as he stands. “Anyone else? Donna? Mom?”

Both women respond in the affirmative and Oliver leaves to go to the kitchen, shaking his head in amusement at the way Felicity curls up to Roy. The boy looks a little scared as he catches Oliver’s eye but the older man just shakes his head, knowing that Felicity seeks warmth when she’s tired and she just so happens to be sat next to Roy.

“Oliver?” A voice asks and Oliver turns to see Donna approaching him, a soft smile on her face.

“Hi.” He responds with what he hopes is a positive look. He’s really nervous about meeting Donna properly. He knows how important she is to Felicity and having raised her daughter as a single mother, Oliver expects that Donna is pretty fiercely protective of her baby girl. “Oh sorry, I didn’t ask how you take your coffee.”

“It’s alright. I’m happy to help anyway.” She smiles as she heads to the fridge and pulls out the milk.

Oliver turns his attention back to her at a chuckle and he turns to see her holding the creamer that Felicity likes.

“She’s still drinking this, huh?” The mother chuckles and Oliver smiles too, pouring the coffee between the mugs.

“She claims it keeps her sweet but she whacked me with a pillow this morning so I don’t know how true that is.” He chuckles, unable to keep the smile off of his face as he talks about Felicity.

“You really love my baby, don’t you Oliver?” Donna asks and Oliver freezes, slowly placing the coffee pot back on the machine. He takes a deep breath and turns to face Donna.

May as well go for it, Queen.

“Ms. Smoak, I don’t know whether I have the words to tell you what Felicity means to me. Your daughter has been a guiding light, someone who proved to me very quickly that I could rely on her and trust in her. What I wasn’t expecting was how quickly she captured my heart. Falling in love with Felicity was completely unintentional and utterly involuntary but truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know that she does not trust easily and you probably have similar fears but I promise that I will endeavor to spend every day showing her that I am hers and she has my heart.”

Oliver is not expecting the sniffling response he gets from Donna and he’s certainly not expecting the hug that she bestows on him but before he can realize what’s happening, he’s engulfed in perfume and hairspray.

“Thank you, Oliver, for loving my girl.” She whispers into his shoulder and Oliver smiles, relaxing into the hug.

“Believe me, Donna, I’m the one who should be grateful.” He replies with a wide smile as he steps back. Reaching behind him, he finds a pack of tissues in the drawer and hands one to his girlfriend’s mother and she laughs with a sniffle.

“And a gentleman too! Thank you.” She smiles, wiping her eyes and Oliver shakes his head.

“No problem at all. What do you say we finish these coffees before Felicity starts rioting?” He jokes and Donna laughs, moving to help him finish up the last few mugs and load them all onto a tray.

“It is half five in the morning and I have not had coffee, I do not have to make cognitive sense, Roy Harper.” Felicity is speaking as they walk back into the living room and Oliver smiles at the sight of his girlfriend, still on the couch next to Roy but her eyebrows furrowed in that adorable way and her lips pursed.

“We bring coffee!” Donna exclaims as Oliver places the mugs on the coffee table and alerts everyone to whose is whose.

“Oliver Queen, have I ever told you that you’re my hero?” Felicity hums, standing to quickly grab her mug before she settles next to Oliver in the armchair, half on his lap with her head resting on his shoulder. She smiles up at him and Oliver smiles back down at her, brushing a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Perhaps once or twice.” He winks and Felicity chuckles a little, sighing happily as she begins to drink her coffee.

“We should do presents so that Roy can head off.” Moira comments and Thea perks up from where she’d been dozily laying on the loveseat.

“Presents? I got it!” She calls and practically dives underneath the tree.

 The teenager maneuvers things at an impressive speed until there are six piles, one for each person laying roughly at their feet.

“Everyone open the ones from me first! They’re in the red wrapping with the gold bows!” Thea squeals and Oliver chuckles, sipping his coffee happily as he turns to watch Felicity open her gift. He opened his from Thea last night and he’s happy to simply watch now.

He thinks someone else might find it a little weird, how much he enjoys watching Felicity just do mundane acts. The thing is, he’s just so desperately in love with her that even the little things are incredible to him. He thought his fascination with the way her forehead scrunches when she concentrates on something or the small dimple that appears in her cheek when she smiles widely would have faded by now but it appears he’s still as captivated by her as he always has been.

Right now, her forehead is scrunching as she carefully undoes the bow around the gift and removes the paper methodically, pulling back the neatly folded corners of the wrapping paper that Oliver is sure Thea paid someone else to do. He loves his sister but Thea truly does not have that level of patience.

 Those dimples appear when she gets through the paper to reveal a huge knitted blanket and a mug that reads ‘All I need is fast Wi-Fi and coffee’. Oliver can’t help but grin at the squeal that escapes her and he chuckles as she makes grabby hands towards Thea who also laughs, coming over to accept the offered hug.

“Thank you so much! I love them!” She grins and Thea does too. Oliver takes a deep breath and thinks for a moment how lucky he is as he watches the two most important women in his life interact and get on so well.

They make their way through their piles of presents, Oliver finding himself extremely happy with the things he receives from his family and Donna has even bought him a very nice belt that he can’t wait to wear to work. Finally, he’s left only with two presents wrapped in dark green wrapping covered in glitter.

“Well, I wonder who these are from.” He jokes as he lifts them onto his lap. He’s immediately covered in glitter and Felicity giggles, brushing a little off his shoulder.

“I guess you must have a secret admirer.” She smiles cutely and Oliver shakes his head with a smile, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

“You didn’t have to get me anything. Thank you.” He tells her and she rolls her eyes, pushing him away with a scoff.

“You haven’t even opened them yet, silly!” She smiles and he does too, winking at her and delighting in the blush that spreads across her cheeks before he looks back down at the presents. He goes for the larger one first, being careful with the wrapping paper.

It’s a box and he flips it over to reveal four pairs of very high-quality socks, each embossed with his initials in the deep green color of his suit.

They’d had a conversation, just a couple of weeks ago, in bed. Felicity had been questioning him, giggling as she traces her fingers lightly over his body and she asked him what the one commodity he’d missed on the idea. She’d laughed at him initially when he told her that it was socks but had grown serious when he explained that his toes were the one thing he was always terrible at warming and he was certain he’d come close to losing one during his five years away.

The effort she’d gone to in order to buy him such nice pairs… he’s overwhelmed with his affection for her and he leans forward, capturing her lips softly and stroking his finger over her cheek as they pull away.

“Thank you. I love them.” He whispers to her and she smiles softly up at him, her fingers running gently over his arm.

“They’re okay, right? I didn’t get ones that are going to be itchy or uncomfortable or anything?” She asks uncertainly and Oliver smiles, unable to stop himself from kissing her softly once more.

“They’re perfect. Just like you.” He tells her and she chuckles, shaking her head.

“Damn, I didn’t get that good of a reaction and I bought you a tablet. Should’ve just gone with socks.” Thea’s sarcastic response draws Oliver back into the room and he turns to glare at his little sister but her attention is all on Roy who is rolling his eyes at her.

“Shut it, Thea.” He prompts, gaining her attention but not getting anymore than a cheeky grin from his little sister.

“Open the other one, Oliver.” Moira prompts and Oliver looks at Felicity, smiling at her encouraging nod.

This one is smaller and he’s just as careful with the wrapping as he carefully reveals a box. He pulls the sleeve off and flips the lid to show a gorgeous silver watch. The strap is linked and the face shows the cogs underneath.

“Do you like it?” Felicity asks softly and Oliver smiles at her, his affection for her radiating through his gaze.

“It’s gorgeous. How’d you know I needed a new one?” He asks and she levels him with a look. Without answering, she reaches into the box and pulls the watch out, turning it over to show him the back of it.

In the middle of the circle is an inscription in what Oliver realizes is Felicity’s loopy handwriting.

Maybe now you’ll finally be on time…
I love you – F

Oliver laughs loudly, diving forward to squirm his hand up Felicity’s side and bury his head in his neck. He delights in the loud giggles he elicits and Felicity breathes heavily as she squeals.

“Okay! Okay!” She screams and Oliver relents, chuckling as he pulls back so he can see her smiling face. Her eyes are shining in that familiar way and he keeps his eyes on hers as she reaches down to clasp the watch around his wrist.

“Thank you. I love it and I love you.” He tells her and Felicity smiles, her hand moving to cup his cheek as they both lean in until their lips meet.

A subtle clearing of someone’s throat brings them both back down to earth and they pull apart with sheepish expressions. Oliver wraps his arms tightly around Felicity’s waist as they watch the others open their final presents, all of them from Felicity. He leans his chin on her shoulder and marvels at how quickly she’s gotten to know his family as well as she does. Their presents are all very thoughtful and tailormade for each of them.

Oliver closes his eyes for a moment and thinks that if he could just freeze time right here, forget everything that’s happening in his city outside these walls, he might be able to finally imagine a future for himself. Christmases with his family, maybe even a couple of additions. Gosh, Oliver could so easily fall in love with a mini-Felicity. A little girl that’s all her mother with blonde curls and those wide blue eyes. He chuckles to himself as he thinks of himself ever attempting to discipline a little angel created by him and his love.

“You okay, love?” Felicity asks, turning her head and pressing her lips to his temple softly.

“More than.” He tells her honestly and she hums, settling back a little more comfortably into his arms.

Roy leaves pretty soon after that for the shelter and Oliver declares that he’ll fix everyone some breakfast.

“Do you want some help?” Felicity asks, looking up at him when he slips out from underneath her.

“I’m alright, spend some time with your mom.” He smiles and Felicity nods softly, smiling up at him.

“Okay, shout if you need anything.” She tells him sweetly and he smiles, knowing full well that his girl’s not good for much in the kitchen apart from company.

“Will do.” He promises anyway and leans down to kiss her sweetly before he leaves the room, heading straight for the fridge to find some eggs so that he can make omelets.

“Oliver?” His mom’s voice calls out just as he’s cracking the eggs into the pan.

“Hey Mom, I figured omelets were an easy option for everyone.” He tells her and Moira smiles, nodding her head as she approaches him.

“I have something else for you.” She declares and Oliver frowns.

“You didn’t have to do that, Mom. I love the ties you got me.” He tells her and Moira chuckles, reaching out to adjust his t-shirt.

“Always so sweet, my darling boy.” She smiles and Oliver chuckles, shaking his head at his mom’s antics. She reveals a jewelry box from behind her back and Oliver frowns.

“Not really a diamonds kind of guy, Mom.” Oliver jokes and Moira rolls her eyes, gesturing for him to take it from her. He frowns and turns the heat off the eggs before he opens it up.

Laying within the ornate box is a simple necklace. A simple silver chain is adorned by a circle of continuous diamonds and emeralds.

“Mom?” Oliver asks, a little confused. The necklace is gorgeous and he thinks it will look ten times as such hanging around Felicity’s neck but he doesn’t quite understand the significance of it.

“You remember how your father had you give Laurel that necklace? The one with the rubies in it?” Moira asks, her hand clasping Oliver’s wrist and Oliver frowns but nods.

“Yeah, he said it was a tradition in the family,” Oliver recalls, remembering how happy Laurel had been. According to Sara, she told all her friends it was evidence that she and Oliver were going to get married one day which he found a bit of a stretch.

“It was a tradition in his family but only a few generations back. Specifically from just after my family moved to the Starling area and the Queens saw our family tradition. This necklace is the Dearden family tradition. My great-great grandfather bought it for his love when he told her that he wanted to bring her to America. She was scared that he might back out of their marriage when they reached America but this necklace the symbol of his promise and it has been used as such ever since.” Moira explains and Oliver frowns.

“It’s gorgeous, Mom.” He comments and Moira smiles.

“It will look stunning around that beautiful girl’s neck as well. Oliver, I have never seen you so happy. That girl has brought you out in a way I never thought possible and I am eternally grateful to her for that. That’s what this necklace means. It’s a promise from you but also from me. It’s an expression that I fully approve and that soon, I hope there might be a different piece of jewelry for you to gift. Preferably one that will sit on her finger.” Moira tells him and Oliver lets out a deep breath.

“It might be a little while before that, Mom. It still hasn’t been all that long.” Oliver tells her and Moira smiles, nodding her head.

“No rush, of course. But I hope you let that girl know as much as you possibly can that she’s it for you because that’s so clear to me.” His mother smiles and Oliver does too.

“Thank you, Mom. Do you think you could send her in here?” He asks softly and Moira nods, rising onto her toes to kiss his cheek softly.

“I love you, Oliver.”

“I love you too, Mom.”  

Chapter Text

“You better call me more often, young lady! It kills me when I don’t hear from you!” Donna laments as they stand in the airport terminal a few days later. Donna and Felicity have their arms wrapped tightly around each other and Oliver smiles at the sight of them, stood back a little.

“I will, Mom. I promise. I’m going to miss you!” Felicity sighs as they pull back and Donna smiles, her hands cupping Felicity’s cheeks.

“Oh, my beautiful girl! I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

They dive back in for another hug and Oliver smiles, checking his watch and wincing a little.

“I hate to break this up but we should probably get you through security, Donna.” He comments and the mother and daughter duo sigh loudly, pulling back from each other.

“You’re right. I just don’t want to say goodbye to my favorite girl!” Donna squeals and Felicity chuckles, allowing her mother to fuss over her.

“I’ll get everything installed on your computer Mom remotely so that we can see each other properly when we talk, I promise,” Felicity tells her and Donna nods, taking a deep breath.

“Alright. I should go.” She states and then turns to Oliver. “Come here and give me a hug, young man. Now you look after my girl and make sure she doesn’t work too hard but don’t you let her boss you around too much. She can be a real stickler sometimes.”

Oliver guffaws a little at the strength of Donna’s hug and he sends Felicity a look when he catches her giggling into her hand.

“Of course, I promise, Donna. Have a safe flight and make sure to keep in touch.” He tells her politely and Donna chuckles, finally releasing him.

“So polite.” She smiles and reaches up to fix his hair where she mused it with her rough embrace before she turns to Felicity again, rocking her daughter back and forth as she hugs her. “Oh my baby, you look after yourself and don’t work too hard. Make sure you have some fun with your hunk of a boyfriend and tell me all about it!”

“You got it, Mom.” Felicity chuckles, finally managing to inch out of her arms. “You really need to go through security.”

“Alright, alright. I love you so much, baby, and I’ll call you when I land.” Donna declares, kissing Felicity over and over again before she finally makes her way towards security, waving until she rounds the corner.

Felicity lets out a breath of air and her hand falls back down to her side with a thump. “Oh thank God. That always takes so long.” She sighs and Oliver chuckles, shaking his head amusedly.

“You’re gonna miss her.” He comments and Felicity shoots him a look.

“How much lipstick do I have on my face right now?” She asks and Oliver chuckles, producing a tissue from his pocket.

“You may want to go to the restroom.” He tells her, offering her the tissue which she takes with a huff and heads over to the ladies room, leaving a chuckling Oliver in her wake.

“Do you think maybe we’ve been looking at this all wrong?” Felicity asks from her seat across from Oliver. They’re in an empty carriage on a train to Central City, finally having cleared enough time to go and see Barry. Felicity had been hoping that he might wake from his coma but there’s been no luck so far. However, she’s been continuously hacking into the hospital to get updates and he seems to be as good as a coma patient can be, even getting frequent visits from who Felicity assumes are his friends.

“What do you mean?” Oliver asks, looking up from the paperwork he’s looking through to see Felicity frowning at her tablet.

“Well, this whole thing with the miracle serum thingy…” She starts and Oliver sighs amusedly.

“Mirakuru.” He reminds her but she simply waves him off.

“Yeah, that. At the moment, we’re working off what we don’t know. What if we start working off of what we do know?” She prompts and Oliver frowns, sitting up a little straighter.

“You’re going to need to elaborate a little more.” He comments and Felicity nods, placing her tablet on the table between them displaying what appears to be a blank document.

“Okay, so the only lead we have right now is Crescent Circle which only seems to be a bust.” Felicity starts, using a stylus to write Crescent Circle on one side of the document.

“Right but that’s based on the key Lance gave us.” Oliver comments and Felicity nods, drawing a line off of her words and adding Lance’s name.

“And you also found Cyrus Gold, who’s now dead and the man in the skull mask. Still a whole load of nothing to go on.” Felicity comments, adding to her sheet as she talks and Oliver frowns.

“If this is supposed to be making me feel better…” He starts but just gets leveled with a look which makes him be quiet. He does not want to hear Felicity’s loud voice now… or ever.

“But you see, we’re ignoring everything else we do know. The doctor from the island… Ivan, was it?” Felicity asks as she starts to write and Oliver sighs.

“Ivo.” He corrects and Felicity nods, adjusting her notes.

“Right Ivo. His test subjects are all dead and you burnt the remaining samples on the freighter, correct?” She questions and Oliver nods, watching her elegant handwriting take over the screen.

“Then there’s one last clue from the island.” Oliver continues, taking the stylus from Felicity and adding the name of the man he once called his brother to the sheet. “Slade Wilson.”

“And you’re certain he’s dead too?” Felicity asks softly, no hint or trace of disbelief in her voice.

“I killed him. I did it. He’s dead.” Oliver states and Felicity nods softly, her eyes caught on his before she looks back down at the screen.

“Then I guess the big question is, how do we get from there to here?” She asks, drawing a line between the two points and Oliver sighs, staring down at the screen.

“I just can’t work it out.” He sighs and Felicity does too, her hand reaching out to clasp his wrist.

“Then, when we get back, we’ll double check all of this and we’ll find the link. It will be there somewhere. It always is.” She tells him with a soft smile and Oliver nods, looking into her eyes and allowing her to have her usual calming effect.

“How come you always know just the right thing to say?” He asks softly, turning his hand around and moving it down so that it clasps hers.

“Oh sweetheart, this is just what it’s like to work with someone you’ve let in.” She shakes her head with an affectionate smile and Oliver frowns inquisitively, looking back down to the screen.

“Hi, how can I help you today?” The receptionist at the hospital desk asks, smiling at her and Felicity can’t help the slightly confused frown that graces her features. There’s something about this place that just seems a lot brighter than Starling. Almost as if someone’s put a filter over the city. It’s a little unnerving.

“Hi, we’re here to visit Barry Allen?” Felicity asks a little shyly, feeling a little out of place. She wanted to come and see Barry in the flesh but she feels a little like an imposter seeing as she barely knows the guy.

“Alright, are you family or friends?” She asks and Felicity freezes for a moment. Does she know Barry well enough to call him a friend? She’s not entirely sure she does.

“We’re friends and we’d appreciate it if you could speed this up a little. You’ll understand that we’re a little anxious to see him.” Oliver’s charming voice breaks through Felicity’s panic and she takes a deep breath as she watches recognition spread over the receptionist’s face.

“Of course, Mr. Queen! Just give me one second!” She exclaims and quickly types on her keyboard. “Alright, looks like he’s in Room 423. Elevators are over there and I’ll let someone know he has visitors on the way.”

“Thank you…” Oliver squints. “Lucy.” He finishes charmingly and the receptionist blushes, bumbling away as Oliver leads Felicity towards the elevators.

“Wow, sometimes name dropping goes a long way.” Felicity comments and Oliver levels her with a look which only makes her smile back at him.

“You know I don’t like doing it.” He replies and Felicity smiles, wrapping her hands around his arm and leaning her chin on his shoulder.

“I know. That’s why it’s funny to tease you about.” She winks and Oliver rolls his eyes amusedly.

“Brat.” He comments, turning to kiss her forehead and Felicity shrugs with a smile as the elevator doors open on the correct floor.

They find Barry’s room pretty easily but hang back at the door when they spot that their new friend already has visitors. Sat by his bed is a young woman, around Felicity’s age, with what seems like her father. Neither are talking but both are staring at Barry’s lifeless body with somber expressions on their faces. Oliver and Felicity share a look before the former softly raps a knock on the doorframe.

Both heads snap up at the noise and the girl gasps at the sight of them, darting out of her chair and smoothing down her skirt.

“You’re Oliver Queen! And you’re Felicity Smoak!” The woman gasps and Felicity frowns, before schooling her expression with what she hopes is a comforting smile. She’s never quite going to get used to warrantying these kinds of reactions out of people, she thinks.

“Can we help you?” The man asks, standing up next to the girl and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Hi. Um, we met Barry when he was in Starling a week or so ago working a case. I, in particular, worked very closely with him, not close close obviously! We’re dating, Oliver and I! Not that you needed to know that! I…”

“We wanted to come and see how he was.” Oliver finally jumps in, directing the pair’s baffled expressions away from a tomato red Felicity. He places his hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly through her coat and he feels her let out a sigh.

“Well, that’s very kind of you. It’s a long way to come and see someone you barely know.” The man tells them, viewing them with an obviously weary eye and Oliver tries his best charming smile.

“We understand that it might seem a little strange but we got to know Barry quite well over the little time he was in Starling and the news of the lightning strike was obviously very unexpected.” The billionaire continues and Felicity lets him do the talking, worried that she was going to put her foot in it.

“You’re the Felicity he was talking about?” The girl finally speaks and Felicity frowns, looking up at the incredulous tone in her voice. “He called me from the train. Told me that he’d spent a lot of time with a girl called Felicity and that she was really lovely and he hoped he’d get to know her better. Guess it makes sense now why he laughed and said he didn’t want a black eye when I asked if he thought there might be something there romantically.”

She looks Oliver up and down and Felicity feels him shift a little closer to her, almost stepping behind her.

“Yeah well, that’s me. And it’s not that Barry’s not lovely, because he definitely is! However, I am not ticking the box open on the romantic sides of things these days.” Felicity jokes lightly but she feels Oliver’s hand tense and hears his soft growl in her ear.

“Yeah well, Barry’s not really up for much at the moment, anyway.” The man reminds them, looking back to the lifeless body in the bed and a more somber mood falls over the room. Oliver’s hand moves down to clasp Felicity’s in his own and they take a step towards the bed.

“How is he?” She asks quietly, looking over his still features.

“Stable, which is a good thing and there’s sign of cognitive movement, obviously because he’s not dead. However, the doctors think that this might be a long waiting game.” The girl explains softly and Felicity nods, feeling Oliver squeeze her hand as she looks back at the boy she had so quickly connected with.

A soft beeping fills the room and the man frowns down at his phone. “It’s the precinct, I’ve got to go in.”

“Oh, I’ll come with you. My shift starts soon anyway.” The girl answers and starts collecting their things. Both freeze however when they remember the other people in the room.

“You can send in a nurse if you’d like. We just wanted to see him with our own eyes.” Oliver explains and the girl nods.

“I’ll bring the car around.” The man nods and the girl steps back, letting him step up next to Barry. “You rest easy now, son.” He whispers softly, smoothing a parental hand over Barry’s hair before he sends Oliver and Felicity one last look and then finally leaves the room.

They both stay back as they watch the girl step up next to him, brushing his hair away from his forehead and gaze down at him. There’s a look in her eye that Felicity knows well and she wonders just who this girl is to Barry.

“Please come back to us soon, Barry. Come back to me.” She whispers before she softly kisses his forehead, taking a moment to take him in before she steps back. Discreetly wiping her eyes, she clears her throat and adjusts her skirt. “Are you guys sticking around for a while?”

“Just for the day, I’m afraid. We’re a little busy in Starling.” Felicity explains and the girl nods.

“Well, if you’re looking for a boost before you head back, come to Jitters just off the square. I’m working til late and I can hook you up.” She smiles kindly and Felicity does too.

“Thank you. I’m so sorry, I didn’t get your name.” She frowns and the girl smiles, adjusting her hair.

“Oh, it’s Iris. Iris West and that was my dad, Joe. We’re Barry’s family.” She explains with an affectionate smile pulling at her lips.

“It was nice to meet you, Iris. I’m glad Barry has people to rely on here.” Felicity tells her honestly and Iris nods her head.

“Barry’s always been my rock. I guess it’s time for me to be his.” She comments, almost to herself and Felicity smiles. “Alright, I’ll leave you guys to it. Thank you for coming to see him. I know he’d be very appreciative if he was aware of it.”

“Actually there are quite a few recent studies that suggest…” Oliver elbow softly poking into her side makes Felicity stop halfway through her sentence and smile at the girl in front of her. “I hope you get some good news soon.”

“Thank you.” She nods and smiles at both of them as she moves towards the door. “Seriously, Jitters later. Central City will kill me if I send Starling elite off without having tried the best coffee in town.”

“We’ll be there,” Felicity promises and Iris smiles before heading down the corridor, leaving Oliver and Felicity alone with Barry.

Chapter Text

“There you are!” Thea’s voice calls through the hallway when they finally make it back to the mansion late that night. Oliver’s sister flies across the atrium towards them, ushering Felicity out of her coat and tugging her into the living room. Oliver follows at a slower pace, an amused look on his face.

“Thea? What’s going on?” Felicity asks, shooting Oliver a confused look over her shoulder as she’s tugged around by her friend.

“I’m having a disaster!” The teenager exclaims and Felicity and Oliver share a confused look.

“Speedy? You’re going to have to elaborate a little more than that.” Oliver prompts and Thea sighs sharply, plopping down onto the couch.

“We’ve put loads into this New Year’s Bash, it’s the biggest party I’ve thrown yet and the tickets just aren’t selling! All anyone wants to know is who’s going to be there and I don’t have one big name on my list! Not one! Max freaking Fuller has got all of Starling’s elite!” Thea laments, bringing someone up on her phone and shoving it in Felicity’s face.

“And how do you think we can help with that?” Oliver asks with a frown, earning himself a glare from both girls. “You know what I mean, out of all of us, Thea’s the best party planner.”

“Well, I was hoping Felicity might be able to work some of her magic and get the party advertised a little more. Online advertising is so expensive and I’d be spending money we don’t have.” Thea explains, pleading a little.

“Send me the link and I can get it on the Facebook page of every under 30 in the city,” Felicity reassures her and Thea grins.

“You’re amazing! Thank you!” The younger girl squeals, wrapping an arm around the blonde who laughs and squeezes her back.

“It’s nothing. Anything for you.” Felicity smiles, catching Oliver’s affectionate smile over Thea’s head.

“That still doesn’t, however, solve my guest issue…” Thea smiles as she pulls away from Felicity, smiling a little too innocently at the two of them.

“What can we do about that?” Felicity frowns, looking between the two of them but it dawns on Oliver a lot quicker.

“Thea, no. I have plans for New Year’s that involve far less paparazzi and people with camera phones trying to get indecent shots of me and my girlfriend all night.” Oliver states soundly, looking away so that he doesn’t have to see his sister’s puppy dog eyes.

“Ollie, please! You don’t have to stay for long but if I can claim I have the first appearance of Oliver Queen since he’s been taken off the market, these tickets will sell like wildfire!” Thea pleads and Oliver huffs, looking over at Felicity. He shakes his head at her and she sighs, looking back at Thea.

“We’ll be there.” She states and Oliver frowns at the same time as Thea squeals, jumping up to kiss them both on the cheek before she leaves the room in a bundle of energy.

“You are both the best! Thank you so much! This is going to be the best party ever!” She squeals and rushes down the hall, leaving them in an empty living room.

“Felicity…” Oliver starts, leveling her with a sad look. “I had plans for New Year’s. We had the house to ourselves, I was going to cook you dinner and then show you that I plan to start 2014 in the way I mean to go on. You and me, naked, in my bed.” He moans and Felicity laughs, standing from her own seat and straddling his waist.

“You heard Thea, we don’t have to stay for long.” She coos, running her fingers through his hair and Oliver hums, leaning into the sensation.

“Or… we could not go at all?” He prompts and Felicity chuckles, shaking her head.

“Oliver Jonas Queen, are you seriously telling me that you want to turn down an opportunity to see me in a tiny dress in a room full of people and show them all that I’m yours?” She whispers softly in his ear, her voice all husky and Oliver growls, his hands looping around her waist to grab at her ass.

“There’ll be girls there after me too, Miss Smoak.” He replies, leaning his forehead against hers and Felicity smiles, dragging her nails across the nape of his neck.

“I’d like to see them try.” She scoffs and Oliver laughs, grinning at the loud laugh he elicits from her as he scoops her into his arms and carries her towards his bedroom.

“Will you please just put on a shirt and at least pretend to be happy about this?” Felicity calls from where she’s getting ready in the bathroom and Oliver groans from his facepalmed position on the bed.

“I don’t like this whole telling me to put clothes on situation.” Oliver groans but rolls off the bed to grasp a dress shirt and pull it on. He then shrugs into a sports jacket and settles at the end of the bed, waiting for Felicity.

“You’re going to have a miserable time if you go in with a miserable attitude,” Felicity calls back and Oliver chuckles, wondering when his girlfriend became so sage. Sure, Felicity’s always been smart, ridiculously so, but this addition of the wisdom is something a little new.

“Who says I have a miserable attitude?” Oliver counters and he hears Felicity’s loud scoff. “Alright, alright, I will try to think a little more positively, but only for you.”

“And for Thea. This is important to her, Oliver.” Her voice grows closer until she’s standing in the doorway to the bathroom and Oliver thinks she may still be talking but honestly, he can’t hear a word she’s saying.

He’s too astounded by the sight of her.

Her dress is a sparkly, silky material and the silver fabric clings to her skin like water, highlighting every curve and showing off every beautiful contour of her body. The neckline is a pretty modest V-neck but the hemline more than makes up for that, stopping what seems like inches underneath the end of the curve of her ass. It leaves her gorgeous legs on display and the emerald green heels strapped to her feet only elongate them, giving the illusion that they go on for miles. Her hair is loose around her head in tamed curls and Oliver smiles at the sight of the necklace from his mother around her neck. Both the emerald and arrow bracelet are clasped safely around her wrist and Oliver can’t help but smile at the idea that even when she’s looking like sex on a stick as she does right now, there’s a little piece of him visible.

So, he’s a bit of a caveman? Sue him.

“Oliver! Are you listening at all?” Felicity asks, her hands dropping to her waist.

Oh crap, Oliver thinks, that’s the start of her loud voice.

“Can you blame me, baby? I can’t be held responsible when you look this good. You’re just too gorgeous for your own good.” He charms, reaching out for her. Felicity rolls her eyes but steps in between his legs, her hands coming to rest loosely around his neck. Oliver groans when his hands slide up her back and reach bare skin, his thumbs sliding expertly underneath the deep backline.

“And you are a charmer who thinks that flattery will get you everywhere.” Felicity counters, tugging a little on his hair and he smirks charmingly up at her.

“Works on you, doesn’t it?” He winks and Felicity rolls her eyes, peeling his arms from her and moving to the vanity to collect her purse.

“Jury’s still out on that one. Now, come on, grumpy, we’ve got a party to get to.”

The cameras are already clicking away as the car pulls onto the street of Verdant. Oliver winces at the sight of them but relaxes a little as Felicity’s hand smooths over his knee.

“Let me get your door?” He asks and Felicity sighs but nods her head, smiling softly as she reaches up to run a thumb over his cheek. He knows that she doesn’t like feeling like a damsel in distress, but he appreciates the allowances she’s making for him now so that he feels comfortable.

The valet opens his door and Oliver sends Felicity a smile before he climbs out, plastering on a much faker smile for the cameras as he rounds the car. He shoos the valet trying to open Felicity’s door out of the way and opens it himself, extending her a hand to help her step out which she does so gracefully.

The shouts of the paparazzi only get louder and the clicks of their cameras get more frantic at the sight of the two of them together. They’re not too far from the door but Oliver calms when he feels both of Felicity’s arms entwine around his wrist securely. She’s got a tight grip on him but she’s allowing him to lead the charge which he’s grateful for as he pushes through the paparazzi.

“He actually came?!”

“Oh wow, what a dress!”

“Hey honey, wanna ditch Queen there and spend New Year’s with a real man?”

“Mr. Queen! I’m sure I can balance your timetable much better than blondie there!”

Oliver grits his teeth and ignores the calls of the drunken people in the line, focusing instead on steering Felicity to the front of the queue and in through the VIP entrance. Luckily, they’re immediately waved through and in through the doors, away from the cameras and shouts but into the crowded club with its pounding music.

He immediately makes a right where the security guard pulls back the rope and allows them entry to the VIP section which is quieter and less packed, although scarcely so.

“Are you alright?” Oliver asks softly, turning to see Felicity who still looks slightly wide-eyed.

“And the media wonder why they get a bad rep?” She huffs and Oliver chuckles, squeezing her hand.

“Felicity! Ollie!” Thea’s voice calls out and they turn to see her hurrying towards them, a wide grin on her face. She’s wearing something sparkling red that Oliver thinks he might actually like if there was a little more of it, not that he’d ever tell Thea that. He likes his limbs attached to his body, thank you very much.

“Hi, Thea! It looks amazing in here!” Felicity greets, wrapping her arms around his sister and Oliver smiles proudly at his baby sister as she pulls back bashfully.

“Oh, it’s nothing really! I’m just glad we’ve sold enough tickets!” She grins and Oliver chuckles.

“Thea, you’re practically at capacity and the queue’s around the corner. It’s a success, own it.” He smiles and she grins, allowing him a one-armed hug.

“Thanks, Ollie. Thank you guys so much for coming. I’ve told the staff that the bar is open for you guys tonight.” She grins and Felicity sends Oliver an excited grin, making him chuckle. “I’ve also reserved a booth for you two over there. I’m really appreciative of this, you guys. Thanks so much.”

“Anything for you Speedy.” Oliver smiles and plants a kiss on Thea’s forehead, making his baby sister smile.

“I’ve got to go but you owe me a dance later, Lissy!” Thea calls over her shoulder and Felicity laughs, nodding her agreement.

“You got it!” She calls back before she turns to Oliver with that wide smile on her face. “Find the booth and then a drink?”

“That, my love, sounds like an excellent plan.”

“You see everyone argues that it’s Kevin Costner or Sean Connery but to me, there’s just something about Errol Flynn’s portrayal. He’s just so…” 

Oliver laughs as Felicity drunkenly laments the different actors who have played Robin Hood. He can’t quite remember how they got onto the topic, he’ll admit that the alcohol is getting to him a little, but he thinks it might have something to do with Felicity drawing comparisons between his hooded alter ego and the other emerald archer.

Felicity is definitely drunk.

She’s slurring her words as she leans heavily against him and her hands are wandering a little more than he knows she would usually be comfortable with in public. They’ve had around the same amount but Felicity has far less body to soak up the liquor and Oliver knows she can be a little bit of a lightweight.

“He’s what?” Oliver prompts, realizing that Felicity has not finished her sentence but her brows furrow and she looks up at him with a confused expression.

“I don’t remember.” She tells him and Oliver chuckles, almost impulsively leaning down to kiss the pout off of her lips. Felicity breaks it off with a loud gasp and Oliver frowns to see her glaring at her drink. “My drink is empty!”

“I’ll get another round.” He tells her but he’s stopped by a surprisingly strong hand on his shoulder.

“No. I’ll go. You’ve gone all the times. I am perfectly cap… cap… I can get drinks!” She states vehemently and Oliver laughs, settling back in his seat.

“Alright, alright.” He shakes his head, watching her walk away. She sends him a look over her shoulder and he’s convinced that she’s swaying her hips far more than usual. Damn little minx.

Oliver checks his watch. It’s 11. He knows that they should stay and help Thea celebrate the amazing party that she’s managed to pull off but at the same time, he’d like nothing more than to head home and ring in the New Year alone with his girl.

Preferably with very few clothes.

Felicity is leaning against the bar and the backline of her dress hangs loosely off of her body, it tightening over her shapely behind where her hips are thrust a little back. She looks every bit like the angel Oliver sees her as and he’s not the only one who’s noticed. Oliver can see a few guys staring at her but a couple of them are nudged by their mates who seem to gesture at him. One, however, seems to have far less intelligent friends and he makes his way over to where Oliver’s blonde beauty is waiting to be served.

Clenching his fist, Oliver forces himself to remain in his seat, grateful that he’s close enough and that the music is slightly quieter in this section so that he can hear what’s being said.

“Well hello there gorgeous. Those legs of yours are stunning but I’m sure they’d look better wrapped around me.” The guy starts and Oliver is also out of his chair when he hears Felicity’s loud snort and watches the way her eyebrow raises in an unimpressed expression. 

“Have you ever considered not being so crude when you talk to women?” She replies and Oliver smirks, settling back down in his seat. His girl has this.

“Oh, you’re one of those. Come on baby, I was just trying to have some fun.” The guy replies and Felicity smiles falsely, laying her hand against her heart.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize being an asshole didn’t apply when you’re trying to have fun! Go ahead then!” She snips back snarkily, glaring at the man who raises his hands in surrender.

“Whoa, has anyone ever told you that you need to loosen up?” He asks and Oliver sees red again until Felicity’s voice soothes him once more.

“Oh no, my boyfriend thinks I’m plenty loose enough, thank you. All kinds of flexible.” She smirks, just as the bartender places their drinks in front of them. “Thanks, Jake!”

“You’re welcome, Felicity. This guy giving you trouble?” Jake asks, eyeing up the guy who raises his hands in surrender again. Oliver is pretty impressed at the imposing look Jake gives him. Thea’s got some good employees here.

“Oh no, not really. I think he’s just sad because Oliver’s the only one who gets to enjoy what those yoga classes do to my body. Not that you needed to know that Jake but it’s a lot and Oliver takes full advantage of that and… Oops! I think I said too much.” Felicity blushes, her hand coming up to cover her mouth and Oliver chuckles, moving in now that his girl might actually need a save.

“Never.” He reassures her as he slides his arm over her shoulder. He nods at Jake and glares at the guy who’s still lingering by Felicity. He looks at Oliver’s arms and his eyes widen a little which Oliver might just admit makes him puff his chest out a little. “You making some new friends, baby?”

“Oh, I don’t think so. Not unless this guy gets some better manners.” Felicity smiles sweetly up at him and Oliver chuckles, dropping a kiss to her temple.

“Whatever man. Her ass is fine as anything but even that doesn’t make up for that amount of crazy.” The guy starts and Oliver moves before he really thinks it through. He has the guy by his collar in seconds and he gets up in his face.

“You wanna apologize for that?” He growls and the guy looks at him wide-eyed.

“Get off me you psycho!” He yells, trying to escape Oliver’s grip and Oliver hums, smacking his back into the bar.

“Ollie!” Thea’s voice sounds out and Oliver realizes entirely too late that he’s made a bit of a scene.

“Get him out of here,” Oliver growls as he lets the guy go and he stumbles away, yelling about how Oliver’s insane.

Oliver doesn’t want to stick around and listen to it, he has Felicity’s hand in his in seconds and he pulls her up the stairs and into the privacy of Thea’s office.

“You know you’re probably going to have to explain that,” Felicity tells him but he backs her up against the door, his arms bracketing either side of her head.

“Don’t care.” He comments and dives forward, burying his head in her neck and breathing in her familiar and calming scent.

“I’m here. I’m yours.” She tells him softly and Oliver took a deep breath, letting her presence work its usual magic on him. His shoulders finally relax and he practically falls into her, humming into her neck when her hands rub across his back and up into his hair.

“Didn’t mean to get all Neanderthal.” He murmurs into her skin and Felicity chuckles, tugging softly on the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Don’t you lie to me, Oliver Queen.” She admonishes but Oliver can tell from her tone that she doesn’t really mean it. Plus, she’s kind of right. “We should go back out.”

“Hmm,” Oliver replies but he makes no move to leave the comfort of her arms.

“Oliver…” Felicity presses and Oliver takes a deep breath, pulling back.

“I just need one thing.” He tells her, eyes intensely locked on hers and Felicity frowns, her head tilting in that adorable way.

“Oh yeah? What’s…?”

As much as Oliver loves her voice, he doesn’t let her finish. He leans forward and captures her lips, devouring her mouth in the way that he’s been dying to all night but isn’t exactly decent for even a dark club. His arms wrap tightly around her and pull her body flush to his, one of his hands slipping into her sweet smelling hair.

Far sooner than he’d like, he pulls back and takes a bit too much delight in the heaving of Felicity’s chest and her wide eyes. She looks thoroughly ravished and Oliver takes a little delight knowing that the entire club will know that it was he who did that to her.

“Okay, I’m good.” He smirks and catches her hand, leading her out into the main area.

He laughs loudly when he catches what Felicity murmurs under her breath.

“Dick.”

Thea has thrown the guy out by the time they make it back to the VIP section, Jake having explained the whole encounter to his boss. Thea drags Felicity off for that dance and Oliver leans against the railing, watching the carefree expression on his girlfriend and sister’s faces as they move together on the crowded floor.

“Can’t take her eyes off of her for a second, can you?” A familiar teasing voice sounds and Oliver looks to see Roy leaning against the balcony next to him.

“Can you blame me?” Oliver chuckles, glancing at the boy. He’s a little worried about him, he doesn’t know how much of the mirakuru was injected into him or how his body’s going to react to it.

“I can’t think of an answer to that which doesn’t end with you glaring at me.” Roy comments and Oliver laughs despite himself. Maybe he hasn’t sobered up as much as he thought he had.

“How are you feeling? Thea said you went through quite the ordeal the other week.” Oliver comments and Roy hums, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m fine. It’s weird really. I seemed to get better almost overnight. Must have a good immune system.” He quips and Oliver smiles tightly. He at least seems to be himself.

“A blessing not everyone is bestowed with,” Oliver answers, keeping his eyes on Felicity as some douchebag comes up behind her and grabs her hips. He’s ready to cause another scene when she handles it expertly, removing his hands and turning her back to Thea, dancing up against her friend instead. She catches his eye and hers light up, smiling widely as she waves at him and Oliver can’t help the grin that takes over his face as he winks back down at her.

“Mr. Queen?” A voice to the side speaks and Oliver frowns, tearing himself away from the sight of his beautiful girl moving her hips in a way that Oliver thinks really should be something only he gets to see. A tall brunette woman, who is not wearing very much at all, is stood next to him, smiling in such a fake way that Oliver is half convinced she’s holding her mouth open with something.

“Can I help you?” He replies politely, taking a step towards Roy and adjusting his jacket around his frame.

“I couldn’t help but notice you’re all alone.” She purrs in an altogether overt way that has Oliver frowning.

“Rude,” Roy mutters under his breath and Oliver snorts, smirking at his sister’s boyfriend.

“My friend, Roy here would say otherwise.” Oliver counters and immediately regrets it. Roy looks altogether far too happy to be referred to as Oliver’s friend.

“You know what I mean Mr. Queen. Men like you deserve to be attended to, worshipped even. It seems your little girlfriend isn’t very good at doing that. But I am. Maybe I could… help you out.” The brunette smiles, her hand curling in his shirt and Oliver laughs a little uncomfortably, forcibly removing it. He goes to respond but is interrupted by a voice he’d much rather hear anyway.

“He doesn’t need any help in that department, thank you. Being attended to and worshipped perfectly well. So your services aren’t needed here.” Felicity cuts in, sidling up to him and wiggling her hands under his jacket. Her presence relaxes him and Oliver smiles politely at the girl who glares at Felicity before risking one last wink at him and walking away. “Yup, bye bye. That’s it!”

“Now who’s a Neanderthal?” Oliver smirks down at her but she just tugs him down to meet her lips roughly into a bruising, demanding kiss that has them both breathing heavily when they separate.

“Alright, you two, save that for midnight! We’ve only got ten minutes!” Thea squeals and Oliver laughs, pulling Felicity into his side. “I need to go make sure everything’s sorted. Babe, can you go check that the confetti cannons are ready?”

“You got it, boss,” Roy smirks, kissing Thea’s cheek before he heads in one direction and she heads in the other.

“Drink?” Oliver asks and Felicity smiles, nodding and letting him lead her towards the bar.

They manage to find a booth in a quieter corner and Oliver smiles as Felicity curls into his side, half on his lap. He wraps his free arm around her, lazily drawing soft lines up and down her side with his fingers. She hums softly and leans her head on his shoulder, her free hand looped around his back.

“If someone told you a year ago that this is where you’d be this new year’s, would you have believed them?” Her soft voice is calming in his ear and Oliver smiles softly at her question.

“Never. Losing Tommy was… it was unimaginable. I’m still not entirely sure I know what a world without him looks like.” Oliver starts and Felicity frowns, placing her drink on the table so that she can softly rub her hand over his chest.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…” She starts but Oliver shakes his head, dropping a kiss to her hair.

“No, it’s fine. This year has been hard but it’s also been the best one in a really long time. I feel like Thea and I are better than we’ve been in a while, Mom and I have really made a move towards being more open with each other, I’m finally doing what my dad wanted at the company, and well, there’s this girl…” He smirks teasingly and Felicity smiles at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh really, Mr. Queen? Must be some girl to catch the eye of Starling’s most eligible bachelor.” She smirks, holding her hand just underneath his jaw as if she’s holding a microphone and Oliver laughs, placing his own drink down so he can grasp her hand and bring it to his lips.

“She’s everything.” He whispers, watching her expression soften.

“You sap.” She smirks and Oliver smiles, stealing a quick, soft kiss from those tempting lips.

“Guilty as charged.” He whispers and relaxes back into the booth. “What about you, Miss Smoak? Did 2013 shape up to be everything you thought it might?”

“What from spending last New Year’s alone in my pajamas with Doctor Who for company?” She asks with a snort and Oliver shakes his head, unable to stop pressing his lips to her forehead. “Let’s just say this year has been one of wonderful surprises.”

“The year of the unthinkable.” Oliver whispers and Felicity smiles up at him.

“10… 9…. 8… 7… 6… 5…”

Felicity looks up in shock at the loud sound of everyone’s voices and Oliver smiles, drawing her attention back to him with a soft hand on her jaw.

“Happy New Year, Felicity.”

“Happy New Year, Oliver.”

And Oliver starts the new year exactly how he plans to go on…

Wrapped up in Felicity’s arms.

Small bonus from Oliver's Instagram the next morning: 

Chapter Text

“Can you please stop sighing so loudly?” Isabel asks from her spot on the other side of the jet and Oliver looks over at her.

“We have ten minutes before we land back in Starling. Can we not just ignore each other until then?” Oliver asks, rubbing his brow and Isabel huffs.

“You’ve been brooding since we left. I understand that you were annoyed that I didn’t want you using company resources to take your little girlfriend on an out of town rendezvous, but we needed to make this deal in person.” His co-CEO bites back and Oliver rolls his eyes.

“This has nothing to do with Felicity. This has everything to do with the fact that you spent most of the past three days making more advantageous deals for Steelmoor International when this was supposed to be a trip focused on QC.” Oliver replies, turning to look at her fully and seeing one perfectly shaped eyebrow raised.

“Our companies are joint, Oliver. What benefits Steelmoor, benefits QC.” Isabel tells him sternly and Oliver collects himself, nodding his head with a false smile.

The jet finally descends down onto the tarmac and Oliver is ready to sprint home if he must. It’s been far too long since he’s held Felicity in his arms and all he wants to do is look at her face in person. Ever since Thanksgiving, he hasn’t been able to fully relax unless he’s around her.

“I trust I will see you at the office tomorrow?” Isabel asks, her eyebrow raised and Oliver fakes another smile.

“Of course, we have work to do,” Oliver tells her and Isabel huffs, her attention distracted by something over Oliver’s shoulder.

“You needed a greeting squad, did you?” Isabel asks and Oliver frowns, turning to look through the now open jet door. He cannot stop the smile that spreads across his face when he spots Felicity and Thea stood there. Felicity waves at him and that calm feeling immediately spreads through his body as he looks at her. She’s gorgeous and Oliver feels like he’s home already even though he’s still a few miles from his bed.

“I’ll see you at the office tomorrow, Isabel.” He replies diplomatically and grabs his bag, rushing down the steps. A feeling of excitement rises in him and Oliver briefly notes that he doesn’t think he’s felt like this since he was a child. There’s not enough time to concentrate on that, however, as a certain blonde beauty is rushing towards him.

Felicity gives an adorable little hop, skip and a jump and then she’s in his arms and everything feels alright in the world again.

“Oh, I missed you. Let’s not do that again.” Oliver groans into her neck and Felicity laughs, squeezing him tightly.

“I missed you too. So much. I didn’t realize how used I’d gotten to being in bed with you until you weren’t there. Not like that… although kind of like that I guess. Like that too. That sounds right.” She rambles and Oliver chuckles, having missed hearing exactly what her brain thinks up.

The click of a camera phone makes Oliver look up, worried that paparazzi have found their way onto the runaway. It’s just Thea, smiling at him cheekily as she waves her cell phone at him.

“Rule no. 1 of keeping the paparazzi at bay: feed the public well and they won’t be begging for more. You, big brother, haven’t updated your Instagram in weeks.” Thea comments and Oliver shakes his head amusedly, pulling back so he’s only holding Felicity’s hand.

“It’s good to see you too, Thea.” He comments and Thea smiles, stepping into the one-armed hug he offers. “I updated my Instagram on New Year’s Day.”

“Which was two weeks ago.” Thea replies and Oliver laughs, releasing Thea so that he can pick up his bag.

“Alright, send me the photo.” He snorts, sharing an amused glance with Felicity before dropping a kiss to her loose blonde hair, happy to be back in Starling with his love.

“Oliver.”

“Oliver.”

“Oliver.”

“Hmm no ‘Licity, too tired. Wore me out.” Oliver groans, turning to tug Felicity close to him and he pouts at the obvious resistance she puts up.

“Yeah well, who’s fault was that, mister? You’re the one who insisted on the freaking Orgasm Olympics.” Felicity snorts and Oliver cracks open an eyelid, smiling up at her.

“Was fun though.” He comments and she smiles, shaking her head.

“Of course it was fun but now we really, really need to get up. We have to get to the mixer you wanted to organize for Sebastian Blood.” She reminds him, running her hands through his hair and Oliver groans. 

“Do we have to?” He pouts and Felicity laughs, leaning down to kiss him softly.

“C’ mon mister, we need to leave in ten minutes.” She smirks before moving off of the bed, prompting Oliver to sit up. It’s then that he realizes that she’s already dressed in a tight, deep red dress that does wonders for her curves. It’s nothing fancier than something she’d normally wear to the office but Oliver has been distracted by far far less. “Oliver!”

“Hmm… I’m going, I’m going…”

Oliver smiles charmingly at the crowd in front of him as he stands on the podium Thea has set up within Verdant. He’s really appreciative to his little sister for helping him set this up, it only looks good for QC to be involved with the city.

“So, please, join me in our efforts to send Starling's favorite son there. To Sebastian Blood. Sebastian for Starling.” He finishes off his speech and steps back, letting Sebastian take over.

“Thank you, Oliver. And not just for your support, but also for your friendship. And thank all of you for coming. You know, when Oliver calls me a son of Starling City, it feels like the literal truth. I was a street orphan, and this city raised me as one of its own. I am the man that I am today because of my Starling City family. So it's time that I start to give back. So thank you all for your support.” The politician is charming and engaging, the crowd hanging on his every word and they burst into polite applause when he finishes. Oliver sends him a smile and steps down from the podium, making a beeline for his girlfriend who cocks her head with a smile.

“Well done.” She smiles and Oliver waves her off, leaning down to accept her kiss to his cheek, however. He may not think that it’s particularly hard to support a politician he believes in but it’s not as if he’s going to give up an opportunity to have Felicity’s lips on his skin. He’s not a madman.

“Nice speech, Ollie. Who knew you cared so much about politics?” Thea’s teasing voice rings out and Oliver sends his sister a look, wrapping his arm around Felicity.

“He cares about the city.” Felicity smiles proudly, adjusting his suit jacket and Thea smiles at his girlfriend, her features softening a little.

“And Sebastian has become something of a friend,” Oliver adds and Thea nods, her eyes caught on something over Oliver’s shoulder.

“He's got a way of doing that, apparently.” She comments and both Oliver and Felicity frown, turning to see Sebastian stood by Laurel. The woman is smiling widely at the politician before she reaches up to dust something off his shoulder and Felicity looks up at him, an eyebrow raised.

“That's very cute,” Oliver comments, looking between his sister and girlfriend, teasing them both. He earns smiles from them both and Felicity leans her head on his shoulder. “Speaking of which, how's Roy?” Oliver adds, looking around for the young man.

“Handsome, brooding, usual. Why is my boyfriend such a topic of interest?” Thea frowns and Oliver catches himself. He’s usually asking to never hear anything of Roy, it probably does seem a little weird to Thea that he’s showing such an interest now.  

“He did have an arrow put in him, Thea,” Felicity comments diplomatically, her hand rubbing soothingly over Oliver’s chest. 

“Now that I think about it, you know, he did something completely out of character this morning.” Thea gasps, looking at Oliver in surprise and he frowns, concern growing in him.

“What?”

“He showed up for work on time.” His little sister deadpans and Oliver rolls his eyes, ignoring Felicity’s giggling.

“Thea! Oh, it's-- it's just wonderful.” His mother’s voice joins the conversation and Oliver turns to see her smiling proudly at Thea. The interaction makes him smile, to see that this is where his mother and sister’s relationship has made it to after how strained it appeared when he first got back from the island.

“Just proud to do my civic duty.” Thea waves off the compliment in a similar way Oliver had mere moments ago, shifting awkwardly on her feet.

“No, I'm the one who's proud. You've taken Oliver's hobby, and turned it into a successful business.” Moira smiles and Oliver freezes, looking at his mother in disbelief.

“Hobby?” He asks incredulously, his mouth open a little in shock.

“Oh, sweetheart.” His mother smiles and pats his cheek. She smiles at Felicity, rubbing her shoulder affectionately as she passes her and Thea follows, stopping only to kiss Felicity’s cheek which the blonde returns.

Oliver must still be gaping because Felicity giggles and he looks down at her, that adorable, coy expression on her face. “Shut it, you.”

She grins, holding her finger to her lips and he chuckles, leaning down to softly kiss that pout.

“Oliver!” Sebastian’s voice calls out and Oliver pulls back, sending Felicity an apologetic look as he turns to greet his newest friend.

“Sebastian. Laurel.” He smiles politely, looking at the girl he’s known for so long. She looks comfortable with Sebastian, even though she still has her public face very evidently on.

“Ah. You must be Miss Smoak. I’ve heard wonderful things about you from Oliver.” Sebastian smiles charmingly and Oliver freezes, watching the way Felicity’s eyebrows furrow.

“Thank you, that’s very kind Mr. Blood. It’s nice to see you again.” Felicity smiles, the charm rolling off of her even though she’s biting back and Oliver bites the inside of his cheek to fight the smile.

“Apologies Miss Smoak. I meet a lot of people every day.” Sebastian blushes and Felicity smiles, shaking her head.

“No worries at all.” She shakes it off and Oliver thinks he might be drawing blood at this point.

“Oliver, thank you so much for your kind words.” Sebastian deftly changes the subject and Oliver smiles politely, holding Felicity close to his side.

“I'm just speaking the truth,” Oliver assures him, watching as something catches Sebastian’s attention over his shoulder.

“Oh, forgive me, a friend just walked in.” He apologies and nods at them all before he walks away, leaving Laurel standing there awkwardly. She smiles at Felicity who smiles back before jumping a little.

“Oh, I um… I forgot to ask Thea about that thing. I’ll just go ask her about the thing. Yeah, the thing.” She mumbles and Oliver chuckles, grasping her wrist before she can rush off and tugging her close.

“Thank you.” He whispers in her ear and she smiles, kissing him quickly before smiling politely at Laurel and rushing off in the direction Thea took off in. Oliver chuckles as she skips a little before turning back to Laurel. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She smiles warmly, tilting her head as she looks at him.

“Glad you could come.” Oliver comments and Laurel bites her lip, looking over Oliver’s shoulder.

“Sebastian invited me.” She explains and Oliver nods, smirking a little.

“Yes, I hear the two of you have been spending a lot of time together.” He pushes and Laurel rolls her eyes, shooting him a disparaging look.

“We're just friends.” She shoots back and Oliver smirks as Blood looks back at Laurel.

“Does he know that?” Oliver asks and Laurel glares. “What's holding you back?”

“Sometimes I feel like I don't know the real Sebastian. He reminds me a little of you that way.” Laurel smirks and Oliver rolls his eyes.

“There’s something in the air tonight.” He mutters, frowning as he spots Felicity zooming back through the crowd towards them.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt but um… Oliver, we need to go. We have that meeting with Mr. Robin that I completely forgot about.” Felicity tells him through gritted teeth and Oliver nods, already heading towards the door.

“A meeting? It’s 10 o’clock at night.” Laurel frowns but the two of them are already in the wind, heading down in the Foundry.

“What’s happening?” Oliver asks and Felicity sighs, tapping away on a tablet that Oliver is convinced she manifested out of thin air. She didn’t even have a bag with her last he saw.

“A bomb’s been set off at a bank downtown,” Felicity explains and Oliver frowns.

“Anyone in the building?” He asks and they reach the stairs just as Diggle comes in through the back entrance.

“Cleaning crew and a group of bankers working on a late-night deal.” Diggle fills him in and Oliver sighs, following Felicity to her desk.

“Can you patch me into police and fire?” He asks but Felicity’s already done it before he finishes the question.

It's too hot. We're falling back.

You've still got people on the 5th floor.

It's too hot. We're pulling back.

The three of them share a look and Oliver reaches for his bow. Back in Starling and back to his most important job.

“Oliver, I need you to look over these contracts.” Felicity walks into Oliver’s office the next day, flicking through the papers she’s holding. She frowns when she gets no response and looks up to see Oliver slumped over his desk. His head is slumped against his shoulder and there’s a little droll falling down his cheek. “Oh, baby…”

She huffs a little amusedly, placing the papers on his desk before bending down in front of his chair.

“Oliver, sweetheart, wake up.” She prompts softly, gently shaking his shoulder before moving back in case he reacts badly. His eyes fly open and his fists fly up. “Hey, hey, it’s okay! It’s just me!”

“’Licity?” He frowns and Felicity smiles, stepping forward and cupping his cheek.

“I’m here. You’re alright. You just fell asleep at your desk.” She explains softly, running her hands through his hair and he sighs, dropping his head into his hands.

“I don’t have time to fall asleep.” He huffs and Felicity chuckles.

“Sweetheart, you’ve been running yourself ragged. This is your body telling you that it needs to rest.” She tells him softly, frowning when he simply chuckles and rolls his eyes.

“Felicity, there’s a terrorist running wild in the city as well as someone creating human weapons that we’re no closer to IDing. Isabel is sinking her claws deeper into the company and Mom and Thea are still expecting me to show up to every family dinner and upper-class event. I do not have time for rest.” He huffs, pushing his chair back and walking over to the window.

“Woah, Woah, okay. Let’s just take a deep breath.” Felicity is barely finished speaking when her phone goes off. She sighs when she sees that it’s Lance and shoots Oliver an apologetic look. He merely gestures to her phone as if it proves her point which has her glaring at him as she answers. “Detective Lance, thanks for answering.”

“Yeah well, we might need your guy’s help on this one.” Lance huffs in his usual stoic way and Felicity smiles, switching her phone to speaker. “I can meet him in half an hour.”

Oliver nods and Felicity frowns. Oliver needs to rest, she knows that.

“Felicity…” Oliver growls under his breath and she sighs.

“Yes detective, that works. Usual spot, okay?” She asks, hoping that her expression tells Oliver how unhappy she is about all of this.

“Does he have a particular aversion to ground level locations?” Lance asks and Felicity cannot help the chuckle that escapes her.

“I think it’s easier to brood on a rooftop.” She smirks at Oliver who glares right back.

“True.” Lance chuckles. “Alright, I’ll be there. Look after yourself now.”

“I will, thank you, Detective.” Felicity smiles. She’s grateful, truly, that Lance knows her secret. It’s been a huge help these past months.

“Alright sweetheart. Thank you.”

The line goes dead and Felicity raises an eyebrow, very unimpressed.

“You need a bed.” She tells her boyfriend but Oliver just shakes his head, walking to collect his jacket.

“We need to go.”

Stupid, reckless heroes.

Chapter Text

Oliver cannot help the rage that is bubbling over as he storms down the steps of the Foundry. To have been so close to this guy and then lose him so quickly. He relies on Felicity’s skills and she almost endangered not only his life but the lives of the people on that bus.

“What happened?” He asks as he makes it across the room in three steps, stopping himself from looming over her when he spots the way she’s bent over the desk, visibly upset.

“He’s using cellular technology to detonate his bombs. Clearly, his expertise extends to obscuring that signal.” She sighs, running her hands over her face but Oliver’s on a one-track mind. They came so close to getting this guy tonight.

“Felicity, your expertise was supposed to trump his.” He bites and Felicity’s head pops up, the hurt written all over her face. Oliver immediately regrets his words as he watches the sadness spread over her features but it very quickly morphs to anger when he sees that same emotion in her eyes.

“Excuse me?” She questions incredulously, standing from her chair and walking over to him. He turns away but she clearly is having none of that. “If you have something to say to me, Oliver, say it.”

“People are dying. So I would like you to get your head back in the game instead of spending your time convincing me to take a nap!” Oliver snaps, turning around to look at her glaring up at him. There’s none of the playful nature he’s used to seeing in her eyes. She’s mad and so is he right now.

“Sure. I’ll get my head in the game right after you get yours out of your ass!” She bites and Oliver reels.

“Excuse me?”

“Alright. Maybe we should just take a breath here.” Diggle attempts but the two of them merely glare at each other.

“No, wait. Let’s get one thing straight, Oliver. I wasn’t the only one distracted tonight. You are spreading yourself too thin.” Felicity continues, scowl cemented on her face. She manages to look incredibly intimidating despite her small stature and Oliver would most likely be impressed if he wasn’t so enraged.

“You sent me the wrong way!”

“After you didn’t catch him in the first place!”

“Don’t blame me because you didn’t have it tonight.”

Felicity’s face falls and Oliver’s anger clears to guilt as he watches her take a deep breath and send Diggle a loaded look.

“I need some air.” She declares diplomatically and brushes past him, the exposed back of her dress taunting him as her angry footsteps echo around the room.

“At the risk of getting my head chopped off…” Diggle starts, his voice calm as always and Oliver whirls around to look at him, stopping at the judgemental look on his face. “Playing the blame game’s not going to catch this son-of-a-bitch.”

“Neither is doing things halfway.” Oliver retorts, glancing at the stairs with a soft sigh.

“You think that was her not giving it her all?” Diggle asks, his eyebrow raised incredulously and Oliver sends him a look.

“She almost ran me into a bus, Diggle.” Oliver reasons and Diggle sighs, shaking his head. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re too wrapped up in the million things you’re currently doing to notice that your girlfriend, who loves you, just wants you to take a break and let your brain catch up with your body,” Diggle states diplomatically and Oliver huffs, placing his bow back in its case.

“My brain is fine.” He mutters under his breath before walking over to the computers.

“He thinks I’m distracted? Pig headed, self-serving…”

“Felicity?”

“Thea! Hi! What are you doing here?” Felicity whirls around, her eyebrows furrowing at the sight of her boyfriend’s sister.

“That’s funny. You say that like we’re not stood outside of the club that I own.” Thea frowns and Felicity blanches, silently cursing herself.

“Right! Of course! Haha, silly me!” She smiles, shaking her head with a nervous laugh.

“So, why are you here?” Thea asks slowly, frowning at Felicity’s obvious lack of coat or bag or anything.

“Right, well you see, the thing is…” Felicity stalls, desperately trying to think of an explanation.

“Did you leave something here last night?” Thea asks and Felicity lets out a sigh of relief.

“Yes! Yes! I did! My ugh… my coat! I left my coat! But I… I know exactly where it is so I’ll nip right in and get it and be out of your hair quicker than you can lightning.” She smiles, tilting her head when Thea still frowns at her.

“Okay… well, are you going to be at the house later? We could watch a movie or something?” Thea offers and Felicity smiles.

“I would love to but that’s really going to collide with my plans of being mad at your brother.” Felicity huffs and Thea frowns, stepping forward. Her hand cups Felicity’s elbow and the blonde curses her lack of filter. She really didn’t need to bring Thea into all of this but her inability to stop talking seems to work before her brain.

“You and Ollie are fighting?” Thea asks, her tone softening and Felicity sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Fought? Maybe still fighting? I don’t know. I just… I’m sorry Thea. I just need to be by myself right now. I’ll get my stuff and get out of your hair.” Felicity shakes her friend off and heads back inside, fully intending to ignore Oliver completely and get what she needs to do some work from her townhouse. She ignores Thea’s cries of her name and holds her head up high, heading into the club and then slipping down the back stairs.

“Ollie!”

Oliver sighs at the sound of his sister’s voice calling across the atrium of the house.

“Thea, I literally have two minutes. What’s up?” He asks, adjusting his jacket. He’s already late, actually, but what're two minutes on top of that?

“What did you do?” Thea asks, crossing her arms and glaring at him. Oliver frowns, trying to wrack his brain. He’s barely been around his sister in the past few days, he can’t think of anything that she’d be annoyed at him for.

“You want to get a bit more specific there, Speedy?” He questions but Thea merely huffs, adjusting her weight to her other hip.

“Sure. I would like to know what you did to make your girlfriend so upset that she couldn’t even hold a conversation with me last night. She slept at her apartment last night, Ollie, she hasn’t done that in weeks. She even stayed here when you were away.” Thea frowns, looking at him reproachfully.

“Thea, what’s going on between Felicity and I is our business and our business alone. I need to go. Please just drop it.” He pleads and shoots her a look when she looks like she might have something else to say.

“Blood’s going ahead with the rally,” Oliver comments as he heads down the stairs into the Foundry later that day. He’s annoyed that he didn’t seem able to talk the alderman out of the idea, he’s putting a lot of people in danger.

“We can see.” Diggle comments, gesturing to Felicity’s screen which is playing the local news. Oliver’s glad to see her blonde ponytail, he wasn’t entirely sure whether she’d show.

“I tried to get him to stand down.” Oliver counters and Diggle shrugs.

“He seems as stubborn as you when it comes to fighting back.” His friend comments and Oliver glances at him unamused.

“Or everything.” Felicity finally speaks, albeit under her breath and Oliver whirls around before sighing, running a hand through his hair.

“Hey, is this how it’s going to be with the two of you from now on?” Diggle asks, looking between the two of them but neither answers, Felicity staring at her computer screen.

“Maybe we should head down to the rally,” Oliver suggests but Felicity moves, whirling her chair across her station.

“Maybe we won’t have to.” She comments and Oliver frowns, stepping towards her. “I analyzed the bomb remnants we got from Lance. The design’s identical to the bombs used by an anti-government militia group called the Movement. Lucky for us, they have a very active and hackable message board. One of their most prolific fans has an IP address right here in Starling.”

“Tell me.” Oliver prompts, internally very impressed at how quickly she was able to pull all of that up.

“The computer’s in a local souvenir shop. The whackadoo in question goes by the username Shrapnel.” Felicity replies, pulling up the building on the map and Oliver nods, reaching for his bow.

“You want back-up?” Diggle asks but Oliver shakes his head, turning his attention briefly to the screen where the news is still playing.

“No, I need you at the rally. Cover our bases.” Oliver tells him and Diggle nods, getting ready to follow him out the door.

“Keep your comms on.” Felicity prompts and they both nod, heading off in different directions.

Felicity is attempting to keep an eye on both Diggle and Oliver.

She’s used to being alone in the Foundry, she feels safe there, even if it does sometimes bring up memories of almost being crushed to death. When she’s alone in there she can get the most work done. She’s free from Oliver’s hovering or brooding and Diggle, as lovely as he is, can be very chatty when he wants to. She’s currently trying to scope out the area around the rally for any potential threats when the comm link opens.

“Felicity.” Oliver’s voice is steady in her ear and she takes a deep breath.

“Here.” She replies, straightening up a little in her chair and pulling up her tracker on his suit. He’s in the shop and Felicity frowns. “Did you get him?”

“No.” His answer is curt and short, making her frown deepen. “He said he rigged the Plaza with an explosive device.”

Felicity bites her lip, turning her attention back to the news playing on mute. “Oliver, it’s crazy town there. That bomb could be anywhere.”

“I can narrow that down. Get me, Diggle.” He tells her and she opens the line.

“Go.” Diggle answers, his voice hushed and the sound of the crowd filtering through.

“Shrapnel said he rigged the perimeter with RDX.” Oliver communicates and Felicity winces as the news pans across the Plaza to show how many people are gathered.

“I’m on it,” Diggle answers, his voice full of purpose and Felicity shuts off his portion of the line so that she can talk to Oliver.

“You’re heading to the Plaza too, right?” She questions, confused as to why his tracker still isn’t moving.

“Not yet.” Oliver answers and she frowns. She can hear the tension in his voice. “I need you to pull up anything you can on the store. Blueprints, permit schematics, anything.”

She’s found something before he finishes talking. “What’s going on?” She questions, the worry rising in her.

“Shrapnel left behind a surprise. Said he packed the drywall with explosives, but the trigger needs to be…”

“Would need to be hooked up to some sort of power supply.” She finishes for him, piercing through what she’s found to see if anything’s useful. “That’s assuming that the detonator’s connected to the store’s electricity and not something independent like a car battery. I know, not helpful.”

She frowns, unable to help herself as the anger at their argument rises in her again.

“You sure you want me doing this? My head might not exactly be in the game.” She comments but feels a little guilty for it.

“Felicity!” He counters and she winces. He is trapped inside a building right now. Not the best time.

“The building was built in the seventies. That’s good news. The wiring in a lot of construction back then is defective. So, if you sever one wire, it will blow fuses in the entire building and shut off power to the bomb.” She explains slowly, wincing a little at the idea of him surrounded by explosives.

“Hold tight. I see a fuse box.” He tells her and she blanches.

“Oliver, be careful.” She warns and next thing she hears is a loud explosion followed by deathly silence. “Oliver? Oliver?!”

“It’s alright. I’m alright. Get to the rally and help Diggle. I’m on my way.” His voice reassures her and she breathes a sigh of relief, taking a moment to collect herself before she grabs her coat and heads off to the Plaza.

“Felicity?”

“Oh frack,” Felicity mutters under her breath, turning to see Thea and Moira with the former waving at her. “Thea, Moira, I didn’t think I’d see you here.”

“Didn’t think we’d run into you either.” Thea frowns, tilting her head a little and Felicity frowns as well.

“Do I not give off a political vibe?” Felicity asks and Thea smiles, shaking her head.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” The girl blushes and Felicity shakes her off.

“Is Oliver here?” Moira asks, looking around and Felicity blanches for a second.

“On his way. In fact, I should head to where I said I’d meet him. I don’t want him to worry if he’s already there.” Felicity smiles and the other women both nod.

“Do you want us to come with you, sweetheart? There’s a lot of people here.” Moira frowns as she looks around and Felicity smiles at her kindness.

“That’s okay. I’ll come find you once I’ve found him.” She smiles and Moira frowns in that motherly concerned way but Thea merely smiles.

“Okay, see you in a bit. Come on, Mom.” She prompts, tugging on Moira’s arm and Felicity smiles to attempt to quell Moira’s frown.

“Be careful!” The matriarch calls over her shoulder and Felicity nods, smiling until her back turns and then she’s right back into mission mode.

“Digg, I’m on site.” She speaks into her comm as she opens the line.

“I’m on the east side. Think I found the trigger.” Their partner response and Felicity nods, pulling her tablet out of her pocket as she rushes over to meet him.

“Oliver said that the whole place was rigged with explosives.” She explains and Diggle winces, gesturing her over to where he’s looking into the speaker.

“It’s in the sound equipment and this is the trigger.” Digg shows her and Felicity winces as she looks at the complicated system.

“Shrapnel activates it by cellular transmission.” She confirms with a frown as she looks at the device.

“Listen, we don’t have to disarm it, just disable it.” He tells her and Felicity nods, taking a deep breath.

“I can do that.” She says before she blanches. “I think. I hope.”

“Listen, you be careful,” Diggle warns as she starts to configure the device. “He probably put in a safeguard. Tampering with it will set off a deadman’s switch.”

“That’s a really depressing term. And a little bit sexist.” Felicity comments before she turns her attention to the trigger.

“Step away. Or we all know how this ends.” An ominous voice calls out and Felicity’s head flicks up to see Shrapnel stood there, his finger hovering over a switch. He’s blocked from her sight as Diggle steps in front of her and Felicity takes the moment she needs to deactivate the trigger.

Unfortunately, however, Diggle was right and her tampering activates an obvious backup plan with a smaller explosion sending her back onto the concrete and sending the entire Plaza into a panic. Shrapnel is occupied by Diggle and Felicity looks around as people start running everywhere. Everyone’s screaming and she winces as she watches a lighting rig fall down on the opposite side of the square.

Somehow, through it all, she still hears the rumble of Oliver’s Ducati as he pulls into the square, looking like a true hero in his mask. All of her anger flies out the window as she watches him usher people to safety before he faces Shrapnel himself.

“Felicity!”

She whirls around at the sound of her name being called to see Roy rushing towards her, a concerned frown on his face. Before she’s even attempted to open her mouth, he’s scooped her up off the floor.

“Are you alright? Thea and Moira said you were over here. You were right by the explosion.” Roy frowns, his hand stable and comforting on her shoulder. She gives him a reassuring smile, obviously not going to tell him that she was the one who triggered the explosion.

“I’m fine. Just a little shaken up. Are Thea and Moira okay?” Felicity frowns, looking around and starting a little when she can’t see them.

“I think so. That lighting rig nearly fell on Moira though. She’s a little shaken up as well.” Roy explains and Felicity gasps, standing on her toes to try and spot the matriarch. “Come on, they’re over here.”

Felicity chances a glance over her shoulder and sees Oliver has Shrapnel under control. He’s left him in SCPD custody and is climbing back onto his Ducati when he somehow meets her eye. His nod is full of promise and a little regret but it reassures Felicity that she’ll see him again in a moment.

“Felicity!” Thea calls and the young girl’s arms wrap tightly around her. Felicity sighs into the comfort. She may be used to the sort of thing by now but it doesn’t really get any easier per se.

“Thank goodness you’re alright!” Felicity sighs, squeezing Thea tightly before she turns to Moira, unable to stop herself from pulling the older woman into a hug as well. The matriarch lets out a noise of surprise but then relaxes into it, running a motherly and comforting hand over Felicity’s hair.

“It’s alright, we’re all alright,” Moira reassures her and Felicity frowns. Moira’s the one who almost got crushed by a lighting rig. Like mother, like son, she supposes.

“Felicity! Thea! Mom!” Oliver’s frantic calling distracts their attention and they all turn to see that he’s pulled off the quickest change Felicity’s ever seen. Somehow, he looks like he just walked out of a meeting and he grips them all one by one, checking for injuries.

He reaches Felicity last and hesitates for a split second before he draws her into his arms. “I’m sorry. I love you.” He whispers in her ear and Felicity smiles, squeezing him tightly.

“I love you too. We’ll talk later.” She promises and Oliver nods. She’s glad to know that he understands this can’t just all be swept under the rug but she also can’t deny the relief that flows through her at being able to hold him in her arms again. Especially after hearing that explosion over their comms earlier.

“I’m okay.” He promises and kisses her temple, rubbing his hand over her back. She lets out an involuntary hiss and Oliver’s expression immediately darkens, his hands pulling at her coat as he turns her around.

“Ollie!” Thea frowns, obviously concerned for her brother’s animalistic behavior but Oliver pays her no attention, tugging up Felicity’s sweater and growling at the sight of her torn up back.

“What happened?” He asks, his voice almost as deep as the Arrow’s and Felicity frowns, trying to see her own back over her shoulder.

“She was right by the explosion, it knocked her back,” Roy answers before she can open her own mouth and Felicity glares at him.

“She is right here and is fine.” She states stubbornly and Oliver growls but it does nothing to deter her. “Is anything seriously bleeding?”

“Felicity…”

“Then we can deal with it at home and get out of the emergency responders’ way.” She states diplomatically and Oliver’s expression softens but he still looks deeply concerned.

“Felicity…” He repeats but it’s whinier now and has Felicity smiling a little.

“I’m fine, sweetheart. Please, let’s go home?” She asks and Oliver sighs deeply but he nods, helping her back into her coat.

“Digg was shot.” He whispers in her ear and Felicity forces herself to not respond, leaning back.

“How do we get away?” She whispers back and Oliver looks over at Moira in desperation, who looks between the two of them and nods.

“Come on Thea, Roy, let’s get home. We’ll meet you two there.” She ushers and Thea frowns.

“What about you two?” The girl asks and Felicity smiles reassuringly, taking Oliver’s hand in hers.

“We’ll be there. Just need to tie up a few loose ends.” She promises but Thea still frowns.

“What loose ends?”

“I just want to find Sebastian, Speedy. We won’t be long. Someone needs to get cleaned up after all.” Oliver comments, staring down at Felicity who rolls her eyes.

“We’ll see you there.” Moira smiles and Oliver nods. Felicity waves a little as they walk away and Oliver clasps her hand.

“Come on, we’ll be quickest on the Ducati.” He tells her and Felicity frowns.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” She asks and Oliver chuckles.

“The motorbike. We’ll get there quicker on it.” He tells her and Felicity stops dead where she is.

“Oliver Queen, if you think I am getting on that death trap without a helmet, you have another think coming.” She tells him and Oliver turns to look at her, raising an eyebrow.

“Felicity, I was just freaking out over grazes on your back, do you really think I would let you ride without a helmet?” He counters and Felicity can’t help the smile that pulls at her lips. “Come on, I’ve had one waiting for you for a while. You just haven’t been appropriately dressed until now.”

“Well maybe if you informed someone of these plans before you just…”

She’s suddenly cut off as Oliver turns abruptly and plants a kiss on her lips. Completely losing her train of thought, Felicity moans and arches up into it, rising onto her toes.

“What was I saying?” She asks when they pull apart and Oliver chuckles, grasping her arm and tugging her towards where his bike is parked. He delves into the storage under the seat, pulling out his own helmet and a second, smaller one which Felicity notes with a smile has small, pink flowers in a pretty design around it.

She cannot help the grin that spreads across her face at the thought of Oliver not only picking out a helmet for her but taking the time to find one that suits her personality. It’s a little hard to remember that she’s still annoyed at him.

“Here.” He smiles and tugs it over her head, adjusting it correctly and flipping the visor down. He chuckles a little and she frowns.

“What?”

“You’re cute.” He winks and Felicity glares but he can’t see it behind the visor. He pulls his own helmet on and then turns to her. “You ready?”

She starts to nod her head but before she’s ready, he lifts her off the ground and places her on the seat, right near the back. She squeals a little but he makes sure she’s stable before he swings a leg over the bike and settles in front of her. Her arms wrap naturally around his waist and Oliver takes a moment to squeeze her hand.

“Lean into the corners with me and hold on.” He yells over his shoulder and before Felicity can really process what’s about to happen, they’re off.

Once she gets used to the feeling of the wind flying past her, Felicity relaxes into the feeling. It’s nice really, being pressed up against Oliver as the city flies past around them. Oliver rides with calculated ease, leaning easily into the corners and Felicity remembers to go with him. The muscles in his arms flex as he shifts gears and steers and it has Felicity growing a little hotter than she’d care to admit.

Before she realizes it, they’re pulling around the back of Verdant and Oliver is sliding off before helping her down. She pulls off her helmet and smiles at him, shaking her hair out a little.

“That was a dirty move, Queen.” She mocks glares and Oliver raises an eyebrow as he stashes the helmets safely away.

“What do you mean?” He asks, the perfect picture of innocence and Felicity scoffs.

“You knew exactly what that would do to me and you played your card just when I was starting to forgive you in the hope that it would fizzle the rest of it away.” She glares and Oliver chuckles.

“Did it work?” He winks and Felicity gasps, hitting him on the arm. “I know we still need to talk.”

“Well, then you’ll be glad to know that your plan certainly worked a little.” She smirks over her shoulder and then rushes through the door. She grins at the sound of Oliver’s groan before she heads down the stairs, breathing out a sigh of relief at the sight of Diggle.

He’s sat by the medical table, wrapping his own arm in a sling and Felicity frowns, rushing over to finish the job for him.

“Are you alright?” She asks softly, being careful not to pull too tight as she adjusts the sling around his shoulder.

“Through and through. I’ll be fine. Don’t you worry about me, babydoll.” Diggle smiles at her and Felicity grins back, bending to kiss him on the cheek when she finishes her job. She glances at Oliver with a smile before heading over to her desk, immediately starting to type.

“Hey.” Oliver greets and Diggle smirks as he stands.

“With you dropping fewer bodies, Starling City should probably build a bigger jail.” The larger man quips, gesturing to the TV screen behind him which is showing clean up happening at the Plaza. “You heading out for another night of skull mask hunting?”

Oliver cannot help the way his gaze lingers on Felicity’s ponytail softly swishing over the back of her neck. “Not exactly.”

“I see.” Diggle smiles and Oliver does too.

“You sure your shoulder’s okay?”

“Walk in the park.” He assures him and Oliver nods.

“Still, go home and get some rest. I don’t think we’ll be heading back out tonight.” He tells him and Diggle smiles, nodding his head.

“Bye Felicity.” He calls softly over his shoulder as he heads towards the stairs and Felicity smiles softly as she looks up from her screen.

“Bye Digg, have a nice night.”

A semi-awkward silence settles over the room and Oliver sighs, settling down at the table where his quiver lies under the pretense sharpening his arrows.

“I’m sorry.” He starts and Felicity frowns, spinning around in her chair.

“Are you apologizing to me or were you talking to your quiver?” She asks but that sparkle is back in her eyes and Oliver knows she’s teasing. He smiles and extends a hand towards her, breathing out a sigh of relief when she steps between his legs and drapes her arms over his shoulders.

“I didn’t snap at my quiver.” He tells her softly, his hands gently holding her hips.

“You kind of more than snapped.” She replies, one of her eyebrows raising in a perfect arch and Oliver sighs, dropping his head forward to plant a kiss wherever it lands which just so happens to be her side.

“I know, and I’m sorry. I know you were only trying to help.” He tells her and Felicity sighs, running her hands through his hair.

“I understand that this Mirakuru thing has you freaked but you’re not going to get anywhere burning the candle at a thousand different ends. The people around you love and are here for you to rely on. You don’t need to be everyone’s rock, all the time.” She tells him with a concerned frown and drops a hand down to run over his face. Oliver hums and leans into the caress, his eyes flicking close for a second.

“I know that I do… it’s just… I rely on you.” He tells her and Felicity smiles.

“Does that mean I have a shot at being employee of the month?” She quips, quirking her hip and tilting her head with a smirk.

“You’re cute.” He chuckles before standing up in front of her. “But no, because you’re not my employee. You’re my partner.”

Felicity practically melts at that, rising onto her tiptoes to press her lips to his.

“I love you.” She tells him softly and Oliver smiles. It’s that soft, sappy smile that he only gets around her. His Felicity smile which he thinks is appropriate given the double meaning of her name.

“I love you too.” He replies just as softly before he steps back. “Will you let me look at your back?”

“Shouldn’t we be getting to the mansion? I don’t want your mom to have to field too many questions.” Felicity frowns and Oliver closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

“I’ll be quick, I promise. I just… I can’t stand the idea of you in pain.” He explains, trailing off a little at the end and Felicity freezes.

“Oh…” She mumbles before taking a deep breath. “Alright, we better be quick though.”

Oliver nods before taking her hand and carefully leading her over to where Diggle had been sat. She dutifully settles on the seat and removes her belt, lifting her arms when prompted so that Oliver can get her sweater off.

“I think you just want to see me in my bra.”

“As if I couldn’t do that without you having gotten hurt.”

Felicity hisses briefly when he starts cleaning her grazed back with the antiseptic and Oliver immediately starts apologizing.

“It’s fine, just get it over with.” She winces and Oliver frowns but does as asked, making quick work of cleaning the area and dressing the worst cuts.

“You’re all done.” He whispers softly as he bends, his hands smoothing over her shoulders and Felicity takes a deep breath, leaning back in his embrace.

“I have news on the mirakuru front.” She tells him with her eyes closed, humming when he softly kisses her temple.

“Tomorrow, baby. Tonight, we rest.” He tells her and Felicity smiles, looking over her shoulder.

“Hmm, you do listen.”

“Come on, you.”

“There you two are, I was starting to get worried. Thea and Roy have gone to bed, although it took some convincing!” Moira comments as they finally walk through the door of the mansion.

“Thank you so much, Moira. Our other partner was injured at the rally.” Felicity explains, accepting the hug from the matriarch.

“Mr. Diggle, no?” Moira asks and Oliver chuckles a little, shaking his head.

“You’re too smart sometimes, Mom.” He comments and Moira smiles, moving to hug him too.

“You both look dead on your feet. Go on. Off to bed. I’ll have breakfast ready for you both early enough for work tomorrow.” She fusses, kissing Oliver’s cheek.

“You don’t have to do…” Felicity starts but she freezes at the look she gets from Moira.

“Go on. Bed.” She ushers them towards the stairs and the couple share an amused glance.

“Goodnight Mom,” Oliver calls over his shoulder as he grasps Felicity’s hand and pulls her towards his room.

Felicity smiles sleepily at the familiarity of Oliver’s room and she moves towards the bed, flopping down face first.

“Hmm, I missed this bed.” She groans softly and Oliver chuckles, the bed dipping when he sits down on it next to her.

“I missed you in this bed.” He smirks, removing her ponytail holder and brushing her hair back from her face. She lets out one of those soft little moans that drive him wild but rolls onto her side, giving him her back.

“Tired…” She huffs and Oliver smiles, scooting down the bed so that he can bend to kiss her shoulder. “Oliver…”

“You really want me to stop?” Oliver mumbles into her skin as he reaches her neck and she hums again, tilting her head back so that he has better access.

“Don’t you dare stop.”

Oliver smirks and reaches out, his hand drawing softly up her jeans covered leg until it lands on her hip. Felicity lets out a soft sigh as he softly drags it over her ass before bringing it up to her stomach, wriggling underneath the layers of her sweater and stopping at the button of her jeans.

“Tell me gorgeous, have you missed me here? If I touch you now, will I find you ready for me?” He asks softly, moving his lips to her ear and softly tugging her lobe between his teeth when he finishes talking.

Felicity groans, wriggling her hips back into him and Oliver smirks, his other hand moving to stroke her hair back from her forehead. Her eyes are rolled back and her face is contorted in lust. “Oliver…”

“That’s not an answer, beautiful. I guess I’ll just have to check myself.” He smiles and flicks her jeans open with practiced ease. Sliding easily under the lace of her panties, they groan simultaneously as Oliver’s fingers meet the moisture there. “Oh, look at that. You’re soaked, baby. What are we going to do about that?”

“Please…” Felicity whines softly as Oliver draws patterns over her, avoiding the places she truly wants him to touch.

“Tell me what you want.” He tells her, his soft tone contradicting his demand and Felicity groans, grinding her hips back into him. Oliver tuts and swings a leg over her, trapping her hips and stilling her movements. “Stay still. Tell me what you want.”

“Touch… me…” She gasps out and Oliver smiles. There’s something about how quiet Felicity is in bed. Usually, he’s having to stop her from rambling every last thought in her head but when they get in between the sheets, something stops her. It’s like her arousal completely confounds her and Oliver has to admit that he likes having that effect.

“I am touching you.” He tells her, his fingers dancing dangerously close to her entrance and Felicity huffs out a cry of impatience, her lips pouting.

“Not… please, touch me.” She repeats and Oliver smirks, leaning over to kiss her softly. He pulls her bottom lip in between his teeth as they pull away and Felicity starts breathing headily.

“Oh, you mean like this,” Oliver tells her, his fingers circling over her entrance and his thumb finding her clit at the exact same moment. The most delectable whine falls from her lips and Oliver leans in to capture it, his tongue fighting hers for dominance whilst his hand starts to give her exactly what she wants.

“Please…” She whines as their lips separate and Oliver smiles, his free hand softly stroking her face in a complete contrast to the fast workings of his other.

“You want it fast, baby?” He asks and she nods, her eyes locking onto his. They’re blown wide and full of desire and Oliver cannot help leaning in to capture her lips again as he presses into her more firmly, finding that spot within her that drives her crazy.

She breaks their kiss, throwing her head back with a cry but Oliver doesn’t relent. His fingers continue their thrusting and his thumb increases its speed, rubbing quickly and firmly around her clit.

“Oliver….” She cries and Oliver looms over her, his other hand still stroking softly over her face as he watches her contort in desire. She’s so gorgeous like this, her face covered in a light sheen of sweat and he leans back in to whisper in her ear.

“Let go, baby. Come for me.”

He presses into her in exactly the right way as he speaks and Felicity arches her back as she screams, releasing herself as she rides her high. Oliver watches her, ignoring the painful tightness in his own jeans and choosing to concentrate instead on her breathlessness and relaxed muscles. She rolls onto her back and he moves to accommodate her, supporting himself on his elbow. He pulls his hand out of her underwear and brings it to his mouth, groaning at the sweet taste of her.

“Mmm… love you.” She finally hums and Oliver chuckles, leaning over to kiss her.

“I love you too.” He tells her but he is surprised when he’s suddenly pushed back onto the bed.

“Clothes. Off.” She tells him directly and Oliver smiles, doing as he’s told when he realizes that Felicity’s doing the same thing. He finishes kicking his socks off just as she flings her bra across the room and he takes in the sight of her naked body, something he’s missed over the past couple of days. He goes to loom over her but her hand touches his shoulder, keeping him lying on the bed.

Oliver settles back against the pillows as she swings a leg over him to straddle him. He groans at the feeling but cannot help the smirk as she waves a condom in his face, scooting back a little as she peels the wrapper open. He hisses as she takes him in her hand to roll the silicone over him before her hands run up his chest, stopping only to circle over his nipples.

“Felicity…” He groans and she smiles that coy little smile, one hand coming to rest on his cheek as the other travels back down. She grasps him in her hand as she maneuvers herself before she sinks down, encasing him in her heat in one swift move.

Both of them groan loudly but Felicity wastes no time as she begins to move her hips.

“Oh…” She hums as she rides him and Oliver takes a deep breath, his hands coming to rest on her hips. He doesn’t guide her, just connects with her in one more way as she takes her pleasure. “Oliver…”

“What do you need, baby?” He asks softly, groaning as she shifts her hips slightly.

“Talk to me.” She groans and Oliver smirks, turning his face to kiss the palm that’s slipped to rest by his head.

“You want me to talk, baby? Want me to tell you about how wonderful it feels to be wrapped in your heat? I could spend every minute of every day like this, just wrapped up in your beautiful body. You’re so good to me, angel. So wet and warm. It’s like heaven sinking into you. Whenever I’m not in you, I crave your heat. In the office, when I see you in those tight little skirts that drive me mad. In the Foundry, when you bite your lip because you’re concentrating. I’m always thinking about you, baby. About how much I want you, how much I need you. I love you so much.”  

“Hmm, Oliver…” She groans in that low voice and Oliver pulls himself up, shifting inside of her in a way that has them both crying out. He kisses her as if he’s trying to steal the air from her lungs and their lips cling to each other as he pulls away, trying to stay connected in every way they can. Oliver, however, has other plans and trails his lips back down her neck, finding that spot behind her ear that drives her crazy. He sinks his teeth into her and her hips still for a moment before bucking widely against him.

“Go on, baby. Ride me the way you want to. Finish us both.” He manages to growl out and Felicity does as she’s told, her hips moving with abandon as she grasps his face and pulls his lips back onto hers.

She rolls her hips in just the right way that has her throwing her head back in ecstasy as she falls off the cliff and the sensation of her spilling over him sends Oliver over too, wrapping himself around her and burying his head in her neck as he gains his breath back.

He flops back against the bed and brings Felicity with him, her groan as he slips out of her the only noise aside from their heavy breathing.

“Sleep.” He pouts when he feels her moving away from him and he cracks an eye open at her soft giggle.

“Gotta pee.” She winks and Oliver groans but watches her stumble to the bathroom nonetheless. He takes a deep breath and pushes up so he can clean up himself, grateful that in a few minutes, he’ll be falling into bed with his love in his arms.

Just the way it should be.

Chapter Text

Felicity frowns at the brightness streaming across her face as she’s rudely pulled out of her slumber and into the land of the conscious.

“Hmm…” She groans sleepily as she sits up, forcing her eyes open as she realizes that the light is the sun streaming through the windows and she and Oliver forgot to close the drapes last night. She blushes at the thought of anyone seeing what they were up to and thanks the heavens that the Queen mansion is so isolated.

“’ Licity…”

Felicity spins abruptly, smirking when she finds Oliver still asleep but reaching towards her side of the bed. He’s lying on his front and the way his limbs flop like jelly over the mattress is a testament to how tired he must have been. Smiling, she bends down and plants a kiss between his shoulder blades before she climbs out of bed and heads towards the bathroom, grabbing her phone from her bag on the way.

Wincing at how little charge she has left; she plugs it into an outlet and reassures herself that they are not late for work. They’ve got at least an hour or so before they would need to leave to be at QC early so she’s happy to let Oliver sleep a little more. He certainly needs it.

Deciding that she can get a little work done, she fast tracks through getting ready, grateful that so much of her stuff is here now that she doesn’t have to hodgepodge an outfit together. She rolls her eyes at the littering of hickeys across her neck and locates her heavy-duty concealer to work some cover up magic before brushing through her hair and letting it air dry. She’ll end up with some crazy curls but it’s worth it to not wake her man. Deciding shoes can definitely wait until closer to leaving, she heads back into the bedroom and grabs her tablet from her bag, settling down at Oliver’s desk to do some work.

She told Oliver last night that she had news on the mirakuru front, and she does, but it’s not as concrete as she’d like it to be. If she can give him something tangible to look at that he might understand, what seems to be more and more true the deeper she digs might be less of a shock to Oliver.

“Ugh.” Felicity huffs out as another trail runs cold, but she frowns when she hears rustling from the bed, turning in her chair to see Oliver sitting up in bed. She smiles and walks over, happily stepping into his embrace as he scoots to the edge of the mattress. “Morning.”

“Good morning. How long have you been awake?” He asks softly, his hands drifting carefully over her body. They land on the backs of her thighs, his thumbs drifting up to softly caress the underside of her ass and Felicity smiles. She knew he liked this dress. She’d spotted his eyes on her when she wore the one with the pink panels instead of yellow months ago.

“Not long. I was just doing some work.” She explains, combing her fingers through his bed head and he smiles, leaning into the comfort.

“QC work or…?”

Before he can finish, there’s a knock on the door and Felicity grabs the comforter to throw over Oliver’s naked body before she turns to the door. “Come in!”

Moira smiles affectionately at the two of them as she steps into the room. “Good morning.”

“Morning Mom.”

“Good morning, Moira.”

“Breakfast is almost ready. Felicity, did you want to walk down with me whilst my lazy son gets ready?” The matriarch quips and Felicity grins at Oliver’s incredulous expression.

“It’s hardly the middle of the day, Mom!” He huffs and Moira laughs.

“I’m only joking sweetheart, I’m glad you got some rest.” She smiles and Oliver huffs again, making Felicity giggle. “Felicity?”

“I would love to.” Felicity answers, she heads over to her shoes and slips them on her feet before slotting her tablet and her phone in her bag and throwing it over her shoulder. The mansion is vast and coming back up to Oliver’s room after breakfast doesn’t sound appealing.

“I won’t be long,” Oliver tells her, and she smiles, stopping in front of him to place a soft kiss to his lips.

“I’ll make you a plate.” She tells him with a soft smile before she turns to Moira and follows her out into the hallway.

“He did get some rest, didn’t he?” Moira asks, concern written all over her face and Felicity smiles at her concern, nodding her head.

“Yeah, he slept longer than I did.” She assures her and Moira sighs in relief.

“I do worry about the two of you out there.” She tells Felicity and Felicity blushes at the inclusion of herself in that statement.

“We keep each other safe.” She replies but smiles as she realizes how true that statement is. She’s strong and independent but it’s also nice to know that her boys have her back. Just like she’ll always have theirs.

“I’m glad. Come on, let’s go and get some food.”

“We have an issue.” Oliver sighs as he walks back into his office after rushing back from meeting Laurel on the rooftop. It’s past his preferred time to be at the office but seeing as they’ve started here, they may as well stay until it gets late enough that it's suspicious.

“Your rooftop rendezvous not go the way you hoped?” Felicity quips, wiggling her eyebrows at him and Oliver takes a moment, letting her light-heartedness break through the tension before he shakes his head and rolls his eyes a little.

“Laurel thinks Blood is corrupt, specifically that he was working with Gold, who she doesn’t know is dead,” Oliver explains before he sinks down into a chair at the end of the conference table.

“The alderman?” Digg asks incredulously and Oliver sighs, shrugging his shoulders. Felicity is already typing away before she lets out an ‘aha’.

“Well, she’s right about Gold. I hacked Blood’s cell phone records. The alderman and Gold have stayed buddies since Zandia orphanage.” Felicity comments and Oliver frowns.

Is there really anyway Blood is involved in this? Is the person he’s been publicly endorsing really poisoning the streets of his city?

“So what? They kept in touch. Doesn’t exactly mean that Sebastian Blood is the man in the skull mask.” Digg counters and Oliver considers his point. Is this really all just a coincidence? Could it be?

“His last name is Blood. That can’t be a good sign.” Felicity brings up and Oliver closes his eyes as he thinks. He listens to the two of them argue, considering each side carefully.

“Felicity, he’s dedicated his life, risked his life to help the people of the Glades. In his spare time, he’s a murderer trying to create an army of human weapons?”

“You’re a personal bodyguard who fights crime at night with his billionaire boss. Not a lot of people show their real face in public.”

“Oliver, what are you thinking?”

Digg’s question shocks Oliver back into the room and he considers his partners. Felicity, airing on the side of caution and wanting to believe what Laurel has to say. Digg, choosing the side of optimism, coincidence and Oliver suspects a little disbelief considering the Arrow’s previous run-ins with Laurel.

“Laurel gave me a case number to start with. We need to know if Sebastian killed his father, then we figure out if there’s a chance he has the Mirakuru formula.” Oliver states diplomatically and Felicity nods, already heading back towards her desk.

“I’m on it.” She calls over her shoulder and Oliver slumps back in his chair, watching out of the corner of his eye as Digg slowly turns his chair to face him.

“What if this is just another trap set by Laurel? She could be setting you up, and this time, you wouldn’t have Sara to save you.” Digg advises and Oliver sighs, looking up at his best friend.

“I know Laurel’s led us astray before, but this all seems a little too much like a coincidence to me. I’d like to air on the side of caution and check this out.” He explains and Digg sighs, nodding his head.

“Just… be careful with Laurel. I fear more than just you might get hurt by this.” Digg comments and Oliver can’t help but notice the way his eyes linger on Felicity’s frame visible through the glass walls. Oliver frowns and looks over at his friend.

“Digg, I don’t have feelings for Laurel.”

“But you did once. She was your first love and I’m worried your sentimentality there might be clouding your judgment.” Digg explains and Oliver frowns, watching as he too leaves the room and leaves Oliver alone with his thoughts.

“Hey.” Felicity smiles when she walks in on Oliver sat in the same spot, she left him in an hour ago.

“Hi.” He replies softly and she frowns, walking around so she’s stood in front of him.

“You okay?” She asks, balancing her tablet so that she can reach out and run her hands over his scruff. He didn’t shave this morning and she’s secretly happy about it. She likes him a little more rugged, even if it doesn’t give off a CEO air.

Oliver sighs and reaches out, tugging her down into his lap. She settles across his legs and sets her tablet in her lap so that she can wrap her arms around him. His arms wind around her back and his head settles on her chest, his ear pressed to her heart.

“Oliver?” She asks, a little concerned. She’s used to this Oliver in her apartment or his room at the mansion but not at work. She knows he’s tired and stressed and she’s getting more and more concerned that he’s stretching himself too thinly.

“I’m okay, just needed a moment.” He speaks into her dress and she smiles, running a hand through his hair.

“You’ve been in here by yourself for an hour.” She teases lightly but Oliver merely nuzzles deeper into her, his arms tightening around her for a moment.

“You bring the calm.” He tells her and Felicity’s breath catches in her throat.

Oh, this beautiful man. How she loves him.

“You find anything?” He asks after a moment and she smiles, showing him her tablet screen.

“I have good news and bad news. I suggest the good news first; it tends to soften the blow of the bad news.” Oliver doesn’t reply, just smiles softly at her and she chuckles. “Okay, dealer’s choice. Good news is I found the case file on Sebastian’s dad’s murder.”

“Anything in it to suggest he killed him?” Oliver questions, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion and Felicity sighs.

“Oliver, meet bad news. The file was sealed years ago and since it’s over 27 years old, there is no digital copy for me to hack. The only hard copy is stored the old-fashioned way in the city archives.” She explains with a frustrated huff, but Oliver still settles her with a confused look.

“So, I go in and take it – the old-fashioned way.” He states as if it’s the simplest thing in the world and Felicity hates to break his optimistic bubble, but she shakes her head as she pulls up live feed of the building. “Except security in the file room is so old school, you need a key card to get in, which, even if you had, you wouldn’t know where to start looking for the file.”

Oliver still doesn’t look entirely concerned and Felicity raises an eyebrow at him. “An assistant DA would.” He explains and Felicity hums, thinking it over for a second. “It’s a good idea, no?”

He looks so proud of himself that Felicity is loath to bring him down, but she can’t help but speak her mind. “I know this is none of my business and it’s like double as weird because she’s your ex who I’m not entirely sure is no longer in love with you. Like every so often she does something that’s a little strange for someone who’s supposed to just be your friend and it’s not that I’m jealous because I know that you love me, and I love you too so there’s that but…”

“Hey, what’s your concern?” Oliver breaks through her ramble and Felicity lets out an appreciative sigh.

“Every time Laurel has helped or worked with the Arrow, something’s gone wrong.” She states and Oliver frowns, gesturing her up from his lap.

“So, we’ll just make sure that things go right this time.”

“That was things going right?” Felicity asks as he enters the Foundry and Oliver frowns, running a hand over his face.

“How was I supposed to know the file would be empty?” Oliver asks but winces when Felicity levels him with a look. He knows better than to make comments like that. She’s not there for him to take his anger out on. “Sorry.”

“We tried going through all the security footage at the city archives to see if anyone swiped the file over the last few days,” Felicity explains and Oliver frowns.

“Did you see anyone?” He asks and Felicity flicks her hand across her screen.

“Just this. It’s all been erased.” She tells him and Oliver watches as the screen goes static.

“So, what happened when you reversed the footprint to see who hacked in before you?” He asks and Felicity shakes her head.

“I struck out again. It must have been an inside job.”

“Meaning?”

“As a city alderman, Blood would have had access to the files.” Felicity frowns but Diggle frowns.

“Oliver, anyone on city payroll could have done this.” He speaks up and Felicity bites her lip, looking between the two of them.

“He’s running for mayor. One hint that he killed his father, and his political future is dead in the water.” Oliver ponders and Felicity shrugs her shoulders. It’s difficult to know and there’s very little to work out without that footage.

“Wait, I thought you two were supposed to be friends. Don’t you think you ought to give him the benefit of the doubt?” Digg suggests and Oliver frowns, everything whirling around in his head.

“Please keep digging into Blood’s past and see if there’s anything that could help us, please.” He requests and Felicity nods.

“Where are you going?” Digg asks as he moves towards the stairs.

“To give a friend the benefit of the doubt.”

Things fall through with Blood, Oliver can’t work anything out but as he’s on his way back to the mansion, his phone rings.

“Oliver?” Felicity’s voice is worried and Oliver frowns.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Did you find something?” He asks but he hears Felicity sigh, the hesitance in her voice evident.

“No. Not exactly. It’s um… it’s Laurel. I was listening in on the police radio, her house has been searched after a tip-off to her boss. She’s at the station. Oliver, they brought her in for possession of a controlled substance.” Felicity tells him and Oliver frowns. “She needs someone to pick her up.”

“Can I swing by and pick you up so we can go together?” He asks and he can practically hear her frown.

“Are you… are you sure? I mean… it’s Laurel.” She states and Oliver feels his heart thump at the uncertainty in her voice.

“Felicity. Laurel is a friend, nothing more. I am asking for your help because you are the one, I want by my side. Always.”

He hears Felicity’s breath hitch before she takes a deep breath. “Swing by. However, we are taking the car.”

“Thank you.”

Laurel is quiet as she sits in the back of Oliver’s car. She’s annoyed that she’s been found out but the main thing niggling her is that no one is believing her about Blood. She knows that she’s right, she just can’t find the evidence.

It really doesn’t help that she feels like a naughty child. Her father has rarely looked at her with such disappointment in his eyes and being handed off to Ollie and his girlfriend makes her feel even more infantile and condescended upon. Especially now that she’s sat in the back of his car.

Oliver looks over his shoulder at her when he pulls into her garage and he looks as if he’s trying to find the words but Laurel huffs, getting out of the car before he has the chance. She watches the two of them share a look, obviously communicating a lot between the two of them and it makes Laurel want to tear her hair out. The last thing she needs right now is to see how happy Oliver is when her life is all over the place.

“Are you coming?” She asks and the two of the climbs out the car, following her up to the apartment in relative silence.

“Oh, my,” Felicity comments as they enter the beat-up apartment and as much as Laurel doesn’t want to agree with the blonde, she has to admit that her apartment is an absolute state.

“You can go now. I’m fine.” She comments and Oliver frowns, the look on his face making it evident that he obviously doesn’t agree with her.

“We can help you clear up a bit. It’ll be quicker with fewer hands.” Felicity offers, obviously feeling very awkward as she shuffles on her feet and Laurel sighs, she’s really not in the mood to play nice and make pleasantries. She’s entirely sure that Felicity is here on Oliver’s volition, not her own, and Laurel doesn’t even really want Oliver here. She’s known him since she was a kindergartner.

“I’m fine. If Ollie wants to stay and clear up, he can but I don’t need to be crowded right now.” Laurel snaps and she resists the urge to roll her eyes as Felicity dramatically recoils. Oh, she does not have the patience right now.

“Laurel…” Oliver starts but Laurel simply turns and walks into the room.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll call Digg to come get me, get some food and I’ll meet you at mine?” Laurel hears Felicity asks and she sighs, moving some of the mess aside so that she can get to the couch.

“Are you sure? I’m so sorry. You didn’t want to come anyway. I can just leave her.” Ollie tells her and Laurel stills at the softness of his voice. It’s not a tone she’s ever heard before. This is a far cry from the charm of pre-island ‘Ollie’ which he often still uses for Laurel but it’s also nothing like the growl he often speaks with now. This is caring and intimate and it’s everything Laurel doesn’t want to think about.

“We both know you can’t.” Felicity answers and Laurel can’t help but feel a little proud that she’s gotten to the blonde who she’s heard from everyone is just so amazing. Frowning at the sound of a kiss, Laurel heads to the kitchen to find a dustpan and brush. “I’ll see you later.”

“I love you.” Ollie’s voice is panicked and pleading and Laurel frowns, wondering how much she’s gotten to them.

“I know. I love you too.” She tells him back and there’s a deep conviction in her voice that gives Laurel pause.

The door opens and closes, and Laurel stays where she is until she hears Ollie call.

“Where’s your broom?”

“His food’s going to be cold.” Digg comments from his spot on her couch and Felicity sighs from where she’s sat researching on her tablet at her kitchen breakfast bar.

“Don’t, Digg.” She warns but the man stands and walks over to her.

“Can you seriously say that this doesn’t rattle you?” He asks her and Felicity sighs, stopping her typing and leaning on her hand.

“I trust Oliver.” She tells him honestly, but Digg merely raises an eyebrow.

“Do you trust Laurel?” He questions and Felicity rolls her eyes.

“I don’t know Laurel, Digg.” She replies but her friend stays still, his eyebrow raised. “I’m not going to be that girl. Laurel is important to Oliver and I trust him, no matter what her intentions are.”

“I just…”

Her phone starts ringing and Felicity immediately answers it, happy to end this conversation.

“It’s me.” Oliver’s voice sounds and Felicity can hear that something’s happened in his tone. “Someone came after Laurel.”

“Do you know where they took her?” Felicity asks and she frowns at the growl that follows her words.

“I think I have a pretty good idea. Get to the Foundry.”

Felicity curls up in her chair, lifting her head as the sound of Oliver’s boots on the stairs sound around the Foundry. She’d been loosely following along through Oliver’s coms, enough to know that Laurel shot Officer Daily who was the man in the skull mask all along. She saved Oliver’s life in the process, but Oliver told them over the coms that the drugs hadn’t been a plant. Laurel really has a drug problem.

“Did Laurel really shoot him?” She asks quietly as Oliver makes his way into the Foundry, placing his bow back in its case.

“She saved my life.” He repeats what he said over coms and Felicity nods, biting her lip. She frowns at Oliver’s obviously disturbed expression.

“That’s a good thing, Oliver.” She reminds him and he sighs.

“You okay?” Digg asks him and Oliver shakes his head, biting the inside of his cheek for a moment and his shoulders slump.

“She really had me believing that Sebastian Blood was a criminal mastermind, and the only reason I nearly believed her was because it was Laurel. I do have a blind spot where she’s concerned.” He explains and Felicity feels like her heart is in her throat. It’s a feeling she hates. She loves Oliver and she trusts him but the fear she’s felt ever since her father walked rises in her. “Not anymore.”

Felicity takes a deep breath and stands, walking over to him. His eyes light up as she approaches, the hope in them makes her heart skip a beat. She tucks herself into his side, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Certainly know how to talk yourself out of a victory.”

“It’s a gift.” Oliver smiles down at her and for the first time all evening, she feels that weight lift off her chest.

“Take the win, man. Daily’s dead, you destroyed the serum. It’s over.” Digg tells him but Oliver stills sighs, his gaze heading over to the live stream of Verdant. On the screen, Roy walks behind the bar and picks up a crate.

“What’s the plan there? I don’t think he’s going to take the shiny toy dangled in front of his eyes anymore.” Felicity comments and Oliver looks at her, the question in his eyes.

“You’re going to tell him?” Digg asks and Oliver looks up, shaking his head.

“I don’t need to in order to train him. That’s what the mask and modulator are for.” He declares and Felicity frowns, unsure how long that will be able to last. “It’s a start at the very least.”

“Alright, any immediate plans or can I get an actual night’s sleep?” Digg asks and Oliver smiles.

“Go home. We won’t be far behind you.” He tells him and Digg nods. Felicity smiles and walks over to accept his kiss on the cheek before she returns the affection.

“Tell Lyla I say hi.” She whispers and Digg smiles, sending her a wink before he heads upstairs.

“I won’t be long then we can head home?” Oliver asks once the door shuts behinds their friend.

“To mine? I still have food for you there.” She suggests and Oliver nods, walking towards her. He cradles her cheek and plasters a few kisses to her temple, making her sigh and lean into him.

“Thank you for your patience and trust. I love you so much. You’re truly an angel.” He tells her and Felicity melts into him.

“I love you, Oliver. I do no more than love you as best I can.” She smiles and he shakes his head.

“I don’t deserve you.” He whispers with a reverence in his voice that almost brings tears to Felicity’s eyes.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Go and get yourself a protégé.” She smiles and Oliver grins, dropping a kiss on her lips before he heads into the bathroom to change.

Chapter Text

“Hey, you.”

Felicity jumps at Oliver’s voice, looking up from her spot on the couch.

“Hi.” She smiles before looking back at her tablet, starting to type once more.

“Felicity, it’s three in the morning. You said you were going to finish something and then come to bed.” Oliver says softly, sinking down next to her on her couch but Felicity merely frowns, still typing.

“Is it really 3 am? Wow, I got into a bit of a hole. A hacking hole. Or would that be a tunnel? Tunnel seems more likely but then that implies coming out the other side which I suppose a hole does too if you dig for long enough. I…”

She freezes when Oliver lays his hand on her back. “Sweetheart, what are you looking at?”

“I’m trying to figure out a timeline for Daily and how he’s been connected to what’s been happening recently. If I can work out where he’s been and what he’s done, we can figure out how many mirakuru soldiers we have to deal with.” She explains and Oliver sighs, rubbing his hand over her back.

“As useful as that will be, it can wait. I’m entirely sure Starling will have something else to cook up soon, we should sleep whilst we can.” He tells her softly, bending down to kiss her shoulder.

“But… Oliver.” She sighs reproachfully but quickly sighs, tilting her head to give him better access.

“Come to bed, angel.” He whispers and Felicity smiles, taking one last look at her tablet before saving her work and relaxing into Oliver’s arms. He tugs her up and into his arms, carrying her back to her room with his smile creating the most beautiful of views.

Hacking can wait until tomorrow.

Felicity can practically see the anger radiating off of Oliver when he steps into the Foundry that evening.

“Training didn’t go so well?” She asks softly. She’s the only one there but she knows Digg is currently on his way. Hopefully bringing food.

“I… There’s nothing pressing is there?” He asks, looking very pent up and Felicity smiles, stepping up to him.

“Nope. Blow off some steam. I can see the agitation rolling off you.” She tells him and with a kiss, pushes him towards the salmon ladder. With a satisfied hum, she sits back in her chair under the guise of working but she placed the ladder strategically when she re-designed the Foundry and she has a front-row view of her man as he pulls off his shirt and starts propelling himself up and down the rungs.

“Sorry, I’m late!” Digg calls as he enters, shucking off his jacket as he makes his way into the main part of the Foundry. He freezes, looking between the two of them with a frown. “Please tell me this isn’t some sort of weird foreplay.”

“No! Well, not this time…” Felicity trails off, unable to stop smiling when Digg groans.

“Felicity, I love you babydoll, but no. You’re like my sister and that’s just weird.” He shudders and Felicity giggles, tugging on his arm so that she can pull him in to kiss his cheek.

“I love you too, Digg.” She smiles and she grins, moving back to her computers as Digg turns his attention to Oliver.

“How's it going with Roy?” He questions and Oliver groans as he pulls up another rung.

“Not well!” Oliver’s answer is simple and curt as he continues to work out.

“I don't know the kid all too well, but he seems to be five kinds of angry.” Digg comments and Felicity smirks, shaking her head.

“You might be underestimating. Roy was mad at the world before he was injected with Mirakuru.” Oliver replies and Digg nods, looking over at Felicity before frowning.

“You say you've seen this before?” He questions and Oliver sighs, hanging from the bar as he stops for a moment.

“Slade Wilson. He was my friend.” Oliver says simply and Felicity grimaces as she remembers the story Oliver told her.

“Note the use of past tense there.” She tells Digg who sends her a disapproving look.

“I thought I could help him control it. I was wrong. But I know more now, and I'm not going to make the same mistake with Roy.” Oliver states declaratively and Felicity smiles, her attention only drawn away from the clanging of the salmon ladder when one of her alerts goes off.

“What's that?” Digg asks, pushing off the table as Oliver drops from the ladder. They both move towards her as Felicity moves so she can see the screen more clearly.

“Iron Heights. Due to their low-security post-quake, I thought it would be a good idea to keep an eye on their internal communication for a while.” She explains, trying to pull up exactly what set off her alert.

“You hacked into a prison system network?” Oliver asks, a strange tone to his voice and Felicity looks up to see him paused in front of her desk.  

“Is that judgment I'm hearing?” She asks with a raised eyebrow but he just smiles at her.

“Pride.” He states simply and she cannot stop the grin that spreads across her face. Her eyes lock with Oliver’s and it takes Digg clearing his throat for the two of them to continue on with what they were doing. Felicity sits down and pulls up the report.

“Iron Heights just put out a BOLO for Ben Turner, aka Bronze Tiger, which, btw, is a terrible nickname, because tigers are not bronze.” She relays and both Digg and Oliver move quickly towards her.

“Turner escaped?” Oliver asks and she can only nod.

“Killed ten guards on his way out.” She reads and Digg frowns.

“You think that would have made the news.” He comments and Felicity sighs, tilting her head.

“Iron Heights is better at keeping secrets than they are at keeping prisoners.” She observes and Digg hums in agreement before they both look to Oliver.

“Any idea where he's headed?” Oliver asks and Felicity frowns.

“No. But I will try and get one.” She promises and Oliver nods, heading back to grab his bow and suit. Felicity sighs as she watches him go before turning back to her computers.

Oliver cannot believe how disastrous that attempt was. Getting through to Roy is a lot harder than he thought it would be and that anger that ignites the passion in him has only been strengthened by the mirakuru. It’s what almost had him killing someone at the Merlyn mansion. Oliver groans and storms down the Foundry steps, clicking his bow back into place.

“Uh-oh. You got angry face.” Felicity comments and Oliver sighs. The tension rolls off him at the mere sight of her but it starts to truly dissipate when she walks over, her hand reaching up to run over the crinkle in his forehead.

“What happened?” Digg questions and Oliver sighs.

“Roy Harper.” He states simply and the shock rolls off his partners immediately.

“You took him out in the field!” Digg frowns, stepping forward and Oliver steps away from Felicity as the anger bubbles in him again.

“He wasn't listening to me, Diggle! I'm trying to reach him, but he lost control. Then he nearly killed somebody, which I obviously couldn't let happen, and in the process—”

“Turner got away.” Felicity’s voice is soft and she steps up to him again, laying a hand on his arm. She’s calm and collected and careful as she speaks and when Oliver looks into her eyes, he thinks he might be alright. Even just for a moment. “What was he there to steal? Merlyn's art collection?” She questions gently and Oliver sighs, shaking his head.

“Something much more dangerous. It's a prototype earthquake machine.” He explains and Digg gasps.

“Oh, holy God.”

“Why would Turner want to destroy the city?” Felicity frowns, her hand still steady on his arm and Oliver takes a deep breath.

“He doesn't. He's a mercenary selling his services to the highest bidder.” He explains and understanding clouds Felicity’s face, prompting him to carefully remove the watch from his belt. “This watch belonged to one of the guys Turner was working with.”

“Fingerprints.” She states as if a lightbulb is going off above her head and she carefully extracts the watch, heading back to her station. “Fingerprints equals name, equals known associates. I'm on it.”

Digg looks at him, the question evident in his eyes. Oliver sighs, taking a moment before he explains to his friend. “It was the look in Roy's eyes. It was Slade all over again.”

“Oliver, what happened with Slade?” Digg questions and Oliver resists the urge to run, to close off, and instead stands his ground, looking at his friend.

“Me. Someone killed Shado. Slade loved Shado, and it was my fault. I wanted to tell him, because it would have been better coming from me, but I didn't. And he found out another way. If I had just told him the truth, I could have gotten through to him.” It’s a truncated version but it’s apparently good enough for Digg who nods his head.

“And that's why it's so important for you to get through to Roy.” He comments and Oliver nods, running a hand over his hair.

“I lived a five-year nightmare. But if I learn something that could help me reach Roy now It'll all be worth it.” Oliver confesses and Digg nods.

“Thank you, Oliver. I know that’s never easy for you.” He smiles and Oliver nods, taking a deep breath.

“Thank you for recognizing that,” Oliver tells him and it’s Digg’s turn to nod.

“Aww, guys…” Felicity breaks through the silence and Oliver can’t help but smile.

“I’ll be with Roy, call me when that goes through?” Oliver asks her softly and Felicity nods, smiling into the parting kiss he leans down to give her.

Roy growls as he makes his way into the abandoned warehouse. His talk with Thea did nothing to quell his anger and fear. He can’t have her getting mixed up in this but she won’t listen and it’s only agitating him more.

“You're late.”

Speaking of agitating…

It’s strange, Roy wonders, training with a man he knows so little about. The Arrow is just expecting him to trust that he knows what’s best when Roy doesn’t even know who he’s really dealing with. He understands that secret identities are important but at the same time, Roy’s really struggling with how he’s supposed to put his faith in this man.

“I tried to get my girlfriend to leave town. But she won't.” Roy explains as he walks properly into the training space, glaring at the dummy he’d been forced to hit over and over yesterday. He lost control at Merlyn’s, he understands that, but if he wasn’t being treated like a child unable to handle their emotions, maybe he’d have a better handle on the mirakuru side effects.

“You cannot bring her into this.” The Arrow growls and Roy frowns. He seems awfully wrapped up in what Roy does and doesn’t tell Thea which doesn’t make any sense when he doubts he even knows who Thea is past a front page picture on a glossy magazine.

“But how am I supposed to lie to her and protect her at the same time? How do you do it? How do you keep secrets from people in your life?” Roy questions. He wonders if the Arrow has anyone in his life but then, he was talking to someone before they headed to Merlyn’s yesterday. Roy’s been wondering if that was his partner. Surely, he’s not running his entire mission alone but then how much do these partners know. Are they aware who’s under the mask? If not, how do they reconcile working with a mystery?

“By remembering it's the only way to keep them safe.”

His reply makes it seems so simple but it’s one that Roy cannot wrap his head around. How does living a dual life keep your loved ones safe? It seems to him like it only drives a wedge and endangers them more.

So, he tells the Arrow that.

“No, keeping them safe is what keeps them safe. Telling people the truth. But you, you won't tell me anything. Not about the Mirakuru, and this other guy. And you got me slapping water and hitting dummies instead.”

He doesn’t even realize how loud he’s gotten or how he’s squared up to the vigilante until the Arrow raises a hand in front of him.

“Roy, you're spiraling and you need to calm down.” The voice is as calm as one can sound through a modulator and that only angers Roy further. He’s growing really sick of this magnanimous, holier-than-thou attitude.

“No. I need to save Thea.” Roy states obviously and turns to leave. The grip on his arm gives him pause, making him still as the anger rises in him and threatens to bubble over.

“That thing is out in the open because of you. I think you've done enough.” The Arrow growls and Roy glares. Things would have gone differently at the Merlyn mansion if the vigilante hadn’t been so condescending.

“Let go of me,” Roy growls lowly as he tries to contain his rage.

“Roy…” The attempt to placate does nothing to help his mood.

“I said let go of me!”

“Get control. If not for me or yourself, then do it for Thea.”

The invocation of his girlfriend’s name tips Roy over the edge and he spins, squaring up to him fully.  

“What the hell do you know about Thea? Don't you talk about her!”

The Arrow dodges the first punch and Roy moves of his body’s own accord. He throws punch after punch but the vigilante dodges them all, finally catching the hood of Roy’s hoodie and holding him still.

“Are you done?” He asks and the position makes Roy feel so belittled. This is doing nothing to improve the situation out in the streets and the Arrow knows it, which only makes Roy angrier. He spins and shoves him with all his might, sending him flying across the room and through a table.

“No. I'm not done. I'm going to stop this thing. And if you want to stop me, try. Try putting another arrow in me. Go ahead. 'Cause I heal fast now. But get in my way, then I'll give you a good look at that anger you're so worried about me losing control of.”

With that, he turns and walks out, leaving the vigilante sat on the floor, looking thoroughly confused.

Serves him right.

The stairs to the Foundry feel a million miles long as Oliver winces his way down them. He needs some ice stat and then he needs to figure out what he’s going to do. He can’t have Roy running around in his current state, that would only endanger him more.

“Searches are still…” Felicity’s voice trails off mid-sentence and Oliver attempts a smile when her eyes land on him. “What happened?”

“Roy happened. He threw me through a table.” He explains and Oliver can’t say that he doesn’t enjoy the way she rushes to his side. Digg moves to help him as well and between the two of them, they get him to a seat.

“Are you alright? Does anything feel broken?” Felicity asks, her hands flitting over his body but not touching. He knows she’s being cautious in case anything is seriously damaged but Oliver doesn’t think anything’s bruised too badly. Well, except for maybe his pride.

“No, just a little battered.” He assures her and she sighs, running a hand through his hair. Digg moves to settle on the seat across from him but Oliver’s attention is on his girl, leaning into her gentle touch.

“I’ll get you some ice.” She tells him softly, caressing his cheek before she heads to the cooler they keep by the med table.

“Could you…?” He asks when she goes to hand it to him and she sends him a look but presses the ice pack to his neck anyway. Her other hand returns to his hair and Oliver sighs contently, relaxing into her magic touch.

“You both scoffed when I said we should invest in an X-ray machine for down here.” Felicity comments, making Oliver chuckle a little. “Have you got that?”

Oliver pouts a little as she steps away from him but he holds the pack to his own neck, his eyes following her form as she moves towards her station. Her dress is pretty, he likes it. Especially the way in clings in all the right places.

“What do you want to do about Roy?” Digg asks, smirking at the way Oliver startles a little. he raises an eyebrow and Oliver shrugs. He’s allowed to look.

“Where are we with the fingerprint?” He deflects, still entirely unsure what his plan of action will be when it comes to Thea’s raging boyfriend.

“I struck out on domestic agencies, but I'm checking Interpol, PRC public security and MVD databases now,” Felicity explains softly, gesturing to the searches that are running on one of her screens.

“Oliver, I know you've taken Roy on, and why, but Roy, Slade, a lot of guys I've served with… Some people are just broken, man and nobody can put them back together.” Diggle tells him with a frown and Oliver sighs, shaking his head.

“I refuse to believe that. I'm not letting what happened to Slade happen to Roy. I'm not.” He answers simply. He can’t fathom the idea. He needs to figure out a way to help him.

He’s saved from Digg’s response when his phone rings and his friend frowns, showing him the caller ID as he passes it over. Seeing that it’s Thea, he knows he has to answer. “Hey, Speedy.”

“Are you near the club?” His sister asks quickly and Oliver frowns, looking up at the ceiling as if he’d be able to see through the concrete to the club above.

“I’m pretty close.” He comments, earning himself an eye-roll from Felicity. “Why?”

“Laurel’s here. She doesn’t look good.” Thea comments and Oliver frowns when Felicity taps his shoulder. She gestures to her live feed from Verdant and he frowns at the image of his ex-girlfriend, lolled over the bar of his sister’s club.

“I’ll be quick. Come get me if you find anything.” He tells her and Felicity nods. Oliver can feel her eyes on him as he heads up the stairs and he resists the urge to sigh. He wants to help Laurel but he hates that he feels like he’s hurting Felicity in the process. She says she understands and she’s nothing but supportive on the outside but Oliver can tell that something’s niggling at her on the inside.

“Oh excuse me! Can I get something with olives? I don’t care what it is, as long as there are a lot of olives.” Laurel is slurring at the bartender as Oliver reaches her and he frowns, stepping up close behind her.

“How about coffee?” He suggests and Laurel freezes, glaring at him when she turns around.

“Coffee and olives? Bad combination.” She comments and Oliver sighs, stepping up next to her so that he can talk to her properly.

“What are you doing?” He asks, trying his hardest not to get angry. He cares about Laurel, he truly does, but his focus is already being pulled a hundred different directions and he truly doesn’t know whether he has the energy to play her games.

“This is where it’s happening, right? The big club?” Laurel smirks and Oliver frowns as the bartender sets a drink in front of her.

“Here you go, Martini, triple olives.”

Oliver is really going to have to speak to Thea about reminding her bartenders to cut off those who are too drunk. Laurel’s clearly not in a state to keep drinking.

“Laurel, go home.” Thea’s voice calls out and Oliver looks over to see his sister glaring at her staff and pulling the drink away from Laurel.

“Thea Queen, telling me enough is enough. Now that is rich.” Laurel laughs and looks at Oliver as if he’s supposed to join in her joke that completely makes fun of the hard journey his baby sister’s been on to get away from alcohol and drugs. The tall brunette frowns when Oliver doesn’t join in and stands up. “Fine. Bar me from your bar. That’s today’s theme, right? Disbarment.”

It finally clicks as to why she’s there and Oliver frowns. “Laurel, are you being disbarred?”

“Yeah, looks like my law career’s over. But you know what? Maybe Thea here can hire me as a waitress. Or Ollie, I could come be your secretary.” Laurel grins, her hands latching onto his shirt and Oliver stiffens. He takes a step back when she starts rubbing his chest but she just follows, smiling up at him.

“I don’t need any more waitresses and Ollie already has an assistant, Laurel.” Thea reminds him from behind the bar, shooting Oliver a warning glance and he sighs. Laurel starts up again however, before he can speak.

“You could fire her. Doesn’t seem like it takes a lot of work. I can do it, I’ll even dye my hair blonde Ollie, if that’s what you like. How is it that she got that job, hmm?”

Oliver freezes at Laurel’s words and the anger in him only rises when he hears Felicity’s shocked cough from next to him. He throws Laurel’s hands from his body and she stumbles back, the shock evident all over her face.

“Don’t you ever speak about Felicity like that. You know nothing about her or our relationship.” He glares and reaches forward to pluck her car keys out of her purse.

“Those are my keys!” Laurel cries but Oliver ignores her, looking over at Thea who is frowning sympathetically at Felicity.

“Get her a cab please?” He asks of his sister who nods before he leads Felicity lightly by the elbow over to the corner.

“Not to be insensitive but I am going for the I told you so here.” Felicity frowns, looking over at Laurel where she’s flopped over the bar once more. “That is a woman who is still in love with you.”

“Can we talk about this later? I assume you found something.” He frowns and Felicity sighs, drawing her eyes back to him.

“Fingerprint was in Interpol’s database. The guy worked for Milo Armitage. He’s a black market arms merchant. He’s trying to sell the device.” Felicity explains and Oliver huffs, running a hand over his face.

“I need you to search for any indication that Armitage is in Starling.” He tells her and Felicity levels him with a look.

“I already did. His ship filed a load log manifest at the Starling City docks. I’ll get you the slip number.” She tells him and glances one last look at Laurel before she turns to head back to downstairs. Oliver catches her by the wrist and she frowns, tilting her head as she looks at him.

“I love you, you know that right?” He asks and Felicity sighs, stepping up to him and cupping his cheek.

“Of course I do. It was never you that was the wildcard.” She tells him and Oliver sighs, cradling her hand to his face as he turns and plants a kiss against her palm. “Slip number.”

“I’ll be down in a second.” He tells her and she smiles softly, that gentle reproach visible in her eyes. Oliver sighs as he watches her go before he pulls out his phone.

“Come on, Laurel. There’s a cab outside.” Thea sighs as she collects Laurel’s things for her.

“I drove!” The older woman insists and Thea sighs, pocketing the keys Ollie handed over. There’s no way Laurel should be anywhere near her car right now.

“And I’ll get Ollie to drive your car back tomorrow, or someone else. I don’t think he’s going to want to do you any favors right now.” Thea comments as she guides the drunken woman towards the entrance.

“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true!” Laurel cries and Thea sighs, shaking her head.

“You don’t know Felicity, Laurel. You can’t comment.” She tells her but she knows it’s a futile argument. Laurel’s far too drunk right now to process anything.

“She’s pretty and enough to hold his attention for a while. Ollie’s not a one-woman man though. She’ll learn that soon enough.”

Thea freezes at Laurel’s words. Drunk or not, she cannot leave Laurel in that delusion.

“Laurel, Ollie is not the man he used to be. The boy you dated is not the man who is in love with Felicity and he is in love with her. She’s changed him, for the better, and you would do well to respect that.” Thea tells her and opens the door of the cab for her, nudging her into the cab when Laurel stares at her with confusion written all over her face.

Thea doesn’t need this now. She’s got a club full of patrons to deal with. Speaking of, where the hell is Roy?

Felicity is never a fan of Oliver going out by himself. Especially not when he’s facing off against an adversary as strong as Bronze Tiger. Not to mention that his coms link is closed so she’s reliant on satellite tracking and dodgy CCTV imagery in order to see what’s going on. She’s tried turning the camera every way she can but she still can’t get a clear image.

“Frack!”

Something’s cut off the image and Felicity sighs when she can’t hack back into it.

“What happened?” Digg questions and Felicity shakes her head.

“It must have been blasted. An explosion or something. Either that or someone snapped the wires but I think the former is more likely with what we’re dealing with here.” She explains and Digg sighs.

“Felicity?”

“Oh thank goodness, are you alright?” Felicity sighs in relief at the sound of Oliver’s voice in her ear.

“I’m fine, on my way back now. Something happened though. Roy, he…” Oliver’s obviously rattled, she can tell from the tone of his voice.

“Roy was there. I saw him on the camera I hacked.” She tells him and Oliver sighs. Felicity will bet he’s running his hand through his hair as he does when he’s seriously rattled.

“He may now know the identity of the Arrow.”

“What?!”

“Did he just say…?” Digg asks and Felicity nods, biting her lip.

“Alright, we’ll talk when you get back. Just… get here safe, okay?” She asks, her voice dropping in volume. She hadn’t realized how much being out of the loop had rattled her.

“I’m close. I’ll only be a few minutes.” His voice is soft and full of promise even with the modulator. Felicity will forever be amazed at his ability to calm her. “Oh, you may want to set up the med table.”

“You said you were fine. Oliver!” The line goes dead and Felicity huffs. “That…”

“Dick?” Digg prompts and Felicity rolls her eyes, moving over to the med table and pulling out supplies. She doesn’t actually know what’s wrong with Oliver but she takes out supplies for the worst of wounds, just in case.

“That works.” She tells Digg and he chuckles, moving to help her. They move together in silence, stopping only when the sound of beeping lets them know that Oliver has entered the Foundry.

He doesn’t look like he’s limping but Felicity can tell that his shoulder is hunched particularly on his right side and she bets that’s where his injury is. She raises her eyebrow at him, completely unamused despite his bashful smile that he sends her.

“Take it off, come on.” She tells him and Digg laughs, taking Oliver’s bow from him as Felicity moves towards him to help him remove both his suit jacket and the t-shirt he’s wearing underneath. “Oliver!”

The wound’s not particularly big but it is bleeding a lot. Forcing him down into the chair, she gets to work on cleaning it. She doesn’t think he needs stitches, thankfully, so she just applies the steri-strips before laying a few layers of gauze over and taping it down carefully. She wonders when she became so adept at knowing what wounds require but shakes that thought off. She’s seen far too many of Oliver and Digg’s injuries over the past year.

“So, the secret society gets a new member. Where is he now?” Digg finally breaks through the silence as Felicity finishes and hands Oliver his grey hoodie. He frowns at her; he usually keeps his green one around the Foundry and Felicity blushes at his scrutiny. His favorite green hoodie is currently in her bag in her car. After their argument last week when they slept apart, Felicity had curled up in his warmth and scent.

“Home. He's, uh processing.” Oliver explains and Digg nods, an awkward sort of silence settling over them. It’s not something they’ve experienced since Felicity joined the team but she knows they’re all thinking the same thing. How is this going to work?

“When I found out who you really were, I processed my way through a pint of mint chip.” Felicity babbles, trying to lighten the air and it works, gaining half a smile from both of her boys.

“Not at all surprising.” Oliver comments and Felicity mock-glares at him.

“I stress eat.” She huffs and Oliver grins, looking over at Digg who smirks.

“Sorry sweetheart, but he’s right. When it comes to you and ice cream, I don’t think stress has anything to do with it.” Digg smirks and Felicity huffs, fidgeting awkwardly as she thinks of how to word her next question.

“Speaking of stress I'm not trying to Monday morning quarterback here--it's Wednesday. Didn't this all start because you were worried that Roy's marble collection was on the short side?” Felicity winces and Oliver sighs. He looks conflicted and that’s worrying.

“She has a point, Oliver. Roy's a loose cannon. Now he knows your secret.” Digg pushes and Oliver sits up, taking a deep breath before he speaks.

“You're right, and I wasn't thinking about the consequences. I only knew that I needed his strength. His power. On the island, Sara told me that love is the most powerful emotion Well, the Arrow couldn't get Roy to think about Thea. But I could.” He explains and Digg and Felicity both nod, the latter stepping forward to cup his cheek.

“Then you did the right thing. We’ll work it out.” She tells him and Oliver nods, smiling a little up at her.

“Thank you.” He says but it’s so quiet that Felicity lip reads it more than she hears it, answering it with a failed attempt at a wink.

“Well, I think the first step is getting him down here. Letting him know how we work and figuring out how he’s going to fit into this dynamic.” Digg suggests and Felicity steps away from Oliver, nodding her head.

“I’ll go get him,” Oliver suggests and Felicity frowns.

“You need to rest.” She reminds him and he smiles, running a hand over her shoulder as he stands.

“And I will, once this done.”

“Is this the part where you kill me 'cause I know your secret?” Roy asks as they walk down the steps Oliver just led him to. A back entrance to the club he’s been working at for over a year. How he never spotted this…

“Do you actually think that I'd kill my sister's boyfriend?” Oliver asks, a smirk on his face and Roy frowns. How he can be so nonchalant about all of this when he’s just turned Roy’s world upside down, he really can’t figure it out.

“Well, you did shoot me in the leg. Forgiven, by the way.” Roy comments, pushing a little as he always has with Oliver. The man merely freezes though and turns to look at him, seriousness written all over his face.

“Thea. She can never know.” He states and Roy nods, swallowing.

“I get the feeling that if I did tell her, that would be when you kill me.”

“Trust that instinct.”

“Really Oliver? You just turned his world upside down and now you’re threatening to kill him? Might be a little far.”

Roy’s head whips around at the sound of the familiar voice. There, looking utterly out of place amongst weapons and grime, is Oliver’s bubbly girlfriend, dressed in soft purple and high heels of all things, a wide smile on her perfectly painted lips.

“Barbie?” He asks incredulously and she smirks, tilting her head to the side.

“You really think he could be running around as a vigilante and I wouldn’t know about it? Ye of little faith, Roy Harper.” She comments, her bubbly and light attitude already lighting up the doom around her.

“Excuse me, I did this for a while before I brought you in!” Oliver comments but Felicity merely levels him with a look.

“Alright, Mister I drink my sports drinks out of syringes.” She retorts, the private joke evident as Oliver smirks at her, that soft expression he always gets when he looks at her coming across his face.

Roy hasn’t spent a lot of time with Oliver Queen and he’s spent even less time with him as the Arrow but looking at the way he melts around this blonde ray of sunshine, Roy thinks he’s got him figured out pretty well.

“How many people know what-- who you are?” He questions just as another figure appears. A tall black man who looks like he could break Roy in two, even with the mirakuru. He’s seen him around the mansion a few times, he thinks he might be Oliver’s driver? These three really do have a good cover story going, he has to admit.

“Too many. But these are the only two that matter. You already know Felicity and this is John Diggle.” Oliver introduces and the tall man nods, a small smile on his face.

“Does this group have a name? Like team Arrow, or something?” He asks excitedly but Oliver immediately scowls.

“We don't call ourselves that.”

“I do. Occasionally.” Felicity smiles but pouts when Oliver looks at her and shakes his head.

“Stop.”

“Whatever. Welcome aboard.” John Diggle tells him, stepping forward to shake his hand and Roy smiles, happily returning the gesture.

“I’ll show you around.” Felicity grins, bouncing a little on her heels as she leads him into the main area of the lair.

“This place is cool. Like an Arrow Cave.” He comments and Felicity snorts, chancing a glance over at Oliver who looks extra moody.

“We just call it the Foundry, else Grumpy over there gets super grumpy.” She ‘whispers’ but smirks at her boyfriend who shakes his head. “Couple of rules, don’t touch Oliver’s arrows or he will kill you. Don’t touch my babies or I will kill you.”

She gestures to her computers and Roy can’t help but bark out a laugh at the idea of this 5ft 4 bubble of energy inflicting any harm on him. He stops however at the look she’s giving him. It’s actually kind of scary.

“Oh, she’s deadly serious,” Diggle tells him and Roy gulps, nodding his head.

“Right, don’t touch the arrows or the computers, got it. What can I touch? Medical supplies?” He asks and Felicity shakes her head.

“No, that’s John’s domain. I can give you the mini fridge?” She poses and Roy grins, nodding his head.

“I think we’ll get along just fine, Barbie.”

“You got yourself a protégé.” Felicity grins teasingly as they watch Roy disappear up the stairs of the mansion towards Thea’s room a few hours later.

“You’re not funny.” Oliver comments and Felicity gasps, her hand flying to her heart.

“That’s very rude, Mr. Queen. Personally, I think I’m hilarious.” She tells him and Oliver chuckles, tugging her into his side and kissing her temple.

“Hmm?”

“Definitely.”

“Oliver? Oh hi Felicity, dear.” Moira smiles at the two of them and they turn.

“Hi Mom, how are you doing?” Oliver smiles, running his hand over Felicity’s back. Moira smiles at them and then shifts nervously, making Oliver frown. His mother doesn’t do nervous.

“Well actually, I have some news.” She tells them and Oliver stands up a little.

“Oh? Is this sit-down kind of news?” He asks and Moira chuckles, the smile on her face making him relax a little.

“I hope not. Actually, I’m running for mayor.” Moira reveals and Oliver frowns for a second as her words sink in. Felicity digs her fingers into his side and he jumps a little.

“Wow Mom, that’s…” He starts but then freezes. He’s not entirely sure how he feels about this.

“Congratulations Moira, that’s amazing. Right, Oliver?” Felicity swoops in for him, smiling affectionately at the woman and she smiles back at her happily, nodding her head in thanks.

“Yeah Mom, amazing. I’m so proud of you.” Oliver grins and separates himself from his girlfriend to kiss his mother on the cheek and swoop her into a hug.

“Thank you, my darling boy. That means a lot. I was hoping the two of you would be at the announcement?” Moira grins as they pull apart, looking around Oliver to Felicity whose eyes widen before she nods.

“Of course.”

“Wouldn’t miss it, Mom.”

“I’ll even make sure he’s there on time.” Felicity grins, throwing Oliver one of her small non-winks and Oliver snorts, rolling his eyes.

“Thank you.” Moira grins and Felicity frowns as her phone goes off. It’s the sound for one of her alerts being triggered so she immediately finds it, frowning down at the screen.

“How about a drink? To celebrate.” Oliver’s voice fades into the background and Felicity stares down at her screen, confused as to why that particular alert has been triggered. What on earth is going on?

“That sounds like a wonderful idea. Felicity?”

The sound of her name drags Felicity back into the room and her eyes fly up in surprise to see Oliver and Moira frowning at her in worry and question respectively.

“I’ll be through in a second.” She assures then with a smile but of course, Oliver doesn’t buy it. He steps forward to cup her elbow with a frown on his face and Felicity smiles, shaking her head. “I’m fine, make me a drink and I’ll be there in two minutes to drink it.”

“I’m holding you to that,” Oliver tells her and she smiles, humming contently into it as he drops a soft kiss to her lips. She maintains the smile until he and Moira round the counter. Then it drops off her face as she stares down at her phone, shaking her head in disbelief.

Tempest.

That’s the alert that just went off.

“Frack.”

Chapter Text

“Holy frack.”

Felicity is amazed at the information in front of her. She truly thought there was nothing that could shock her about the Queen family anymore, but it seems the deeper she digs, the more is revealed. She knows every family has its issues and secrets but the Queens really stretch that to the extreme.

Thea is a Merlyn; Tommy was her half-brother. Felicity wonders briefly if Robert ever knew. Did Merlyn know?

“Probably did. He was far cleverer than people gave him credit for. Always useful when you’re running a criminal operation.” She murmurs under her breath as she worries her bottom lip with her teeth.

The question now is… what does she do with this information?

Does she tell Oliver? He deserves to know but should she be the one to tell him? And what about Thea? Doesn’t she owe it to her friend not to hide something this big from her?

Felicity starts thinking about Moira, however, and the reasons she would have hidden this from her children. It’s a terrible thing to do, objectively, but for how much she knows Moira adores Oliver and Thea, she considers that the matriarch deserves the chance to tell her children herself.

“Baby?”

Felicity quickly shuts her laptop and turns towards the sound of Oliver’s voice, seeing him frowning at her from the doorway of the kitchen.

“What are you doing up?” She asks softly, glancing at the clock and frowning at the fact that it’s already half five. She’s been at this since one when she had been sure Oliver was asleep and she could slip away.

“Think that’s my question.” He frowns at her and Felicity paints a smile on her face.

“I couldn’t sleep, I figured I’d try and get some stuff done.” She tells him but he still frowns, walking over to her. He cups her face in his hands and Felicity squirms a little under his scrutiny, he can read her like a book and she doesn’t want him to pull it out of her before she’s had a chance to talk to Moira.

“Baby… is this about Laurel?” Oliver’s question makes Felicity freeze. She never expected him to guess what’s wrong and she really doesn’t want to lie to him. Turns out, her silence is as good as an admission in Oliver’s book because he sighs, his head tilting as he looks at her. “Sweetheart, I haven’t been in love with Laurel for years.”

“I know that. I do.” Felicity tells him, nodding her head, but Oliver merely gives her a look. “Oliver, I do know that and I also understand that she’s still someone you’ve known for a very long time and you care about her well-being.”

“But…?” He asks and Felicity sighs. This isn’t a conversation she particularly wants to have before the sun comes up when she hasn’t slept but here she is.

“You remember what I’ve told you about my father?” She asks softly, taking a deep breath. She hates having these kinds of conversations but she knows if Oliver and she are going to take steps forward in their relationship, he needs to know about what is causing her to hold back. Oliver nods and she sighs. “That messed me up for a long time. I didn’t let anyone in, I was lonely for most of high school and then I went to MIT. Whilst I was there, I met this guy. Cooper Seldon was his name.”

Felicity is slow and methodical in her speech, a far cry from her usual rambling and Oliver frowns, listening to her words with attentiveness and no judgment on his face, only curiosity.

 “Along with his roommate, we got involved in some pretty serious hacking. Hacktivists, we called ourselves. It was pretty harmless for a while, getting through government firewalls just to prove we could. Whilst that was happening, Cooper and I ended up in a pretty serious relationship. I was determined to mold a version of myself that was so far removed from my mom and Vegas that I got swept up in his message of supposed justice. It was the first time since I was seven years old that I had let my walls down.”

Felicity frowns as she considers the person she was at 18. Dark hair, heavy makeup, and baggy clothes had hidden a girl desperate for guidance and love. A girl begging for affection and adventure. She’d just found it in the wrong place.

“I was at the end of my senior year when I finally finished this algorithm I’d been working my ass off on. It meant that I could get through one of the government’s most heavily defended networks, the Department of Education. I just wanted to take a screenshot to show that I’d done it but Cooper… he took the computer from me and started deleted student loans. I managed to stop him before he went too far but the damage had already been done. The FBI showed up days after and he was taken away right before my eyes. It had been my algorithm but Cooper took the fall. He was going to jail but then I got the call…”

Felicity doesn’t even realize that she’s crying until Oliver reaches up and wipes the tears from her cheeks. She looks up at him and he smiles softly at her. It’s exactly the encouragement she needs and she takes a deep breath.

“He hung himself in his cell before sentencing. I didn’t leave my dorm for weeks. Afterward, I dyed my hair, changed my entire wardrobe and accepted a job way below something that would stretch my abilities. I decided to blend in and plant my walls firmly back up around me. That is until you walked into my office.”

Oliver smiles at her, his thumb wiping away her tears. “Felicity…”

“Oliver, I have loved two men in my life, both of them have left for reasons I have never fully been able to wrap my head around. I understand on a logical level that you and Laurel have been over for years and your want to be in her life is founded in your respect for the length of your friendship but on an emotional level, I can tend to revert make to the mindset of a seven year old whose father simply wasn’t there one day when she got home from school. After my father and Cooper, the thought of losing someone as important to me as you are again…”

Felicity tries to look away as tears begin to fall down her face but Oliver’s hands force her eyes back onto his. She gasps a little at the intensity in his gaze, finding nothing but affection and love reflected back at her.

“Felicity, you are not going to lose me. You’re right that I feel a sort of responsibility for Laurel but that is it. You are the person I look forward to coming home to every day and you are the person I think to reach out to when times are hardest. I love you more than I ever even realized is possible. You are it for me.”

Felicity blanches a little at the intensity of his words. I love you suddenly feels like it pales in comparison. She’s never had someone speak of her like that, with such reverence and adoration. It makes her cry even harder.

“I love you so much.” She manages to choke out and Oliver smiles, wrapping her up in his arms. “You’re it for me too, you know that right?”

“All I know is that I’m going to spend every day for the rest of life asking the universe what I ever did to deserve you,” Oliver tells her and Felicity shakes her head.

“You opened up my heart, Oliver. We deserve each other.” She tells him and he smiles at her, their arms wrapped tightly around each other.

She sits up as tall as she can in the kitchen stool she’s perched on as Oliver bends over and their lips meet in the middle. The kiss is long and slow, full of promises and reverence. It’s a kiss for forever and Felicity wonders if she’ll ever be worthy of the kind of love Oliver bestows upon her.

“We should get ready for work.” She comments as they pull back and Oliver smiles, brushing her hair off of her face.

“Sweetheart, you haven’t slept.” He tells her but Felicity shakes her head.

“I’ll sneak a nap in later. Today’s too important to miss work. Come join me in the shower?” She asks with a smile which only widens with Oliver’s pained groan.

“If I ever say no to that request, you’ll know there’s something seriously wrong with me.” He answers and Felicity giggles, hopping off of the stool and grasping Oliver’s hand to drag him upstairs to the shower.

She’ll talk to Moira later. She just needs to get through the day.

Turns out, mayoral campaigns have a lot to them.

Oliver is ready to be a dutiful son but he struggles to pay attention in meetings about his company. His mind is wandering all over the place in this one.

As always, his mind lands on its favorite subject.

Felicity.

She rushed off to fix some issue in the IT department just before his mother and the others arrived and by the time she got back, the meeting was well underway. She’d returned to her desk, still visible through the glass walls of the executive floor but further away than Oliver likes her to be (although Oliver would like to be by her side at all times). Her dress today is rather unfair, Oliver considers. The thick fabric is tight to her body, the dark red color reminding him of wine and the few times they get to relax into each other. Her hair is swept into its usual ponytail but the way it reveals the elegant lines of her neck always drives Oliver crazy. Especially today. Oliver had been in the bathroom with her as she had lamented the heavy duty concealer she’d had to apply to her neck in order to cover the dark bruises he’d left there.

God, he loves her so much.

She looks up as if sensing his gaze on her and sends him a reproachful look. She gestures to the meeting and Oliver smirks, winking as he turns his attention back to the people in the room.

“A successful mayoral campaign isn't about polling, it isn't about fundraising or hot button issues. It's about connecting with people.” Mark is explaining and Oliver takes a deep breath. At least they’ve stopped talking about funding. “That's why right after we announce tomorrow, Moira, I want to get you in front of as many cameras as possible. Morning shows, talk shows—"

“Mark, I want to help rebuild the city, not pander to it.” Moira cuts in and Oliver smiles. This, he can help with.

“It's not pandering, Mom. It's campaigning. Let the people get to know the real Moira Queen, and they are going to fall in love with you.” He explains to her and Moira frowns, looking at him in doubt.

“Speaking from experience, this man knows what he's talking about, Moira,” Mark smirks and Oliver shrugs sheepishly, smiling at his mother in his usual, charming way.

“I want to do this my way,” Moira tells Mark and the man nods. “Well... We're starting a campaign.”

Oliver smiles as people start to dissipate and he stands, smiling at his mother in reassurance.

“Oliver, can I have a word?” Mark asks and Oliver nods, moving over to the side of the room. “I know that you and he are friends, but you'll need to end your support for Sebastian Blood.”

Oliver had figured as much, he knows how this publicity thing works and supporting the man running against his mother will not look good for her campaign. “I will speak to Sebastian.”

Felicity looks up as the door to the conference room opens and people begin to exit. When she got back from her ‘IT emergency’ (which was really just her excuse to avoid Moira), she had spotted Walter. She’s been contemplating ever since whether she should ask him about Moira and Tempest or not but has eventually settled on not. She decides she has more respect for the relationship she and Moira have managed to build over the past couple of months and that she owes her the benefit of a conversation.

The British man smiles at her as he exits the room, making his way towards her as Felicity stands from her desk and rounds it.

“Felicity, it’s lovely to see you.” He smiles politely but Felicity can tell it’s genuine.

“Mr. Steele, pleasure as always.” She grins back but he shakes his head at her.

“I’m not your boss anymore, Felicity, please, call me Walter.” He tells her and she lights up.

“Okay, Walter.” She replies, unable to say his name in anything other than a bad British accent.

Her attention, however, is distracted as Oliver makes her way over with a frown on his face.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” She asks softly, her hand gentle on his arm.

“I’ll excuse myself.” Walter smiles politely and pulls back, nodding politely at the both of them.

“Lance called me. Laurel, she… they think she overdosed.” Oliver tells her softly, the frown on his face deepening and Felicity gasps, her hand stroking up his arm.

“Is she okay?” Felicity questions and Oliver takes a deep breath.

“Yeah, well, she’s alive. I um…” He stumbles and Felicity shakes her head, squeezing his arm in what she hopes is a supportive move.

“Go. I’ll head to the Foundry and see if I can get a hold of Sara.” She promises and watches as Oliver’s face melts into one of relief.

“You’re the best. I love you.” He tells her and Felicity smiles, standing on her toes to press her lips to his cheek.

“I love you too.”

She watches as he leaves and grasps her coat, heading out herself before Moira tries to talk to her. She can’t be dealing with that right now.

Chapter Text

Turns out, Sara is there when she arrives at the Foundry.

She’s obviously agitated, pacing back and forth in front of the monitors. Felicity frowns as she steps properly into the room, the other blonde’s eyes snapping up to her immediately.

“Oh um, hi Felicity. I…” She starts, obviously very confused as to how to begin this conversation but Felicity smiles encouragingly at the other girl who she truly does like. Sara’s a badass but she’s warm and nice.

“Oliver’s heading to the hospital now,” Felicity tells her as she slides her coat off and places her bag on the desk. “I’ll try and get up what I can to try and figure out what happened.”

“Oh… um, thank you.” Sara tells her and Felicity smiles, turning her chair around to look at the blonde.

“You know, when Oliver gets all agitated, he likes to let off some steam. That’s half the reason that’s down here.” She offers, gesturing towards the salmon ladder. Sara raises an eyebrow and then a smirk comes across her face.

“There a particular reason it’s right in front of your desk?” The assassin asks with a knowing smirk on her face.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Felicity huffs and turns to her computers. She can hear Sara moving around behind her and before she knows it, Sara’s in front of her in a sports bra. She looks up at the salmon ladder with interest in her eyes, reaches up with ease and then begins to propel herself up and down the ladder with almost as much ease as Oliver.

Once she’s sure that Sara is caught up in her workout, Felicity heads back into her Tempest hacking. She wants to check that there’s no more suspicious activity happening but all she can find is the recent wire transfer. Heaving a small sigh, she heads back into her search for the source of the mirakuru.

She thinks back to what she and Oliver discussed on their way to Central City about trying to find the link between what they know. She doesn’t need to concentrate on where it is now, she needs to find the link between how it got from the island to Starling City and that will lead her to where it is now. Oliver is convinced of Slade Wilson’s death but she’s been trying to find if he ever operated under any fake names, just to be sure. So far, she’s struck out but she’s determined to make sure that she’s searched every corner.

“Hey, Felicity,” John calls out as he enters the room. Surprise crosses his face at the sight of Sara but he smiles and moves towards Felicity, handing her a bag of chips and an iced coffee.

“Oh John Diggle, you are truly a godsend.” She smiles and he winks, gesturing towards Sara with a raised eyebrow. “Laurel… Oliver’s at the hospital now.”

“Oh.” John frowns, taking a deep breath before he looks down at Felicity. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? Not like I’m hiding anything.” She immediately babbles and then freezes, painting a smile on her face as John raises an eyebrow.

“Felicity…?”

“I’m good, John, I swear. I just need to get through this. I need a breakthrough so we can finally start working out where the frack this mirakuru is coming from.” Felicity sighs, huffing loudly when yet another search turns up blank.

“Okaaay.” John draws out, looking at her warily as he steps back and raises his hands in surrender. “You know it’s okay to take a break every now and then.”

“I’ve taken plenty of breaks, Dig. Right now, I need to do this.” She tells him and ignores his lofty sigh as she buries her head back in her computer.

She works in the silence of the room for the next hour or so. The steady clang of Sara working out and the soft sounds of Dig cleaning weapons mix in with the constant tapping sound of her typing. She doesn’t realize how concentrated she is until a hand lands on her shoulder and she jumps with a small squeal.

She relaxes as a familiar pair of lips press to her temple and Oliver’s calloused hand rubs soothingly over her bare shoulder. He raises an eyebrow, his concern written all over his face but she merely fakes a smile, turning her attention to Sara.

“She's been doing that for like an hour.” She comments and Oliver watches as Sara looks up at the noise of the voice. Recognition crosses her face and she jumps down from the salmon ladder, reaching for her t-shirt. Felicity is stunned for a moment that she’s only covered in a light sheen of sweat after such an extended period of intense exercise but them she supposes that the League of Assassins’ training regime is most likely a lot harder than what she just witnessed Sara do.

“You saw Laurel. Is she going to be ok?” Sara asks and Felicity is once again surprised that her voice is so soft. It had surprised when she first met the woman but in time, she’s found that she likes it quite a lot. It reminds her that despite the darkness that can surround a person, there will always be part of the person they once were that shines through.

“You saved her life,” Oliver replies, his hand still resting on Felicity’s shoulder. She smiles at Sara when she looks between the two of them, smirking a little.

“Thanks for calling me. And I never did ask you-- how did you find me?” Sara frowns and Oliver shrugs, looking down at Felicity who smiles.

“When I said the phone I gave you was untraceable, I didn’t mean by everyone,” Felicity tells her and the other blonde lets out a short laugh, smiling at her.

“Cute and sneaky, that’s a dangerous combination.” Sara winks and Felicity giggles a little, a blush covering her face. She does really like Sara. Unlike Oliver, she’s determined to appear light and joyful, even when the darkness threatens to consume her. It must be exhausting, Felicity supposes.  “I should get going.”

Dig, Felicity and Oliver share a confused look at that statement, watching as Sara moves to grab her jacket from the desk. Oliver gives Felicity’s shoulder a soft squeeze before he moves to follow Sara.

“Hey, so that's it? You're back in town for 24 hours, now you're just going to take off again?” He asks and Sara huffs out a sigh, turning to look at him with a reproachful look.

“The League of Assassins is still after me, Ollie, and staying in town would put my whole family at risk. I only came because Laurel's in trouble.” Sara explains and Felicity bites her lip, looking back at her computer for the file she pulled from the hospital records.

“Yeah, about that…” Felicity speaks up and Sara frowns, looking towards her.

“Did you find something?” Oliver asks her and Felicity shakes her head.

“Well no, not exactly. I um… The file is still being accessed but don’t you think you should stick around and see what it says before you take off?” She asks, raising her eyebrows as she looks at Sara. She tilts her head in that way that always seems to work on Oliver and Dig and smiles when Sara relents, shucking her jacket off.

“That’s a dangerous power,” Sara tells her and Felicity smiles brightly, shrugging her shoulders.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Felicity hums, making Oliver and Dig chuckle. She turns back to her desk but leans back into Oliver’s touch when his hands wrap around her shoulders.

“Thank you.” He whispers in her ear and Felicity smiles, turning her head to look at him. He smiles and leans forward, kissing her softly. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be okay?” She asks, painting the same smile she gave Dig onto her face. Oliver frowns, looking unconvinced, but Felicity sighs gratefully when the phone she uses for Arrow purposes begins to ring.

Saved by the bell.

Sara heads off to meet her father and Oliver claims that he’s going to stay at the Foundry to work out. Felicity’s not stupid, she knows that he wants to keep an eye on the tracker on Sara’s phone to make sure she doesn’t jump town but she needs to find a time to talk to Moira. As scared as that makes her, she knows that now is as good a time as any.

The maid smiles at her and lets her in, letting her know that Thea is in her room and Moira is in the parlor. Felicity thanks her with a smile and takes a deep breath, heading towards the parlor. There’s an uneasiness in her stomach, a trepidation that tells her to turn and head in the other direction, but she listens to her head which is telling her that Moira deserves a chance to explain herself.

“Moira?” She asks softly as she enters the room and the matriarch looks up at her with a soft frown. A smile spreads across her face at the sight of her and she ushers her inside.

“Hello, dear, come in, sit down.” She insists and Felicity takes a deep breath, settling herself on the sofa. “I don’t think Oliver is home just yet.”

“I know, I ugh… I just left him. He’s working out.” She tells her and Moira nods, smiling softly at her. “I um… I actually wanted to ask you about something.”

“Oh. Is this a dinner recommendation or something to do with your other work?” Moira asks and Felicity takes a deep breath, unsure of how to proceed. “I see.”

It seems that her silence is answer enough.

“Go on, it’s okay,” Moira tells her, nodding her head encouraging and Felicity takes a deep breath.

“After last year, I um… I kept an alert for anything pertaining to Tempest. A few days ago, I flagged a large wire transfer you made.” Felicity explains and watches as Moira’s face turns to stone. Her mask is obviously back up, her alarm bells going off and Felicity knows that she has struck upon the right cord.

“Well, knowing you, you didn’t leave it there.” Moira comments, her voice smooth and calculating. It’s not a tone she’s heard from Moira in a while and it’s a far cry from the warmth she’s been receiving from the woman in the past few months.

“Well, no.” Felicity comments and a perfectly quaffed eyebrow raises, prompting her to continue. “You paid a substantial sum of money to someone named Dr. Gill, the doctor who delivered Thea. Now, that didn’t make any sense, why would you be paying him eighteen years after the fact? Then I remembered your testimony and the confession that you had an affair with Malcolm Merlyn one year before Thea was born.”

“Felicity…” Moira says softly, a long breath coming out as a sigh but Felicity knows that she needs to lay all her cards on the table. She needs to give Moira all the information.

“Merlyn is Thea’s father. Dr. Gill somehow knows and you’ve been paying him for the past eighteen years to stay quiet.” Felicity states. She speaks as if they’re facts, even though the second half of her sentence is all guesswork.

“You certainly are as intelligent as my son insists you are, Felicity,” Moira tells her, the mask clear on her face. Felicity, however, having known the woman for a while now, can see the pain behind her eyes, the cracks in her mask that show Felicity the human behind the persona she tries to portray.

“I thought you deserved the chance to tell Oliver yourself. He should hear it from you. Thea too.”

“You’re a smart girl, Felicity. You’ve proved that time and time again. You’re intelligent and kind and you love my son with a fierceness I have seldom seen. You’re all I ever could have hoped for him and I am so grateful to get to see the way in which you love each other. You’re not a mother though, Felicity. You cannot know how much your heart aches when your child is in danger or in pain. It’s a feeling so completely indescribable. I will not put my children through that.”

“You really think this will stay hidden?”

“It has for eighteen years.”

“It’s different though, now. Oliver’s other activities and Thea’s growing more and more curious every day. This won’t stay secret forever. They deserve to hear it from you, Moira.” Felicity insists and watches as Moira shakes her head, her mask chipping away a little with every second.

“I… no. I can’t. I won’t. I won’t have my children hate me.”

“They’ll only hate you more if they hear it from someone else,” Felicity tells her softly, a little rattled by the sight of the usually composed woman falling apart in front of her.

“Are you really pushing me into this?” Moira asks, looking up at her with her eyes wide and Felicity freezes for a second. She knows that Moira is just pushing her buttons, trying to get her to break.

“I can’t lie to him, Moira. We aren’t like that with each other. He already knows that something’s up. I can’t keep him off the scent for much longer.” Felicity replies and Moira sighs, looking down at her hands.

“And Thea?”

“She deserves to know where she comes from.”

“She adored Robert, I can’t do that to her.”

“Robert was still her dad, no matter what. Anyone can be a father, it takes a lot more than biology to be a dad.”

“Thank you. For that.”

“Did… did Robert know?”

Moira hisses as she takes in a deep breath before slowly nodding. “The timing… it didn’t make any sense. There was no way she was his, but he still loved her as his own. They were so close.”

“Don’t you think knowing that he chose to love her, despite it all, will only improve her view of him?”

“Perhaps.”

“Hey, what’s going on in here?”

Both women jump at the familiar voice and they turn to see Oliver looking at the both of them. His concern is written all over his face and it only deepens as he notices the fact that his mother’s crying.

“Nothing, just talking about you. Secret stuff.” Felicity covers badly and Oliver sees straight through it.

“Felicity… could you…?” Moira gestures to the door and Felicity frowns, wondering what Moira’s motives are here. “I think I need to talk to my son.”

The meaning behind her words are clear and Felicity smiles softly at the woman as she nods her head and stands.

“Thank you. For giving me the chance.” Moira tells her and Felicity nods with a small smile.

“Of course.” She tells her softly before moving towards the door. She squeezes Oliver’s outstretched hand reassuringly. “I um… I’m going to go to my apartment.”

“Why? Did I… did I do something?” Oliver asks her, frowning deeply as he immediately starts looking her over as if she may be hurt. That pulls a small chuckle from her throat and she smiles, reaching up to cup his cheek.

“Not at all. I just think you need some time with your mom.” She tells him and Oliver frowns. He doesn’t argue, however, and accepts her soft kiss goodbye.

“Mom, what’s going on?” Felicity hears him ask as she makes her way down the hall and she pauses for a second, listening in for Moira’s reply.

“Take a seat, Oliver, we need to talk.”

An hour or so later, Felicity’s phone buzzes. She jumps on it but deflates when she sees that it isn’t Oliver, merely an alert telling her that Laurel’s hospital file has finally downloaded. She frowns at what she sees in the file and is going to call Sara when her phone lights up with a call from the other blonde.

“Hey Felicity, I can’t get through to Ollie.” Sara greets and Felicity sighs, running a hand through her hair.

“He’s dealing with some family stuff right now.” She explains and she hears Sara sigh.

“Oh okay. Um, could you tell him that I’m sorry but I have to go? The League is never going to leave me alone but at least if I’m away from Starling, my family will be safe.” She sounds convinced and Felicity winces.

“About that… I just got access to Laurel’s file. She tested negative for drugs. She was telling the truth, she didn’t OD.” She explains the information softly, keeping her voice calm.

“So why did she collapse?” Sara questions and Felicity sighs, biting her lip. “Felicity?”

“They found traces of snake venom in her blood, from a Tibetan pit viper.” She tells her quickly and winces as she hears Sara’s loud cuss in response.

“Digg and Roy are free,” Felicity tells her as she double checks that information on her phone using the trackers. “They’ll meet you at the Foundry. I’m sorry I can’t be more help.”

“No, you’ve been amazing, as usual. Thank you, Felicity.” Sara sounds truly grateful and Felicity smiles.

“Let me know if you need anything else, okay?” She promises, despite the fact that she thinks her brain might actually explode if she gets yet another thing piled onto her plate.

“Thank you. Ollie’s really lucky to have you.” Sara tells her and Felicity smiles as the line goes dead, pausing for a moment before she sends the information to Dig and Roy, instructing them to meet Sara at the Foundry.

Just as she puts her phone down, there’s a knock at the door. Instinctively knowing who it is, Felicity rushes to open it, her heart breaking at the sight in front of her. Oliver looks absolutely devastated, his jacket hanging from his fingertips and his shoulders slumped over in a hunch. His eyes meet hers and immediately fill with tears, a soft sob rumbling through his chest. Felicity guides him inside and to the couch. His fingers grip her tightly as she draws him into an embrace and his tears wet the skin of her neck as he gently cries into the spot that she’s quickly starting to think of as his.

“Hey, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.” She whispers softly and drags her fingers through his hair in the way that usually soothes him when he wakes up from a nightmare.

He doesn’t say a word. He merely clings to her like she’s the last thing in the world. Felicity holds him back just as tightly, whispering soft reassurances to him as best she can. Eventually, his body slumps and he falls asleep, his head pressed to her stomach and his body sprawled out across her couch. She runs her fingers through his hair and watches his face finally drop to something that resembles peaceful.

The tear tracks mare his beautiful face, the pain still evident even as he sleeps. Felicity sighs, knowing how hard this must be for him. He’s fought hard to prove to everyone that his mother is not the monster everyone believes her to be, that she doesn’t lie and manipulate in order to keep secrets. Now, to find out that she has done just that with a secret that blows their whole world apart? She can’t even imagine how painful that must be.

She startles a little when her phone rings and Felicity reaches for both it and her tablet when she sees that it’s John calling her. She knows that he’s probably looking for some remote help so she pulls up the searches she has been running, glad to see that a couple of them have proved fruitful.

“Hey Dig, listen I need to stay quiet. Oliver’s asleep, I’ll explain later.” She says as quietly as she can.

“No problem. Listen, Sara’s ex from the League, Nyssa, she took Sara’s mother. Do you think you can find anything that might help us find her?” John asks and Felicity sighs, looking through her tablet.

“All I got for you is a lead on the poison Nyssa, is it? The one that she used on Laurel.” Felicity tells John, keeping her voice soft so as to not wake Oliver.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, Tibetan pit viper venom is surprisingly difficult to transport. It starts losing its potency the moment it leaves the fangs. Yet another sentence I never thought I'd actually say out loud.” She contemplates and hears Digg chuckle a little.

“So it was bought locally?” He questions and Felicity makes a noise as to the negative.

“Not bought. Stolen.” She confirms as she watches the CCTV footage from the zoo.

“From where?”

“The zoo. A local break-in. The perps didn't steal anything, so the cops chalked it up to a bunch of kids looking for a thrill. I pulled up the zoo CCTV footage from the night of the break-in. I caught a plate. The car's a rental. The address is in the Glades. I’ll send it over now.” She tells him, doing just that as she holds the phone to her ear with her shoulder.

“Thanks, Felicity, you’re an angel.”

“Just doing my job.” She smiles and hears another chuckle from her friend. “Keep me updated, okay?”

“Will do.”

“Be safe!” She adds just before the line goes dead.

A groan from Oliver directs her attention back down to him and she smiles softly as she watches his eyes peel open. “What’s going on?” He groans and Felicity shakes her head, running her fingers through his hair.

“The others have it handled. You need to rest.” She tells him and Oliver huffs, looking up at her through wet lashes. She’s a little taken aback by how unguarded he looks in this moment and she takes a moment to appreciate the fact that she is the one this beautiful man has chosen to let into his life and open up his heart to.

“I found out a secret. I didn’t get hurt, ‘Licity.” He huffs a little but leans into the hand in his hair and Felicity shakes her head.

“Hey, you know in this house we treat emotional scars with the same deference as physical ones, thank you very much.” She reminds him and he chuckles for a moment before sighing again. He sits up and for a moment, Felicity is worried he’s going to run but he merely relaxes against the back of the sofa and reaching for her hand. He doesn’t say anything for a while, merely stares at their hands and fiddles with Felicity’s fingers gently.

“I told my mom that I’m done with her.” He finally whispers, his fingers tracing the knuckle of her index finger. “Not publicly, I wouldn’t do that to the company or to Thea, but I don’t think I can have a relationship with someone who thinks it’s okay to lie like that.”

Felicity nods her head and squeezes his hand, knowing that he needs someone to listen right now, rather than talk.

“I just… she’s kept that quiet for nearly twenty years and she would’ve happily taken it to the grave if you hadn’t found it out. She said that she did it to protect Thea. That if Thea knew then she wouldn’t be safe from Malcolm but that’s not true. She lied because it’s what she does. That’s her nature and now she’s made me into a liar as well.” His voice catches in his throat at his last sentence and he looks to Felicity with tears in his eyes.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re not your parents.” She tells him honestly, her free hand moving to rub his shoulder soothingly.

“That’s the funny thing. I feel more and more like them every day.” He sniffs and Felicity shakes her head.

“Hey, look at me.” She tells him and Oliver looks over at her. She smiles softly and reaches out, wiping his tears away gently with the backs of her fingers. “You are not your parents. You have done so much good for this city and you have made so many people’s lives better.”

Oliver scoffs and looks away. “Yeah right.”

“Hey, it’s true.” She insists and grasps his chin in her hand, forcing him to look at her. “Knowing you has changed my life. You have opened up my heart in ways I didn’t even know were possible and I could not be prouder that I get to be the person that loves such a wonderful man.”

“I don’t know what I did to deserve your belief in me.” He sighs, relaxing into her arms and Felicity sighs, pressing a kiss to his head.

“You were yourself, Oliver. That’s all you ever need to be.”

Chapter Text

Oliver wakes up with a start, confused at his surroundings until he recognizes Felicity’s room in her apartment. The events of the previous day come rushing back to him and he turns to look at the other side of the bed with a sigh. His face softens as the sight of his girlfriend, fast asleep. The sheet has fallen down off her shoulders, revealing her smooth shoulders.

He breathes in the sight of her.

Just her presence is a soothing balm.

He doesn’t care what she says, he knows he doesn’t deserve her. She’s been an absolute angel over the past few days, not that she isn’t always. Her understanding in his concern for Laurel, her never wavering dedication to the team, and he knows that his mother would have never told him about Merlyn if she hadn’t corned her in the parlor last night.

Reaching out with a shaky hand, he smiles as he pulls the soft blonde curl that’s draped across her face away from where it’s drifting towards her mouth. He savors in the silky feeling of her hair and the soft hum that she lets out as he runs his fingers through the rest of her curls.

“Hmm, morning.” She mumbles, cuddling into the sheets and Oliver smiles, leaning over her to pepper a few kisses to her temple.

“Morning, beautiful.” He smiles, unable to brood when she’s in front of him, as adorable as ever. She lets out a soft sigh and flops an arm out of the covers. She reaches up to his face and Oliver chuckles as her hand roams over his chin.

“We need to move, don’t we?” She pouts and Oliver smiles softly, grabbing her hand to interlace their fingers. He lifts her hand to his lips and kisses the back of it.

“Unfortunately so.” He sighs. He’s not looking forward to seeing his mother again but he knows that Thea will know something is wrong if he doesn’t show up at the launch of her campaign.

“How’re you feeling about all that?” Felicity asks, turning around so she’s on her side and using her free arm to prop up her head.  

“I don’t want to see her but I know I have to, for Thea’s sake. I need time to deal with all of this, but I can’t let Thea know that something’s up.” Oliver sighs, smiling softly as Felicity squeezes his hand.

“For what it’s worth, your mom did tell you. She could’ve tried to bribe me into staying silent.” She reminds him and Oliver hums, nodding his head.

“It’s worth something at least.” He shrugs and smiles as Felicity sits up and wraps her arms around him. “Thank you.” He whispers in her ear and holds her tightly against him.

“For what?” She frowns, turning to look at him but Oliver only holds her tighter and plants a kiss on the side of her head.

“For being you.”

Felicity nervously fiddles with the end of her braid.

When Thea messaged her the previous day (before everything went down), asking about what she was wearing to the press release/conference, Felicity had confusedly replied with ‘clothes?’. Thea declared the girl hopeless and reminded her that she’s supposed to stand on stage with them. That had sent Felicity into a panic until she found something in her closet this morning, fashionable and professional enough that she could wear. The white strappy top and pale pink pencil skirt are fashionable enough that it won’t land her on the ‘don’t’ pages of the city’s magazines (not that she can really believe that’s a concern in her life right now) but also muted enough that she won’t pull too much attention. Seeing as she’s there as Oliver’s girlfriend rather than in a more professional sense, she’s pulled her hair into a side fishtail braid that Thea declared upon seeing her made her look ‘youthful’.

Felicity’s reading that as a compliment because she doesn’t want to consider what that may mean otherwise.

She’s a little concerned at the way the eighteen-year-old is stalking over towards her right now as well.

“Felicity, this is a disaster!” Thea claims, waving her phone in her face and Felicity frowns, attempting to grab the girl’s wrist so that she can see what’s on the screen. She relaxes when she sees that Thea has Felicity’s Instagram page up. “I thought you were supposed to be all techy?”

“I am!” Felicity frowns defensively and Thea scoffs, turning her phone back around and tapping on the latest picture.

“Oh yeah? Then why is your latest photo from two months ago? As someone who works in the tech industry, you should understand the importance of social media in creating a good public persona.” Thea tells her, crossing her arms over her chest and Felicity smiles, though it sours when she spots Roy over Thea’s shoulder. The boy is chuckling at her and Felicity smirks as an idea comes into mind.

“Sorry, Thea, I’ll take a photo to post right now.” She tells her and then stalks over to Roy, grasping him by the wrist and tugging him out onto the balcony.

“Hey! Let me go!” The boy insists but Felicity shakes her head with a smile, passing him her phone.

“Nope. You laughed and now you have to take the photo with me.” She states and Roy sighs, opening her phone up the camera even as he complains.

“Come on… can’t I just take a photo of you?” He asks but Felicity shakes her head.

“No, because I’m going to write a caption about dating the Queen siblings or some other nonsense that the press will lap up. Get snapping, pretty boy.” She smiles and Roy lets out a disbelieving chuckle as she presses up close to him and smiles for the camera. He poses for it too and snaps the photo, the Starling skyline behind them. Felicity grins as she takes her phone back, editing it a little before she hits upload with the cheesy caption that she promised.

“Perfect, now Thea can get off my back. Thanks, Scarecrow.” She turns to walk away with a smile when Roy’s voice makes her stop.

“Scarecrow?”

“No brains.” She calls as an explanation over her shoulder, grinning at the way Roy freezes.

“I’ll get you for that one, Barbie!”

She laughs loudly, her mood instantly lighter until she rounds the corner and almost walks directly into Moira.

“Felicity! You look nice.” The matriarch tells her, her tone nervous but she smiles in approval as she looks Felicity up and down.

“Thank you. You do as well… look nice I mean! Not that you said anything else… I’m going to stop talking now.” She babbles, a blush painting her cheeks but Moira merely smiles at her.

A familiar hand lands on her back and Felicity looks up to see Oliver smiling down at her. “Dig wants to talk to us about something.” He tells her and Felicity nods her head, looking over to the crowd to see their friend lingering on the edge of it.

“Okay. Good luck, Moira.” Felicity smiles politely, accepting her nod of thanks but her smile drops when she notices the way Moira’s eyes drift to Oliver hopefully.

“Mom.” He nods at her, politely but cold for a familial affair before he guides her off towards John. Felicity just catches the heartbroken look that crosses Moira’s face before her mask goes back up again.

“Hey, how’re you?” John asks as they reach him but they both wave him off, wanting to know what’s going on with Sara and her family. Felicity filled Oliver in last night before they went to bed.

“How's Sara holding up?” Felicity asks and John winces a little, shaking his head.

“Not well. Could you try and pick up the trail on Nyssa? Mrs. Lance is running out of time.” He sighs and Felicity nods, considering it already done in her head.

“I'm on it.” She tells him and John smiles thankfully at her as Oliver's hand rubs over her back.

“Oliver. Felicity.”

They both turn at the familiar British voice and Felicity grins up at Walter.

“Walter, lovely to see you.” She tells him and he nods, smiling down at her.

“Likewise. It’s time. Oliver, are you ready to introduce your mother?” He asks and Oliver takes a deep breath, forcing a fake smile onto his face.

“With pride.” He nods and Walter nods too, gesturing towards the stage. Oliver leads Felicity up to it, helping her on the stairs with her heels and directing her over to where Thea and Roy are stood. Felicity steps up next to Roy, smirking at his overwhelmed look and she nudges her shoulder into his subtly, making him mock glare before he grins.

The press conference goes well. Felicity is worried that Oliver might go rogue but he plays nice and makes a lovely speech about his mother, with all the pomp and circumstance required for an occasion such as this.

“You did great.” Felicity smiles up at him as he helps her down from the stage and he sends her a small smile, drawing her close with an arm around her waist.

“Thanks for being here to support me. I know you don’t like all the attention.” He tells her softly and she sighs a little, smiling up at him.

“Hey, I will always support you.” She tells him and he smiles down at her, bending over to quickly peck her lips. Not long enough for the cameras to notice but just enough to show her that he truly appreciates. “We should go, check on Sara.”

“You’re right.” Oliver nods and looks up to find John, nodding his head. The other man responds in kind, moving towards the car.

“You’re leaving?” Thea asks, obviously having noticed the exchange as she approaches the couple. “We were going to have a few drinks at home to celebrate.”

“Speedy, we can’t. I have a work meeting.” Oliver lies, feigning disappointment. He is upset that he can’t spend the time with his sister but he’s glad he doesn’t have to fake that everything’s okay in front of her for much longer today.

“We’re at your company. Why are you leaving it?” The teenager frowns, gesturing to the building and Oliver freezes, confused as to how to answer that.

“The meeting’s across town. At a start-up that QC’s thinking of investing in. We should really get going sweetheart, I already pushed this back so that we could be here.” Felicity jumps in and Oliver releases a long breath. “Sorry, Thea.”

“Yeah, sorry Speedy,” Oliver tells her, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder.

“Well, are you coming home after?” She questions and Oliver and Felicity share a look.

“Well, it’s across town so we’ll probably just stay at Felicity’s tonight. Closer.” Oliver explains and Thea frowns, crossing her arms.

“When are you coming home?” She asks with a frown and Oliver laughs.

“What’s with the twenty questions, Speedy? I’ll be around. Really need to go now though. Catch you later, okay?” He smiles and leans in to peck her cheek before he grabs Felicity’s hand and drags her towards the door.

“Something is up with those two. They’re acting weird.” Thea tells Roy who laughs and shakes his head.

“They’re always weird, babe.”

“Sara!” Oliver calls as they head into the Foundry but there’s no sight of the blonde assassin and her things are gone from the table.

“The snake venom, it's gone.” John comments from his place by the med table and Oliver sighs, looking towards his bow.

“She found Nyssa.” Oliver states and Felicity nods, heading towards her systems.

“And she's going to poison her?” John asks incredulously, walking up behind them as Oliver follows her.

“We need to stop her before she does. Activate her tracer.” Oliver asks and Felicity nods, pulling up the tracker she placed on Sara’s phone and the one Oliver placed on her bo staff. The latter pulls up a result and Felicity ignores Oliver and Diggle’s conversation in the background as she tries to determine the location. When she figures out where it is, she turns back to them, surprised at the intensity of the conversation.

“Diggle, if half of the stories that I have heard about Ra's al Ghul are true, if Sara kills his daughter... We will all pay.” Oliver says and Felicity lets out a low whistle. It gains her a look from Oliver but she paints on a smile.

“Then you’d better get going.” She tells him, gesturing to his bow and he nods, heading over to grab it. “Dig, you should go as back up too.”

“You got it.” John nods and moves to grab his own weapons, leaving Felicity where she’s happiest. In her chair, manning the comms.

“Another Starling city resident back from the dead. The city’s going to get a reputation at this point.” Felicity jokes as she hears feet on the stairs but she frowns when she sees only Oliver coming down the stairs. “Where’s John?”

“He went home from the site. Said he was going to see Lyla.” Oliver explains and Felicity nods with a small smile. She stands from her seat and rights her skirt, heading over to where Oliver is placing his bow back in its display case. Once he finishes, she sidles up next to him and wraps herself around his arm, placing her chin on his shoulder.

“Hi.” She smiles and he relaxes a little, smiling down at her.

“Hi.” He replies softly, leaning his forehead against hers for a moment.

“How are you doing?” She asks, rubbing one hand soothingly up and down his arm and he smiles.

“A lot better now.” He smirks but Felicity sends him a look, reminding him that she wants to know the truth. “No, honestly, I… There’s still a lot to process about everything that’s gone down but I’m feeling surprisingly okay. Yes, I need to figure out if and what I’m going to tell Thea, I need to properly process what went down with my mom, and we still need to figure out where the mirakuru is coming from but overall, I’m doing okay. I have you. And we have Diggle, and Roy, and Sara now too. I think… I think we’re going to be okay.”

“Wow, zen Oliver Queen… I never thought I’d see the day.” She comments and he chuckles a little, sending her a mock-glare.

“Brat.” He teases, poking her in the side and she giggles. She dodges his hand and curls up to him again, standing on her toes to whisper in his ear.

“Yeah, but I’m your brat.” She tells him and smirks at the low groan he lets out before spinning and grasping her around the waist. She gasps as he lifts her full off the floor with one hand and she instinctively wraps her legs around his waist, her skirt riding up her thighs as she does so.

“My brat indeed.” He smirks and crashes his lips against hers. Felicity sighs and breathes in the taste of him, thinking that it’s been far too long since she’s had him to herself. There’s been this thing or the other and she really just needs him right now.

Never breaking their connection, Oliver walks her over to the med table and sets her down, his hand coming to frame her face as he deepens the kiss and presses himself impossibly closer to her. Felicity is just relaxing into it when steps on the stairs break them apart.

“I thought you said Digg was going home!” She insists and Oliver shrugs, taking deep breaths as they both turn to look at the interrupter.

“Not Diggle.” A decidedly female voice states and Sara steps out of the shadows. Felicity immediately frowns, seeing the tear tracks on her face and the redness around her eyes.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” She asks as she jumps down from the table and heads over to where Sara is stood. She thinks about reaching out to take her hand but she knows that Sara doesn’t really know her and might think that strange.

“Um, I’m okay. I’m sorry for interrupting, I’ll just…” She gestures towards the stairs and goes to head back out but Felicity shakes her head, catching the other blonde’s arm.

“Nope. You obviously need to talk. Oliver, scram.” She tells him and Oliver frowns, looking at her incredulously.

“Pardon?” He asks amusedly, raising his eyebrows and Felicity turns to look at him, her hand going to her hip.

“You heard me. Go. Find something to do. I’ll call you when we’re done.” She tells him and Oliver laughs, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Are you seriously kicking me out of my own base?” He laughs and Felicity nods her head with a smile.

“It may be your base, but we both know I’ve been in charge since I came down here. Now, scram.” She repeats and Oliver laughs, reaching for his bow and heading towards the stairs.

“Brat.”

“Heard that!”

“You were supposed to!” Oliver’s laugh carries down the stairs and Felicity turns a comforting smile to Sara before she pulls her over to where two stalls are sat.

“You want some coffee, tea maybe?” She offers and Sara chuckles, sitting down a little awkwardly on one of the stools.

“Um, do you just have water? Please?” She asks and Felicity nods, moving over to the mini-fridge and producing a bottle.

“Oliver and Digg had nothing down here when I joined the team. I made it very clear I was going to need some sustenance if I was going to spend this much time in a dingy basement.” Felicity chuckles, looking around at the dingy place she’s grown to love. It’s wet and damp and she knows most people would turn up their noses but it’s where she feels most at home in the city.

“You’re good for him. He’s lighter somehow.” Sara comments, fiddling with the cap on the bottle.

“He is light. He sometimes just needs to be reminded not to allow all the darkness that has surrounded him to consume him.” Felicity replies thoughtfully, sliding onto the other stool.

“He’s lucky to have you,” Sara tells her and Felicity shakes her head.

“I’m lucky to have him.” She insists and Sara smiles at her. “Anyway, what had you crying?”

“Laurel. She wasn’t as happy to see me as one might think.” Sara sighs, looking down at the bottle in her hands.

“What did she say?” Felicity pushes gently, tilting her head as she regards Sara. It’s interesting, the small blonde doesn’t have Oliver’s bravado to hide behind, and as such, she looks a lot smaller now, in this moment.

“She said that I stole her entire life from her. That I’m responsible for ending her relationship with Ollie, for Mom and Dad’s divorce, and for what’s happened the past couple of days. I mean, she’s definitely right with the last one but maybe she’s onto something with the others as well.” Sara sighs heavily but Felicity merely scoffs, shaking her head.

“Listen, Laurel is not in a good place right now. None of this was your fault, not even what happened to your family. You saved Laurel and your mother from the League. As for the other things well… Oliver is the one to blame for inviting you on that boat. He’s certainly served his time and done his penance for that, but you never would have been in that situation if he didn’t want to cheat on Laurel. Her blaming it on you is just her not wanting to blame Oliver, which is really messed up by the way and kind of anti-feminist. Men are always trying to pit us against each other, but women need to stick together and not listen to them. Stronger together and all that.” Felicity rambles a little and blushes a little when Sara chuckles softly. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re helping.” She tells her and Felicity blushes before she takes a deep breath.

“And as for your parents. Their decision to separate was theirs and theirs alone. Maybe your disappearance acted as the catalyst but no way was it the cause. People don’t just break up, not like that. There must have been cracks beforehand. It’s not like you chose to be shipwrecked, Sara. You went through hell for six years and Laurel can’t see that right now because she’s too wrapped up in her own pain. Give her time though, and hopefully, she’ll see through the bubble she’s built around herself for protection. She’ll come to see it and if she doesn’t, that’s her loss.” Felicity explains to Sara softly and the other blonde sighs.

“I just want my sister back.”

Sara seems so small in that moment, like a lost girl who has no idea how to get home. Felicity considers that she’s been hiding and running for so long, she probably never did quite get past that twenty-year-old that went down on the Gambit.

Felicity can’t help herself. She leans forward and wraps her arms around the older girl. Sara lets out a small squeak of surprise before sighing and relaxing into the embrace.

“Thank you.” She eventually whispers and Felicity smiles.

“Glad to help.” She replies just as softly before she pulls back. “Sorry, I know you were probably wanting to talk to Oliver. I just know that he doesn’t do great with all the emotional stuff.”

“No, you’re right. I think a dose of Felicity Smoak was exactly what I needed.” Sara smiles softly, managing a wink and Felicity blushes, smiling back.

“So, what’s next?” Felicity asks, settling back onto her own stool as Sara heaves a long sigh.

“I don’t know.” She comments, looking around the Foundry as a small smile crosses her face. “I know one thing though.”

“And what’s that?”

“I think I’m finally ready to come home,” Sara tells her and Felicity can’t help the smile that spreads across her face.

Chapter Text

The next week continues with much of the same.

Sara starts to find her place on the team, proving that she truly is a badass, as she starts to acclimatize to being back in the light of Starling as well as the dark.

Roy spends more and more time down in the Foundry and Felicity finds that she and the boy are truly bonding. They’re developing a very sibling-like bond, he irritates her to no end but they get on very well, teasing and joking becoming second nature.

John is as John always seems to be, steady. He doesn’t spend so much time in the Foundry as he used to, having something to go home to now and it makes both Oliver and Felicity immensely happy to see their friend happy and looking forward to a future with the woman he definitely still loves.

Oliver is coping with immense strength. Taking each day as it comes, they’ve settled into a nice rhythm. He’s staying at Felicity’s, not wanting to be around his mother as he still comes to terms with the idea of his sister being his half-sister. They’re running out of excuses to make to Thea but making time to see her and spend with her seems to throw her off the scent a little.

Before Felicity even realizes, they’re halfway through February.

She doesn’t know where the time’s gone or what the rest of the year is going to hold but as she wakes on the morning of the fourteenth, she knows that somehow, they’ll find a way to work things out in the end.

“And she’s alive.”

Felicity frowns, looking from the empty other side of the bed to the doorway where Oliver is stood with a smirk on his face and a tray in his hands. It’s filled with food and what smells like coffee. Felicity immediately lights up, sitting up and dragging the sheet up to cover her body.

“What’s all this?” She asks softly, brushing her hair back from her face and huffing when it simply just flops back in her eyes. Oliver chuckles and places the tray down on the bed before reaching towards the nightstand and handing her a hair tie. “Thank you.”

She smiles brightly at him and ties it out the way, finally able to look at him properly. He looks as gorgeous as ever and she reaches for him, tugging him down next to her with her arms around his bare chest.

“This is breakfast.” He smiles as he wraps his own arm around her shoulders and Felicity can’t help but grin as she relaxes. She looks over at the tray, practically salivating as she looks over what Oliver’s cooked.

“Ooo! Eggs, hash browns, and pancakes? You certainly are spoiling me.” She says excitedly, looking up at him with a wide grin and Oliver chuckles, bending over to press his lips to hers softly.

“You deserve to be spoiled. Happy Valentine’s Day, beautiful.”

“Hmm, Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Felicity sighs contently as they pull away and Oliver moves to carefully move the tray closer to them. She wouldn’t have believed it if someone told her three months ago that this is where she’d be, spending Valentine’s morning in bed with the man she’s been in love with for the past year and a half. The fact that he loves her too, that they’ve made that commitment to each other… it means so much to her. Especially when she knows how hard he finds it to express how he’s feeling and open up to others.

“You okay?” Oliver asks, jolting her out of her wondering and she smiles, nodding her head and accepting the cup of coffee he hands her.

“Just thinking that I love you.” She tells him a little coyly, holding the mug up in front of her face and he chuckles, that natural smile that makes her feel like goo spreading across his face.

“I love you too.” He replies and they stare at each other for a moment, everything else they want to tell each other passing through that eye contact. “Now, come on. Food.”

“Right, we need to get to work. What is the time?” Felicity frowns, accepting the plate that Oliver hands her with a wide grin.

“It’s about half seven. We’ve got a good hour before we need to leave.” He confirms and Felicity nods her head. “I hate that we’re barely going to be alone today.”

“We don’t have to go to the gala,” Felicity tells him for what feels like the billionth time.

The Starling City Rockets are hosting a Valentine’s Day gala for charity and all the prominent business people in the city will be in attendance. It’s a fantastic opportunity to network and one that QC can’t really afford to miss at the moment. They certainly can’t handle the bad press that will stem from missing it when the gossip rags are expecting Starling City’s new favorite couple to make an appearance.

Felicity’s sort of looking forward to it actually, despite it meaning that her and Oliver can’t have a particularly traditional Valentine’s Day. She loves seeing Oliver in a suit, the ones fancier than what he wears every day to the office, and there is something kind of nice about getting all dressed up and going out together as a couple.

They can slob around the house, order takeout and watch movies any day.

“No, it’ll only look worse if we pull out now.” Oliver sighs and Felicity smiles, reaching over to grab his hand. She rubs her thumb soothingly over the back of his hand and he smiles.

“We can always sneak away a little early,” Felicity suggests and Oliver raises an eyebrow, that smirk spreading across his face.

“Are you propositioning me, Miss Smoak?” He asks, the humor evident in his voice and Felicity giggles.

“I may have purchased something that I think may interest you.” She shrugs, pretending to be far more interested in her plate of food.

“Oh really? Care to elaborate?” Oliver asks and she grins.

“Oh, let’s just say it involves lace and not much else.” She comments nonchalantly, biting her lip to stop her laughter when she hears Oliver’s strained groan.

“You’re going to kill me, woman.”

She offers him a fork full of pancake with a giggle.

They take their time with breakfast and Oliver jumps in the shower whilst Felicity sips her way through another cup of coffee.

Oliver is in the kitchen when she finally emerges and he can’t stop the smile that spreads across his face at the sight of her. She’s wearing an outfit he’s seen before. She had it on when they were in Russia. The gauzy black blouse that is appropriate for the workplace but the neckline of which tapers into a V that promises something more. The deep pink, almost red skirt that hugs her curves in all the right places and finally the boots. The ones that drive him crazy, the leather stopping just above her knees and the heel accentuating her toned calves.

“You look beautiful.” He smiles and she does too, walking towards him with her hands behind her back. She keeps them there as she rises onto her toes to press a kiss to his lips and Oliver spots the gold wrapped box clutched in her hand.

“Thank you.” She blushes a little as they pull away and she produces the box from behind her back. She presents it to him with a slight flourish that has Oliver laughing as he takes it from her. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”

“You didn’t have to… Okay, okay, I’m opening it.” Oliver snorts at the look on Felicity’s face and pulls the gold wrapping paper away from the present he’s holding. Opening the box, he smiles at the sight of a leather-bound notebook. No one knows him better than the woman in front of him. They’ve never discussed his journal but she’s obviously seen it and to notice that he’s coming towards the end of the one he’s using? God, he loves her. “It’s wonderful. Thank you, angel. I love it.”

“Really? I noticed that you liked to write in the one that you have and you were coming to the end of it.” She smiles slightly shyly and Oliver grins, nodding his head.  

“I love it.” He tells her honestly and leans in to softly kiss her. As they pull apart, Oliver reaches to the counter behind him where his gift has been sat. “I may have something for you also.”

“What’s that look for?” Felicity immediately discerns, her eyebrows dragged down into a frown and Oliver smiles.

“There may be a few other things appear throughout the day.” He admits with a smug smile and Felicity sighs, her face falling as she gives him an admonishing look.

“Oliver…” She starts but Oliver shakes his head, interrupting her with his best charming smile.

“As I said, you deserve to be spoiled. Go on, open it.” He urges, pressing the box into her hands. She raises an eyebrow at him and he smiles, nodding at the box to encourage her. She shakes her head with an affectionate smile and tears off the wrapping paper, revealing the box below. She hums for a second before opening that up, pulling out the Styrofoam and the gift with a gasp. She laughs loudly as she reveals the TARDIS shaped coffee travel mug, her eyes lighting up like they always do when she sees anything to do with her favorite show.

“Oh my gosh! This is amazing! I love it!” She laughs, spinning it around it her hand and she looks over to Oliver, her eyes bright and full of light. This is how Oliver adores her, reminding him of all the good in the world.

“You like it? I know it’s not much but as I said, there’s more coming.” He tells her and she rolls her eyes, stepping up closer to him with a grin on her face.

“Don’t be such a numpty. It’s awesome! Thank you so much!” She tells him brightly, rising up onto her toes to press her lips against his and he grins, kissing her back.

By the time they’ve pulled away from each other, they need to head to the office and Felicity is very excited as Oliver makes her a coffee to go in her new travel mug. They settle into their daily work, smiling at each other through the glass wall that separates them, and the day starts like most others.

That is until lunchtime.

Felicity looks up as someone approaches from the elevator and she frowns at the sight of a flower delivery man holding a gorgeous bouquet of blue and white flowers.

“Hi, I have a delivery for a Miss Smoak?” The flower delivery guy asks and Felicity frowns. She looks over at Oliver through the glass that separates them but he’s concentrating on something on his desk. “Is there a Miss Smoak here, ma’am?”

“Oh yes, sorry, that’s me.” She startles, turning back to the delivery man with a smile. He places the bouquet on her desk and holds out the tablet for her to sign.

“Thank you, ma’am, have a nice day. Happy Valentine’s!”

“Thank you. Happy Valentine’s Day.” She calls after him before she turns back to look at Oliver. He’s still looking down at his work but she can see a smile pulling at his lips. Shaking her head amusedly, she stands and moves around her desk to stand in front of the bouquet.

Smiling at the sight of a card nestled in between the flowers, she plucks it out and quickly opens it.

Felicity,

I went back and forth about whether or not to send you flowers today, I didn’t want you to think that I was just doing customary, bland things and not putting much thought into them. That’s why this bouquet has been customized with the three flowers that remind me of you.

Daisies are bright and beautiful, but they’re also known to represent love in its purest sense. The flower itself is actually two and therefore, they’ve come to represent two souls that love together in harmony. Harmony may not be the word to describe our everyday lives but it’s what I feel when I’m around you.

White carnations symbolize pure love and good luck. I’ve often thought that you are my good luck charm. They also signify courage, happiness, and loyalty, all of which you give to and inspire within me every day.

To the Greeks, the iris flower represented the goddess who traveled between the land of the gods and mortals on a rainbow. The flower means the promise of a message and hope. You give me hope, Felicity. You inspire me to remain faithful to my morals and to be the best person I can be, the person you’ve always believed I can become.

Happy Valentine’s Day, angel, thank you for making every day I spend with you the best one so far.

All my love,

Your Secret Admirer

“Got a secret admirer, have you, Miss Smoak?”

Oliver’s low voice in her ear makes her jump but she collects herself quickly, smiling coyly at him over his shoulder.

“It seems so. They didn’t leave a name on the note though. So sad, I would’ve liked to thank them.” She tells him with a mock pout, pressing back against him when his hands land on her desk on either side of her, effectively trapping her where she is.

“Maybe they weren’t looking for gratitude.” He continues, his lips pressed against her ear and Felicity shivers a little as his teeth scrape her industrial piercing.

“Maybe. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t show that I am grateful though.” She tells him, twisting her head to look at him and he sends her a sheepish smile. The illusion falls away and Felicity smiles, turning in his arms to wrap her arms around his neck. “They’re beautiful and the note was perfect. Thank you.”

“As I said earlier, you deserve a little spoiling.” He smiles down at her, it only growing as she rises onto her toes and quickly kisses him.

“Well, Mr. Queen, two can play at that game.” Felicity smiles as she hears the ding of the elevator and sure enough, the delivery man reception just informed her was downstairs appears.

“Delivery for Miss Smoak?” He asks and Felicity smiles, untangling herself from Oliver with a smile and taking the outstretched bag.

“Thank you very much. Happy Valentine’s Day!” She tells him and the man chuckles, nodding his head.

“Happy Valentine’s Day. Enjoy your food.” He smiles, nods respectfully at Oliver and then turns to head back to the elevators.

“What have you ordered?” Oliver asks, smirking as she practically skips over to her. He’s always impressed by her nimbleness, especially when she’s wearing those sky-high heels she has such an affinity for.

“Someone’s favorite Italian.” She smiles, wafting the smell of the bag under his nose before she moves towards his office. Oliver smirks as she smiles coyly over her shoulder and he stumbles to follow her, watching the deliberate sway of her hips in that goddamn skirt.

Oliver watches from the door as she pulls things out of the bag. He truly doesn’t know how he’s lucky enough to spend his time with this angel. She’s gorgeous.

“Are you going to come eat or just stare at me from the door?” Her soft voice teases and Oliver snorts, shaking his head.

“You didn’t have to do this.” Oliver smiles as he pushes off of the door and moves towards her. He slides in next to her on the couch and she smiles at him, shaking her head.

“If someone’s going to be spoiled... we may as well spoil each other.” She tells him, grinning widely and Oliver chuckles, nodding his head as he relents.

“I suppose that seems like a fair arrangement.” He hums and she nods her head, knocking her shoulder against his.

“Now eat. We don’t have a lot of time and you should probably go over the file I sent you earlier before your meeting with Kord Industries later. It’s a lot of tech jargon.” She prompts and Oliver nods, reaching forward to grab the container she gestures to. Oliver groans at the sight of his favorite food, smiling over at Felicity.

“Have I ever told you that you’re my favorite?” He asks and Felicity chuckles with a quick roll of her eyes.

“I’d hope so, mister. Food, eat.” She insists and Oliver laughs, picking up his fork.

“Romantic.” He winks, laughing at Felicity’s flabbergasted expression.

“We’ve got time for romance later, mister. Right now, it’s business.” She tells him and Oliver nods, unable to keep the goofy grin off his face at the sight of her clearly enjoying her own food.

The rest of the day passes like any normal day at the office. Felicity catches Oliver smiling dopily at her every now and then but truthfully, that’s kind of par for the course with them now.

That’s her dork.

As Oliver wraps up his last meeting, Felicity is just finishing a few things of her own for the day when she notices a looming presence over her desk. Looking up, she resists the urge to sigh at the sight of Isabel. Her day has been going so well.

“Good evening, Miss Smoak.” The perfectly composed woman smiles, brushing her hair out of her face and Felicity fakes a smile of her own, sitting up straight.

“Hello, Miss Rochev. I didn’t realize you’d be in today.” Felicity comments, moving a few things around her desk.

“Yes well, I thought I ought to be here for that last meeting. Important decisions were made. Oliver handled it quite well.” Isabel comments and Felicity nods, a tight smile pulling at her lips.

“He was well prepared.” She returns but Isabel doesn’t take the bait, instead looking over at the bouquet at the edge of the desk.

“Those are pretty.” The CEO smiles and Felicity nods, her smile turning a little more genuine as she thinks of Oliver’s gestures.

“A Valentine’s gift.”

“Oliver doesn’t seem like the Valentine type.” Isabel frowns and Felicity chuckles, thinking of how attentive he’s been all day.

“You’d be surprised.” She returns, gaining a raised eyebrow from the vile woman.

“Isabel. I thought you said you had a meeting to rush off to.” Oliver’s voice cuts through the awkward lull and Felicity smiles as his hand lands gently on her shoulder. He squeezes gently, raising an eyebrow in question when she looks up at him but she shakes her head. Isabel seems to be in the holiday spirit which is confusing because Felicity was so sure that she doesn’t have a soul.

“I do. I was just distracted by Miss Smoak’s lovely arrangement here. She informs me they’re from you and I merely commented that you don’t seem like the flowers type.” Isabel repeats, smiling tightly at Oliver but he doesn’t take the bait either. He merely smiles and tightens his hold on Felicity’s shoulder.

“Well you know what they say, sometimes it takes the right woman to come along.” He replies charmingly and Felicity blanches as he bends over her to plant a kiss in her hair.

“Yes, well, I should get going. Have a nice evening.” Isabel smiles tightly, adjusting her bag on her arm before she moves towards the door.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Miss Rochev!” Felicity can’t resist calling after her and Isabel freezes, turning to smile and nod at her. Felicity can see how much it’s straining on her face before she rushes to the elevator. “How hard do you think that was for her?”

Felicity giggles as she leans back against Oliver, her head lolling on his stomach so that she can look up at him. He chuckles at her and massages his hands into her shoulders. “She’s probably coming out in hives.”

“Mister Queen, Miss Smoak.”

Felicity jolts at the voice and sits up in her seat when she sees Ted Kord smiling at the two of them.

“Apologies Mister Kord. I did not realize anyone was still here.” She blushes, smoothing over her skirt. She relaxes a little when Oliver’s hands give her shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

“No worries at all Miss Smoak. It’s nice to see a little affection in these cold corporate situations. Oliver here is very lucky to have such a brilliant and beautiful woman by his side.” The CEO smiles and Felicity blushes, instinctively looking down at her skirt.

“Oh! Thank you, Mister Kord. That’s very kind of you.” She flushes, brushing off her skirt and the man in front of her smiles charmingly.

“I’ll see you out, Ted,” Oliver says curtly, his voice a little clipped as he squeezes Felicity’s shoulders once more before letting her go. He walks around the table and Ted nods his head.

“I’ll see you soon, Miss Smoak.” He tells her and Felicity nods, painting her corporate smile on her face.

“Yes, thank you. I look forward to it, Mister Kord.” She nods and smiles a little as she watches Oliver’s hand clench by his side.

Ted Kord is no competition for him. He’s old and looks rather like a rat but it’s a little fun to poke at Oliver’s overprotective tendencies. He needs to be kept on his toes sometimes.

She gathers her things as Oliver leads him to the elevators and by the time he’s back, she’s pulling her coat over her clothes.

“Thank goodness. I thought that day was never going to end.” Oliver groans and Felicity chuckles, reaching out towards him. He falls into her embrace, groaning as she runs her hands over his back.

“We don’t have to go tonight if you’re too tired.” She tells him but Oliver shakes his head as they pull back.

“And miss the chance to see you in formal wear? Not a chance.” He tells her with a smirk and Felicity snorts, sending him back towards his office with a small shove.

“Incorrigible.” She rolls her eyes but she’s unable to keep the smile off her face.

“You almost ready to go?”

Oliver snaps his head up at the sound of Felicity’s voice and immediately, he loses his breath. She’s standing by the couch and Oliver can only watch as she fits her shoe on her foot before standing tall, brushing her hands over her dress.

She looks absolutely stunning.

 Her dress is thin blue satin and clings to her like a second skin. Oliver can see every contour of her body with the material gaping a little around the waist. She smiles and turns a little, revealing her back to him. Oliver chokes on air a little at the expanse of skin on display, only the two thin spaghetti straps marring her entire back. The material creates a shallow V at the small of her back, only adding more allure to the outfit. Her hair is in its natural curls, tamed a little but shortening the length of her usually long locks. Her makeup is simple and highlights her natural beauty with a bright red color painted on her lips. She’s wearing the diamond and arrow bracelet he bought her for Christmas and, whilst the dress makes them difficult to see, he can see silver heels poking out from the dress.

“You know, I see you in a suit every day but there’s just something about suits made for occasions like this…” She tells him, her eyes swooping across his frame. He knows that look, he’s been lucky enough to have been on the receiving end of it for quite some time now.

“I’m going to pale in comparison stood next to you. You look absolutely stunning.” He tells her once he finally gets control of his brain and she smiles, that gorgeous blush dancing across her cheeks.

“Thank you but you’re wrong. I’ll be bating people away from you all night in that suit.” She grins and Oliver chuckles, extending his hand towards her.

“You’re the only one I care about.” He promises her and she smiles, taking his hand and stepping closer to him.

“I know that, I’m only teasing.” She smiles and he grins up at her, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. “We should think about making a move.”

“One moment.” He tells her and tugs gently on her hand. She frowns down at him but smooths her skirt as she sits close to him on the couch. He smirks at her long sigh as he reveals the present box.

“Oliver…” She tells him begrudgingly and Oliver smirks, shaking his head.

“I already bought it, it’d be rude to refuse it now.” He tells her and she rolls her eyes, taking the box with an exasperated sigh.

“What am I going to do with you?” She questions and he grins, watching as she pulls the ribbon and the lid off of the jewelry box.

“I knew I had to get them when you showed me your dress the other day.” He comments as he watches her face light up at the sight of the earrings. They’re shaped like blooming blue irises, dropped from the silver that threads through the piercing in the ear. They’re delicate, beautiful and they instantly reminded him of his girl. He spoke the truth, he had left them where they were until she showed him the dress she’s wearing tonight. Then he knew he had to go back.

“They’re absolutely gorgeous, Oliver. Thank you.” She smiles up at him. There’s that look in her eyes, the one that tells him how genuine she is in her words. That’s one of the many things that makes Oliver fall even more in love with her. Women used to expect gifts and displays of his money but with Felicity, he can tell how truly appreciative she is of what he gives her. That, combined with simply wanting to make her as happy as she makes him, only motivates him to spoil her more.

Oliver watches as she swaps out the simple drop earrings she had in for the flowers and he grins, they’re only more beautiful on her. He tells her as much and she smiles, moving closer to kiss him. It’s soft and slow and everything he adores.

As she pulls away and stands, extending her hand out towards him to pull him up, Oliver knows that there’s truly no one else he could imagine being this happy with.

Isabel growls as she looks over the article on her tablet. She absolutely detests the way the media has taken to this ‘relationship’.

“You’re too emotional about this, Isabel,” Slade comments as he looks over at her. He’s sat in his chair, looking over something on his laptop as he taps his forefinger on his thumb.

“I just don’t understand what’s interesting about Oliver and his little pet waving their relationship under everyone’s nose.” She huffs, placing her tablet down on the table.

“It’s a ruse. I know Queen. There’s no way he’s moved on from Miss Lance.” Slade comments and Isabel frowns. Slade’s been talking about the Lance girl and her role in his plan since she teamed up with him but Isabel is dubious about Oliver’s attachment to her.

“You haven’t seen them together. I think you’re overplaying your hand.” She tells her boss. She doesn’t like Oliver, she certainly doesn’t like Felicity, but she can’t deny what she’s seen between the two of them. What she saw yesterday at the office…

“I don’t take my orders from you, Isabel. I have a plan and I’m going to execute it perfectly. Oliver Queen will never see it coming and soon, he’ll be hurting just as he hurt me all those years ago.” Slade comments and rises, walking out of the room. Isabel frowns and looks back to her tablet, her faith in Slade’s plan wavering.

Felicity's earrings: 

Chapter Text

The Foundry is filled with the sounds of sticks hitting against one another. Felicity doesn’t begrudge the rest of the team their training, she knows it’s what keeps them alive in the field, but she does sometimes wish they wouldn’t do it right next to her work station. Taking a deep breath, she decides the hack can wait until later and stands, moving a few paces to watch the three vigilantes.

Both of the guys are shirtless and Sara’s in her sports bra as she expertly defends herself against the two of them. Felicity’s a little intimidated by the amount of muscle on display from Digg’s arms to both Sara and Oliver’s impressive abs. It also scares her a little, the sound of the sticks makes her jump and they all come so close to hitting each other.

Suddenly the sound changes and Felicity freezes.

“Digg!” She squeals as she watches the stick smack across Sara’s face and they all immediately still.

“Sara, I'm so sorry.” Digg hisses, dropping his stick and taking a step towards her. The blonde shakes her head and heads towards the table where she places her own stick.

“It's ok, I'm fine.” She promises but Felicity frowns as she holds her hand to her head. She looks over at Oliver to see him frowning deeply too as he moves towards her.

“Let me see.” He orders but Sara turns away. “Let me see.” He insists and Sara huffs, pulling her hair back to show him her forehead properly. “She's bleeding, but it's not deep.”

Felicity lets out a soft sigh she didn’t even realize she was holding. She feels a little strange, stood on the opposite of the Foundry, her dress and heels a world away from the trio’s workout clothes, her groomed ponytail and bright nails a stark contrast to their sweaty bodies.

“Good, I can't take any more scars. Speaking of… Mortar round?” Sara asks, gesturing to Digg and what ensues is a conversation that Felicity truly struggles to follow which is a rarity for her. She’s used to being the most intelligent person in any given room but when it comes to the marks weapons leave on the body, the trio in front of her have her beat a million times over.

“Yeah, IED, the Paktika province in Afghanistan. Good eye.”

“I know my wounds. Grenade. Algiers.”

“I've never been hit by a grenade.”

“All those scars, you've never been hit by a grenade?”

“Arrow, knife, knife. A lot of bullets, no grenades.”

“I've got myself a new bullet. Nine millimeters, right there.”

“38. I'm mostly swords, and a spear.”

Felicity supposes this is what it must feel like to hear her babble about tech and hacking. She’s following the general thread of the conversation but there are parts of it that she truly has no idea what they’re talking about.

However, because her brain is truly the worst thing to have ever existed on this earth, she’s speaking before she can fully process what she’s about to say.

“I have a scar.” She comments and all three of them spin to look at her. Sara and Digg look mostly intrigued but she can see a look of disbelief in Oliver’s eyes. He is the only one of the three, of course, who may have seen any scars she has and there’s also that thread of concern behind it. “It's in my mouth. I had my wisdom teeth removed when I was 16. Three stitches. They were really badly impacted.”

All three of their faces turn fond as she explains herself, gesturing to her mouth and Oliver chuckles as he drops his own stick.

“You're still cute.” Sara comments and Felicity flushes. There’s something about Sara and her entirely innocent flirting that makes Felicity a little giggly.

“Um… what is this?” Oliver asks, walking over to her and gesturing between her and Sara. The latter lets out a peal of laughter, shaking her head.

“Jealous, Ollie?” She questions, winking at Felicity as she giggles.

“Yeah? Jealous?” Felicity asks softly, trying to ignore the effect that Oliver’s exposed, sweaty chest is having on her. He looks down at her, that look on his face that tells her he knows exactly what she’s doing.

“No, because I’m the only one with the opportunity to find that scar.” He comments, keeping his gaze on Felicity even as Sara bursts out laughing and Digg chuckles as well. Felicity blushes, running her bottom lip between her teeth and Oliver winks, making her smile. They stay there, standing impossibly close to each other, their eyes locked until Digg clears his throat loudly to signal that’s it’s reached a rather uncomfortable length of time.

“We have a party to get to.” Felicity breathes heavily, stepping back from Oliver and turning to look at Sara with a smile.

“You didn't have to throw me a party.” Sara huffs, looking at the two of them reproachfully and Felicity shrugs, acting innocent as she gestures towards Oliver.

“Sara, when you come back from the dead, you get a party. It's a Queen family tradition.” Oliver comments and Sara chuckles, shaking her head.

“I don't know how well that's going to work with the Lance family tradition of holding grudges forever.” She comments, looking between them all with a knowing look in her eye. Felicity feels bad for Sara, Laurel is still not talking to her despite the time that’s past since she’s been back and all the other girl wants is to reconnect with her sister.

“I’m sure she'll come around soon.” Felicity offers hopefully and Sara smiles at her sadly, shrugging her shoulders.

“Maybe.” Sara comments and Felicity smiles.

“Is the woman who survived a deserted island and a stint with a league of actual assassins seriously scared of a cocktail party?” Felicity questions and Sara laughs, shaking her head.

“I suppose not.” She comments and lets out a long breath.

“Go on, all of you get ready,” Felicity tells them and the three of them share an amused look before they head towards the bathrooms.

Sara stands back as she watches everyone move and mingle in the Queen’s sitting room. She’s happy that she’s revealed herself to be alive to everyone, the chance to interact with her mother and others like Thea is something she never thought she’d have again. She truly does wish that Laurel were here, however. When the Gambit went down, she had been mortified at the idea of her sister mourning both herself and Ollie when they’d been in the process of having an affair behind her back. No matter what Felicity told her a few weeks ago, Sara got on the boat of her own volition, despite how convincing pre-island Ollie could be, she had the chance to say no. She’d chosen petty jealousy over her sister and whilst she never could have predicted the tragedy that ensued, it’s one of her most shameful moments when she looks back on it. She prays that Laurel comes around soon, to be able to heal that bond with her sister would truly mean everything to Sara.

Sighing heavily, she tries to forget her disagreement with Laurel and appreciate the fact that all these people came out to welcome her home. Her gaze lands on Oliver and Felicity who are speaking with Thea. Oliver looks as if he’s trying to convince his sister of something. Probably the immense tension between him and Moira, Sara thinks. She can’t help the smile that crosses her face as she watches the way that, even though they’re talking to Thea, Oliver and Felicity are still so connected. Truthfully, when Sara first returned to Starling to check on her family after the earthquake and she discovered Ollie and his crusade, she had been so sure that she would find a dark, brooding version of the boy she once knew as consumed by darkness as she felt. To begin with, it had certainly seemed that way. His green alter ego and his determination to take down the evil within his city didn’t seem like it would leave much room for light and happiness.

Then he’d taken her down into his lair and introduced Sara to his team.

From the moment Sara laid eyes on Felicity Smoak, her top covered in bright pink flowers and her sky-high heels despite the dark and dingy underground lair, she had known there was something about her and that that something was connected to Oliver’s flickering light. It’s only grown more intense since Sara’s come back fully and it makes her smile to see that Oliver is allowing that light and the happiness that Felicity brings him into his life.

“Hey, you okay?”

Sara looks up at the voice and smiles at the sight of Felicity stood in front of her, a concerned look on her face.

“Yeah, this is really nice. Thank you.” She smiles and Felicity shakes her head.

“It was mostly all Oliver, he’s a lot more compassionate than he gives himself credit for.” Felicity chuckles and Sara grins.

“I think you have more to do with that than you give yourself credit for.” She comments and Felicity shrugs, a light blush on her face. “I was wondering something earlier.”

“Oh?” Felicity asks, shifting on her feet as she looks at Sara in anticipation.

“The guys, have they trained you at all? I know that’s obviously not your area of expertise but with what you guys do…” Sara frowns, trailing off as she tries to think of a way to word what she’s saying. It seems irresponsible to her, to have Felicity so involved in this mission and not have her be able to at least defend herself.

“Digg taught me some basic self-defense. I can certainly protect myself from the average thug.” Felicity smiles and Sara laughs as she does some strange ‘karate-chop’ like action with her hands.

“And the above-average thug?” She questions and watches as Felicity stills, obviously thinking for a second before she shrugs, a smile spreading across her lips.

“Those two keep a pretty close eye on me.” She replies, gesturing over to where Oliver and Digg are stood. They both quickly look away and Sara laughs, shaking her head. She knows that the two of them are immensely protective of Felicity, she can see that in everything they do but she wonders….

“Ollie’s never even offered?” Sara asks and is surprised when Felicity laughs, biting her lip.

“He’s offered and we’ve tried a couple of times but if I’m being honest, I like training with Digg more. He’s less scared of hurting me.” Felicity explains and Sara nods.

“Ah.” That honestly makes a lot more sense. He’s seen the way Oliver is with Felicity, as if he’s always afraid of hurting her. He’s tender and oh so sweet with her. The fact that he wants to help her protect herself but struggles with training her makes a lot of sense to Sara.

“Don’t tell Oliver that!” Felicity insists and Sara laughs, nodding her head.

“Your secret’s safe with me.” She smiles, winking as she pretends to zip and lock her lips.

“Phew.” Felicity smiles, running a hand over her brow and Sara chuckles. She can see why everyone seems so taken with Felicity.

“I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to learn a few moves from me some time? I’m sure Diggle’s great, don’t get me wrong, but you and I have more similar body types.” Sara takes a deep breath as she poses her question. She’s unsure as to why she’s nervous about asking Felicity this, perhaps her lack of ability to reconnect with Laurel has impacted her confidence in her social skills. She feels a breath of relief as a wide smile spreads across Felicity’s face.

“You know, I would really love that.” She tells her and Sara grins.

“Awesome. I’m not doing anything tomorrow?” She offers and Felicity nods.

“Tomorrow sounds great.” She replies and Sara smiles, nodding her head. They both freeze as Felicity’s phone buzzes and Sara subtly looks across the room to see her father answering a call. She catches Oliver’s eye and he and Diggle make their way over, ready to face whatever is happening.

The skeleton key and the minute hand in Walczak are concerning but Felicity must admit that she’s happy to have something to do that’s not trying to trace the mirakuru which is still coming up cold. The algorithm she’s running to try and find a connection between the skeleton key and the mainly muscle dead man is taking it’s time however and she sighs, the boredom taking over the empty Foundry.

She’s really waiting for Sara to arrive so that the badass can show her some of her defensive moves. If she’s being honest, she’s a little intimidated at the thought of doing any form of exercise in front of Sara. She’s the fittest and strongest woman Felicity’s ever met and well… Felicity likes to eat an entire share pack of chips and a pint of ice cream in one sitting. Her stamina is really not at its best. She’s also, however, really excited. The little time she’s spent with the former assassin has shown Felicity that she’s a riot to be around and if there’s something Felicity needs, it’s positive female companionship. The negativity of Isabel at QC combined with all her free time being spent in the Foundry with Oliver and Digg means that she rarely gets to spend time around other girls, her movie nights and sparse shopping trips with Thea being the exception.

“That is quite the look.”

Felicity turns at the voice and she smiles at the sight of Sara stood a few feet away. She’s gotten far more used to being surprised by members of the team in the Foundry as time has gone on. She’s still determined that she’s going to place a bell around Oliver’s neck, however, but that’s simply because he has a habit of grabbing her by the waist or tickling her when she doesn’t know he’s there.

“Oh yeah well, I wanted to be prepared,” Felicity replies as she stands from her seat, gesturing to her outfit. She doesn’t spend as much time as she’d like working out but every so often she manages to squeeze in some time on the treadmill or get in a yoga class at the gym and she does have the arsenal of clothes to prepare her for that, even if she’s generally only seen in her dresses and skirts.

“You ready to start?” Sara asks and Felicity nods, following Sara over to the punching bag. “Okay, show me how you’d land a punch.”

Felicity frowns but moves in front of Sara. She stands with her feet apart, holds her core and swings her fist as best she can. Sara nods and gestures her hand, encouraging Felicity to continue to punch. Felicity does, landing them consecutively as hard as she can.

“Not bad. Plant your feet further apart. The stronger your foundation is, the stronger your punch will be.” Sara tells her after a moment, moving behind her. Felicity startles a little as she grasps her hips and forces one of her legs back, widening her base. She looks back at the other blonde who nods and lands another punch. It’s harder, the sound that resonates around the Foundry much louder. “Nice. In terms of self-defense, have you considered martial arts?”

“I’ve never really thought about it,” Felicity replies honestly and Sara nods, moving around the dummy.

“I'd recommend Wing Chun. It uses your opponent's strength against him. So it's ideal for smaller people like us.” Sara explains, batting against the dummy in a way that Felicity supposes is an example of this martial art she’s speaking of. She has to admit, it makes her smile to hear Sara refer to them as if they are one and the same. She would never place herself on the same level as Sara in anything regarding physical activity but Sara just has.

“Is that what the aerial silks stuff comes from?” Felicity asks with a grin, whirling her hands around each other as she recalls the way that Sara is able to spin herself down from the ceiling on two pieces of silk.

“That? That’s just League of Assassins flair for the dramatic.” Sara winks and Felicity laughs, the two of them turning at the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

“Where are we with the skeleton key?” Oliver asks as he reaches the bottom of the stairs but then he freezes, taking in the sight in front of him. “What’s going on here?”

 “Just showing your girl some moves.” Sara comments with a casual smirk and Felicity can’t help the way her heart clenches a little when Oliver looks over at her with wide, confused eyes. He looks like someone’s just kicked his puppy and, whilst a year ago she’d have laughed at the idea of calling Oliver Queen adorable, that’s exactly what he is right now.

“You said you didn’t want to train anymore.” He says and Felicity smiles, stepping closer to him and cupping his chin in her hand.

“I said that I was going to train with Digg. Then Sara offered yesterday and well, you have to admit that she probably knows a little more about being small and bringing down people bigger than you.” She tells him and Oliver sighs, looking between the two of them.

“I suppose so.” He laments and Felicity nods happily, quickly kissing his cheek before she moves over to her monitors. “If she gets hurt…”

“I am very happy being in possession of all of my limbs, thank you very much,” Sara replies, her hands held above her head in surrender and Felicity rolls her eyes.

“For heaven’s sake Oliver.” She huffs and he smiles over at her sheepishly in that way that she doesn’t like to admit makes her melt a little inside. “I'm cross-referencing Walczak's known associates with decryption experts on the NSA watch list, but it's taking some time.”

“Okay.” He states tersely and Felicity knows that he’s holding back from stating the obvious and telling her that they don’t have time. At least he’s learning something…

“Ok, the key is not just a code breaker. In the wrong hands, it's a weapon. Whoever killed Walczak, in addition to finding creepy uses for clock parts, is very good at covering his tracks.” Felicity explains and Oliver nods, reaching for her hand. She sends a look Sara’s way with a smirk but allows herself to be tugged into his arms.

“Lucky for us. Uncovering tracks is what you're very good at.” He tells her softly and Felicity smiles, rising on her toes to kiss him. In her sneakers, she’s far smaller than usual and Oliver grins as he dips his head to help her.

“Right.” Felicity breathes and looks longing at the punching bag before she slips back into her chair so that she can get back to her hacking.

Chapter Text

The chair in front of her monitors is starting to give Felicity a backache, she knows that she needs to check the ergonomics on it because it’s never been this bad before. She’s always been a little hyperaware of her posture, especially seeing as she spends so much time in front of a computer. It would be very easy to slouch but her grandmother was a seamstress and Felicity has seen what hunching over a machine for years can do to someone’s spine.

“Felicity?”

She jumps at the sound of her name and turns to see Oliver looking at her. He’s in front of the salmon ladder, gloriously shirtless and sweaty, but if she’s being honest, Felicity’s been a little too distracted to notice. The fact that the clangs of the rod against the metal stopped and she didn’t even notice concerns her a little but she merely looks at her boyfriend expectantly.

“Have you found something?” He asks and she frowns.

“No. Did I give an indicator that I had?” She questions, looking at her positioning and thinking back if she’s made any noise over the past few minutes.

“Well no but normally… well, when I…”

He gestures to the salmon ladder and Felicity purses her lips to hold in her laughter.

“I thought you wanted me to find whoever’s responsible for this?” She questions, raising an eyebrow.

“I do!” Oliver tells her defensively, raising his arms in surrender.

“Then surely it’s a good thing I was concentrating on that and not your… display of… manliness.” She winces at her words, watching as Oliver computes them before he grins, taking a few steps towards her.

“I can show you a display of manliness but it’s definitely going to distract you from what you’re doing.” He tells her, stepping around the monitors. Just as he’s reaching out for her, one of her alerts goes off.

“Hold that thought. Robbery in process at Whitmere Bank.” She tells him and Oliver immediately switches gears, heading for his bow.

“Call Sara.” He calls over her shoulder but Felicity is already reaching for the phone. She tells Sara to meet Oliver by the exit of the Foundry as he changes quickly.

Felicity guides the two of them through the city and they arrive within minutes, heading into the bank vault only to find it empty and missing a significant portion of its funds.

“They’re already gone,” Oliver informs her rather uselessly but Felicity is already typing, hacking into what she can from what she’s spent the day researching.

“I think I have an idea where. The skeleton key operates on an OFDM wireless signal. I'm picking up a transmission signal in the alley next to the bank.” She tells them clearly, getting prepared to tell them where to go when a chilling voice enters her ears.

“But you won't be heading there.”

The voice shocks her immediately. She’s proud of her systems, the safety of their comms line, the security around their servers. Hearing this villain’s voice speaking into her transmission hurts Felicity deeply as well as scares her a little. He must be good.

“What was that?” Oliver asks, obviously confused and his voice jolts Felicity into action again as she attempts to block him.

“He's hacked our transmission.” She explains, going to try and block him when the voice speaks again.

“My associates may be headed to the alley, but the 9:10 bus from Crescent Circle is about to collide with the Starlight Freight Express.”

His voice is cold and calculated. This is an event he’s prepared for, or at least that is the illusion he’s presenting. Felicity pulls up the live feeds of both the bus and the train and winces at the sight.

“Oh, my God, he's right, the 9:10's headed for the track at Amherst.” She speaks almost in disbelief as she watches the paths on her screen.

“By my calculations, you can't be in two places at once.” The voice tells them and Felicity sighs in relief. He’s not as aware as he first appeared. Whilst he’s distracted by that, she starts attempting to get into the network to lower the barriers as she hopes that Oliver and Sara are splitting up.

“I’m heading to the cross-section now,” Oliver tells her a few moments later and she can hear the hum of his motorcycle and the swoosh of the wind as he rides. It’s incredibly difficult to concentrate on what she’s doing but she knows she has to keep the line open and communicate, no matter how much this is on her side of things which is unusual for them.

“Come on! Come on! He's in the transit department network! He's--he's hacked the signaling system. I--I can't get the crossing barriers down!” She relays as she desperately tries to hack through his safeguarding. She tries everything she knows but his barriers are just too good.

“Those buses have radios. Can you break in, wave them off?” Oliver suggests and Felicity is already halfway through the task when he finishes the sentence. It seems that her opponent is just as good because the same blocks go up on the radio transmission.

“No, he's keeping me out.” She huffs in exasperation, still frantically typing to try and break through. Sara’s commlink is closed so she cannot know what happening on that end of things, all she can do is listening to the rush of the wind and the squealing of tires. Finally, an aggressive noise permeates her ear, unmistakably a train passing and she waits a few minutes before she speaks again. “Please tell me that was the sound of a train passing and not of one hitting a bus?”

“Stopped the bus. I’m coming back. Tell Sara to get back to the Foundry as well.” Oliver tells her and Felicity sighs, looking at the ‘access denied’ message blinking up at her from her screen.

Why can’t she beat this guy?

This is her area. She’s supposed to be able to do this, to get past anyone and anything. That’s why Oliver signed on with her in the first place, isn’t it? She highly doubts he wanted a hacker who can be out hacked. That’s just a recipe for disaster in a mission like theirs. She can’t help but feel deflated, especially after her session with Sara earlier proved exactly how little she has to offer physically to the team.

She just wishes that she could be as badass as Sara, someone who knows her intelligence but is also able of kicking ass and taking names.

It’s starting to feel like she’s not even very good at this part of her job, the part she’s supposed to excel at.

Shaking her head, she forces those thoughts to the back of her mind and relays Oliver’s message to Sara before also calling Digg. She figures they should loop him in on this. She’s unsure about Roy, Oliver’s still viewing him as a flight risk so she avoids making that call.

Digg’s the first to arrive. After spending so long down here, Felicity can generally tell his and Oliver’s footfall apart. Digg’s is generally slower and a little clunkier as opposed to Oliver, whose training encourages him to stay light on his feet and be nimble.

“Hi, John.” She manages weakly as she sits in her chair, looking through her log of what she tried tonight to penetrate her new nemesis’ blocks. She’s already upgraded the firewall and their security system but now, she’s trying to find out where she could have done better, what would have been actually useful rather than forcing Oliver to put his life on the line yet again.

“Hey, babydoll. Having some trouble?” John asks softly, his hand landing on her shoulder as he walks over and she smiles up at him sadly, shrugging a little.

“I don’t know. I just…”

The sound of more footsteps cuts Felicity off and they turn to see Sara rushing down the stairs. Just as she reaches the bottom, the door at the top opens once more and Oliver appears, a rather forlorn look on his face.

“Are you alright?” Oliver questions, looking at her. At first, Felicity is a little confused. She assumes he’s asking Sara, after all, she’s the one who chased after the bad guy, but his attention is solely on her.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She tells him and he nods, walking over to her station.

“What do we know?” He asks softly. Digg moves out the way as Oliver’s hands land on her shoulders, looking at her monitors from behind her.

“He hacked into our frequency, somehow gained remote access, but I upgraded our firewall. Now he won't be able to talk into our comms even if he had a bazooka.” She tells him, looking back at him and frowning when she notices his confused expression. “You know computer science-wise.”

He smiles at her clarification and nods his head.

“Good. Thank you.”

“I think I have something that might help us track him down.”

Sara’s voice distracts them both and they all turn to look at her holding up a slide. Felicity noticed that she headed to the microscope with her bo staff when she walked in but she hadn’t paid it much attention.

“I can run that to the lab.” Felicity offers as Oliver turns fully and takes a few steps back, giving her room to spin her chair around.

“I spent a year on the freighter studying genetic blood anomalies. I kind of know my way around a microscope.” Sara comments as she leans in to look at the sample.

Felicity freezes, slumping back into her seat. She knows Sara doesn’t mean to step on her toes and it’s not like Felicity wants the team to feel like anything science-related has to be done by her but when she can’t contribute to the field, she feels like the computers and the lab sort of are her domain. Sara just took out these guys, it’s a little painful to watch her navigate Felicity’s turf so well on top of that.

“There's some significant cell damage and the platelet count is extremely low. Felicity, can I use your computer?” Sara questions, already rolling over to the one set up by the lab area. She doesn’t wait for an answer, even as Felicity goes to give her one before slumping back into her chair. Oliver looks between the two of them with a frown and Digg walks over to where Felicity is stood, a hand landing on her shoulder. She supposes he’s trying to be supportive but Felicity can’t help but feel a little patronized. “Macgregor's Syndrome. It's a genetic defect that creates fluid build-up in the lungs, which leads to oxygen deprivation and multi-system organ failure. It's terminal.”

Sara’s explanation sparks an idea in Felicity’s brain and she turns quickly, pushing her insecurity to the side as she types.

“But the syndrome may give us a way to ID him. People with Macgregor's are extremely rare, and people with Macgregor's and a degree in computer science are even more rare.” She explains, quickly hacking into medical records and cross-referencing them with college stats until her computer beeps at her with a result. “William Tockman. Former encryption engineer at, wait for it-- Kord Enterprises. Wow, he even looks like a creepy computer hacker.”

“Are you not a creepy computer hacker?” Sara asks with a grin and Felicity huffs.

“I’m not creepy!” Felicity protests, looking between the three members of the team with a pout and Oliver chuckles, rubbing a hand over her back.

“Sweetheart, you know all my high school grades despite us never having discussed specifics.” He reminds her and Felicity narrows her eyes at him before shrugging.

“Well, that’s just thorough research.” She defends herself and Oliver and Sara both laugh.

“What's Tockman’s point? He'll be dead before he can spend all the money.” Digg comments, steering the conversation back to the issue at hand and Felicity frowns, researching what she can about Tockman. When she finds a matching hospital record, she sighs.

“He's not stealing the money for himself. He's using it for his family. His sister, specifically. She's got cystic fibrosis and needs a lung transplant.” Felicity explains, wincing a little. “Good motive, still crime.”

“Can you find an address please?” Oliver asks and Felicity flicks back to the driver’s license she identified him by.

“52 Nelson Way.” She confirms and Oliver nods, squeezing her shoulder in silent gratitude before he nods at Sara and the two of them head out.

It doesn’t take too long until their comms activate and Felicity waits, ready to get into what she needs to. She knows that Tockman’s retaliation will be computer-based and she doesn’t want to fail the way that she did earlier. She knows computers, they’re her bread and butter, and she’ll be damned if she’d going to let some deranged super hacker make her doubt that.

“Tockman's not here. Just some device.” Oliver tells her and Felicity frowns, triangulating their location and hacking into what she finds nearby.

“I'm on it. Whatever's in the truck is transmitting the same OFDM signal Tockman used at the bank.” She informs them and tries to get into the signal itself.

“Can you trace it?” Oliver questions and Felicity resists the urge to snark. Has he not been paying attention at all over the past year?

“As we speak. It's leading… back to our network.” She frowns at the result on her computer. That’s not right at all, what is… then she completely loses control of her code. “Tockman's piggybacking off my hack. It's a trap. He--he's trying to break into our network.”

“I'm not trying. I am.”

The voice is as cold and chilling in her ear as it was earlier and Felicity’s eyes widen as he takes control of their monitors, broadcasting images. “Where are you? Are you home? Are you safe? Somewhere you think you're safe? Somewhere without windows for anyone to creep through?”

Felicity feels Digg come up behind her and she tries not to get creeped out by the sound of Tockman’s taunts in her ear. She knows he’s baiting them but that knowledge doesn’t make it any less terrifying.

“Underground, perhaps? You think no one can get to you? You think no one can touch you in the safety of your hidey-hole?”

Felicity freaks at the accuracy of his statement. She’s not too proud to admit that she’s seriously wigged out by this. She was so sure she’d upgraded their security so that he wouldn’t be able to get in but he only went tenfold back at her.

“Felicity…”

The worry evident in Oliver’s voice doesn’t make Felicity any less scared.

“But I can.”

His final works are simultaneous with the equipment in front of her sparking as he overloads the system. She immediately screams, pushing the chair back but Digg’s reflexes are better and he pulls her to her feet, tugging her away from the equipment and over to the wall as he shields her body with his own. They stay huddled together and everything electronic around them blows, the virus taking out everything.

Stood there in the darkness, Digg’s large arms protecting her from the danger, Felicity feels even more deflated than she did earlier. She’d been so sure that she had put up measures to prevent something like this and she failed. Rather miserably.

Oliver’s heart is beating ridiculously fast as he races back to the Foundry. Hearing Felicity’s voice over the comms with John’s reassuring him that she’s okay has calmed him considerably but he won’t feel at ease until he sees that she’s okay with his own two eyes. He practically jumps down the stairs in one go the speed that he flies down them.

The lights are off, the room illuminated merely by the lamps John and Felicity have placed around the room. Felicity is sat on the floor in front of the servers, a severely disappointed look on her face as she pulls things out of the system, and John is just behind her, helping when needed. He sighs in relief at the sight of her, his eyes swooping over her frame and his shoulders relaxing when he sees that she doesn’t appear to be hurt in any way.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asks, bending down next to her and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looks up at her, disappointment written all over her face, and manages a rather unconvincing nod.

“I’m fine. These poor babies, however…” She sighs, looking back at the mess in front of her.

“How bad is it?” Sara questions and Oliver looks back, surprised that she actually managed to keep up with the ridiculous speeds he was going. Felicity huffs, turning back to her clear up job as she explains.

“Tockman used the skeleton key to penetrate our firewall. And recode our security. Basically, he told our system to commit suicide. And it did.” She states morosely, digging through the wires to find a hard drive. “Bravo, clock king.”

Oliver shakes his head, squeezing her shoulder. He knows that Felicity is feeling majorly deflated right now. This system is her baby, built from the ground up with all of her expertise. To see it literally blow up in her face must be devastating.

“Sara stopped Tockman's men before they could get away with the cash. So, Tockman is going to be looking for another score. Maybe we should give him one.” Oliver comments, looking over at the other two as he rubs what he hopes is a comforting hand over Felicity’s back. “When you get a chance, would you call Walter and have him liquidate 500,000 shares of QC stock, please? Put it in cash in my vault at Starling National and ask him to do it tonight.”

He directs the second part of his statement to Felicity who nods, giving him a small smile when he holds her gaze. He’s not entirely convinced but he’ll take it.

“If Tockman wants to make another score…” Digg starts and Oliver nods.

“Who better to rob than a suddenly cash flush Oliver Queen?” He finishes and appreciates the nod of approval he receives from Digg.

“And what if he doesn't take the bait?” Sara questions, looking at him doubtfully.

“That's a good point.” He agrees and looks back down at Felicity. “Could you make it 800,000 shares?”

“Ok.” She nods, her voice entirely too quiet for Oliver’s liking.

“What can I do?” Sara asks, looking at Felicity hopefully but the other blonde just frowns.

“Go to your dinner. Your family's probably waiting for you.” Felicity tells her and Sara takes a deep breath, running a hand through her hair.

“Right. Dinner at Laurel's. This is more important.” She states and Felicity shakes her head, looking at her reproachfully.

“You can't do anything here, Sara. Your family's important, too.” She reminds her and Sara nods, taking another deep breath.

“Yeah.” She comments lightly and Oliver manages a small smile when she looks over at him with fear in her eyes. It’s a little strange to him that Sara who’s a literal assassin and one of the most badass people he’s ever met is scared of having dinner with her sister but he also knows that family cuts deeper than any wound.

“Hey. You should go.” He prompts and Sara bites the inside of her cheek, nodding her head.

“I know I've wanted us all to get together for a while now. It's just, now that it's actually here, I'm nervous. I mean, last time I saw Laurel, it didn't go very well.” Sara explains and Oliver smiles sadly, squeezing Felicity’s shoulder as he stands and walks over to Sara.

“At the end of the day, you’re family and that’s more important than anything. Laurel will come around, you just need to prove to her that you’re willing to repair what’s been broken.” He tells her and Sara nods, looking towards the stairs.

“We’re not going anywhere. This is going to be a long night. You can come back when you’re done if you want.” Felicity tells her and Sara smiles down at her.

“Thank you. Sorry, I know it seems weird that I’m freaking out over eating with my family.” She sighs and all three of them shake their heads.

“Families are complicated, Sara. I think the three of us understand that better than anybody.” Digg speaks up and the blonde smiles, looking over at him affectionately.

“Thank you. Okay, I’m going.” She nods determinedly and reaches for her jacket. She pauses only at the stairs, turning back to look at them. “You’ll be here?”

“Someone’s got to help clear this up.” Oliver comments and Felicity’s snort draws his attention, making him look at her curiously.

“It’s cute that you think you’ll be able to help past holding stuff and fetching snacks.” She comments with a coy smirk and he huffs, rolling his eyes affectionately.

“Well, I’m gonna be the darn best holder and snack getter you’ve ever seen.” He replies cheekily. It elicits a laugh out of all three of them but Oliver only has eyes for his girlfriend, grateful that he’s been able to make her laugh. It’s truly one of the most beautiful sights in his world.

“Alright, I’ll see you later.” Sara smiles and they all wave her off before Oliver turns back to the others.

“Okay, what are we doing here?” He asks and Felicity frowns for a second, looking towards and the servers and then back at him. When her face morphs in a particular way, he knows exactly what she’s about to ask for. “Yes, I will go pick up Big Belly.”

Her face morphs into a smile and Digg laughs, shaking his head.

“You’re the best!” Felicity calls after him as he too heads for the stairs and he chuckles as he walks up them.

Felicity’s good mood that comes with the promise of Big Belly quickly deteriorates as she really gets into the main part of the damage. She can’t believe that she allowed this to happen and they’re going to have to rebuild literally from the ground up. Oliver told her only yesterday that this is where her expertise lies and now she seems to be failing at even this. It’s entirely too frustrating.

“You know, it's not your fault, Felicity.”

She turns at the sound of Digg’s voice to see him looking at her with that all-knowing look in his eye. It’s the one he gets when he’s about to impart some wisdom on one of them; Felicity’s dubbed it his ‘Yoda Gaze’ in her head.

“Really? Which one of the rest of you put up the security safeguards?” She questions sarcastically, wincing at the stretch in her arm as she reaches deep into the server to grab a broken hard drive. “Maybe if it been Sara, we wouldn't be in this mess.”

She’s not fond of the comment that slips out. She truly doesn’t resent Sara for her ability to be both smart and badass, it just makes her wish that she had a little more to offer to the team. Especially now, seeing as she feels like what she’s supposedly good at is blowing up in her face. Literally.

“Sara being able to analyze blood does not make her comparable to your genius, Felicity. You’re both integral to this mission in your own ways.” Digg tells her but Felicity can only huff, placing down what she’s holding and turning to look at him.

“This isn’t about comparing myself to Sara, John. This is about me, okay? The one thing I'm supposed to be good at, I'm failing at miserably. Maybe if I were a little more badass, I’d have more to offer to you all. Instead, I just feel like a scared little girl who you all have to babysit because she can’t handle herself.”  

There’s something about speaking to John that just makes Felicity feel like she can bear all. He has a way of reserving judgement, of being a shoulder to lean on and an encouraging voice without feeling like an overbearing parent or older sibling. It’s why Felicity has no issue looking up at John now, even after spilling her recent struggles to him, because she knows she’ll see that same encouraging smile and sparkle in his eye.

“No one is babysitting you. We worry about you because you are irreplaceable, to this team and to our lives in general. We all love you, Felicity, and if you want my two cents, I think you’re plenty badass enough already.” He winks at the end of his sentence and she fights a smile for a moment before she heaves a long sigh and looks back to the mess in front of her. She appreciates his words, she truly does, but it’s hard to believe them when she’s faced with the physical embodiment of her failure tonight.

That’s why her next words are all she can muster in reply.

“I have a lot of work to do.”

Despite her dismissive response, she closes her eyes to savor the feeling of Digg’s comforting hand on her shoulder before she turns back to the servers and gets to work.

Oliver returns with food a few minutes later and Felicity takes a quick break to throw back her burger and fries before she gets back to work. She calls Walter and has him liquidate the shares Oliver asked for before she sets up her tablet to alert her when the bait is ready and she sits back down in front of the server, working on trying to get it back online now that she’s found all the broken parts. Digg heads out to grab some more food when they realize just how long this is actually going to take.

“Hey, are you doing okay?” Oliver asks as he settles down on the floor next to her, a few fries hanging out of his mouth. He looks kind of funny like this, his long legs bent in front of him and burger grease staining his top. It’s odd but kind of beautiful and Felicity manages a small smile.

“I told you I wasn’t hurt earlier.” She reminds him as she stretches to check a router.

“I wasn’t talking about physically. I know that this is your baby and that seeing computers damaged hurts you, in your soul.” He smiles at her charmingly and his use of her words from when she first signed onto the mission does make her smile. He’s cute, she’ll give him that.

“It does but the important thing is getting this backup and working so that we can stop this douche.” She reminds him and Oliver hums, swallowing his last fry before he reaches out and cups her elbow.

“And we will, but I don’t want you to be upset and not tell me. We’re partners, Felicity, and, one day, I want to be able to share everything.” He tells her with a smile and she sighs as she melts a little at his words. This fracking man.

“I…”

The ringing of a phone makes them both jump and Oliver frowns as he pulls his out of his pocket to reveal Thea’s contact lit up on the screen. He looks at her but Felicity just shakes her head and gestures for him to take it, knowing that Thea is just as important.

“Thea, what’s up?” Oliver asks as he stands, not being able to resist kissing Felicity’s temple as he passes her so that his conversation doesn’t distract her from what she’s doing.

“Oliver, Laurel’s here. At the mansion and she’s like really mad at you for some reason.”

Oliver can hear the wince in his sister’s voice and it makes him frown. She’s obviously annoyed and concerned and he heaves a sigh. Isn’t Laurel supposed to be at the dinner with her family?

“Put her on the phone.” He tells Thea and hears some shifting before the background noise settles.

“Ollie, I…” Laurel starts but Oliver doesn’t let her get too far before he cuts in.

“Laurel, please leave the mansion. I’m not there and I’m not coming to see you. Leave my family alone.” Oliver sighs into his phone, sending Felicity a tense smile when he notices her looking up at him. She sighs before she looks back to her systems, burying her head in whatever she’s doing.

“Ollie, you were the one to tell me I need to repair my relationship with Sara when you’re the one who messed it up in the first place. By screwing her! And now you’re doing it again!” Laurel’s shrill voice screams down the phone and Oliver immediately frowns, his brain not figuring out.

“I am not…”

“Don’t deny it! She could barely get twenty minutes into dinner before telling a fun little anecdote about being at the club with you! Why would she be there if you’re not screwing her?” Laurel screams and Oliver frowns, running a hand through his hair.

“Laurel…” He tries again but it’s obvious that she’s far too worked up to hear any sort of explanation, not that Oliver can think of a good one to cover up his secret identity right now.

“Does your sweet, little girlfriend know? She’s so sure she’s dating a reformed man. What if I called her and told her that you’re just the same as you always were? You’re no different. Just ruining lives right and left.”

Felicity’s head snaps up again and Oliver knows that she can hear the other side of the conversation. He clenches his jaw but Felicity merely shakes her head.

“She’s trying to get a rise out of you.” The blonde in front of him tells him quietly and Oliver sighs, taking a deep breath. He knows that Felicity’s right and what Laurel needs right now is for him to be the bigger person and for him not to let his anger get the best of him the way it has her.

“Laurel, you are hurting right now but this situation with your sister has nothing to do with me. It is a relationship you need to fix between the two of you. I have already made my apologies for what happened five years ago and whilst that will never excuse it, what’s happening now with you and Sara is not my fault.”

He keeps his voice measured and slow, breathing as he speaks.

“Yeah. Yeah, yes, it is.” Laurel’s response does nothing to stem his anger and he closes his eyes, taking a moment.

He jumps at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder but relaxes into it as two small and very familiar hands slide down his arm. He wraps his arm around Felicity’s waist as she leans her head on his shoulder, breathing in the comforting scent of her shampoo and allowing her presence to calm him in its usual way. He finds it very difficult to be angry when he’s holding her. When they do fight, he cannot hold her because he’ll just give in in two seconds. Pressing a kiss to her hair, he takes a deep breath and forces himself to speak with his head and not his anger.

“I understand that you are hurting, that you need a person to outlet all this anger onto, but your life is not my fault. You’ve been struggling since Tommy died, Laurel, and you’ve been looking for someone to blame ever since.”

Felicity’s arms wrap around his waist, her fingers playing with his t-shirt and it helps Oliver to offset the bitter tone in Laurel’s voice as she lashes out at him.

“Screw you, Oliver.”

Oliver shakes his head, closing his eyes before he takes a deep breath and speaks once more.

“I have stood by you through everything-- the DUI, losing your job, and Laurel, I was concerned about your well-being when you were trying to get my mother the death penalty. I have put myself out time and time again out of loyalty, against my better judgment. I have hurt other people so that I can stand by you because I felt an obligation to honor our friendship.” He tells her, lifting his hand to Felicity’s hair to comb through her ponytail in an attempt to quell his rising anger again.

“Yeah, you've been a real stand-up kind of guy.” Laurel bites back, the sarcasm evident in her voice and Oliver rolls his eyes.

“Laurel, do you think you're the only one that is having a hard time? Do you think you're the only one with family issues? You have-- you have no idea what is going on with my family right now. But I am still talking to you right now. And you are still blaming everybody but yourself.”

Felicity’s hand stroking over his t-shirt calms him and he breathes. She’s always been a calming presence, a rock, and he appreciates her all the more for it now when she’s got quite literally a multitude of other things to do.

“Are you done?” Laurel questions and Oliver shakes his head.

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm done. I'm done taking the blame. I am done honoring a friendship out of obligation when all I am doing is giving and giving. Leave my family’s house. Please. I will be happy to help you when you realize that help is what you need.”

“Whatever Ollie.” She huffs and Oliver hopes by her half-hearted response that perhaps the message has gotten through. He hears shuffling once more and the sound of a door slamming before a long sigh that sounds a lot like Thea.

“Speedy?” He questions, frown deep on his face.

“Yeah, it’s me, Ollie. She’s gone. I think you just made her madder.” His sister replies, confusion evident in the tone of her voice and Oliver sighs.

“Sorry Thea, you shouldn’t have been caught up in all of that.” He tells her and he hears Thea scoff.

“As if, Ollie. I’m nineteen, not exactly a kid anymore.” Thea tells him and Oliver chuckles.

“Don’t remind me.” He comments and smiles at Felicity when she lightly slaps him on the chest. She sends him a reproachful look and he smiles at her, gaining himself an affectionate eye roll.

“Are you coming home tonight?” Thea questions and Oliver sighs softly. He really doesn’t want to deal with hiding his mother’s secret from his sister on top of this current case with the ‘Clock King’, the mirakuru mystery and apparently now Laurel too.

Felicity makes a gesture for the phone and Oliver hands it over as he frowns at her in confusion.

“Hi Thea, it’s Felicity.”

“Felicity, please tell my brother to come home and please come with him,” Thea tells her and Oliver watches as Felicity winces a little. His sister can be forceful, he knows that better than anyone.

“Thea, we’re at the office and the servers just went down. It’s a major security risk and honestly, I don’t know whether either of us are going to be able to even so much as look at a bed tonight.” Felicity effortlessly covers, sliding out of Oliver’s arms and walking away a little as she talks. She clicks the phone onto speaker so that Oliver can hear his sister. It’s a good twist of the truth, she’s technically only lying about them being at the office.

“Oh… is everything okay?” Thea questions, her voice a lot softer and less accusing than moments ago.

“It will be, after a lot of work,” Felicity tells her and Oliver cannot stop the smile that spreads across his face as she absentmindedly twirls on her toes. She’s ditched the heels she was wearing earlier, probably due to sitting on the floor. Her tight white skirt is probably uncomfortable enough in that position, let alone the heels.

“Okay… do you need anything? Dinner or a change of clothes?” Thea questions and Felicity smiles, looking at him with a soft look on her face.

“Thank you, that’s very sweet but we’re okay. We’ll swing by in the next couple of days, I promise.” Felicity answers, the offer being very opened ended and non-committal but still filled with love for the girl which makes Oliver smile.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Thea states determinedly and Oliver and Felicity both chuckle at her tone of voice and the conviction in it.

“Wouldn’t be you if you didn’t. We’ve got to get back to it Thea, but we’ll see you soon.” Felicity smiles, glancing back over at the servers.

“I love you Speedy.” Oliver calls and Felicity smiles over at him.

“I love you too, Ollie. See you soon.” Thea replies before the line goes silent.

Oliver sighs, running a hand over his face.

“Go,” Felicity tells him and he frowns, looking up at her.

“Pardon?” He questions and Felicity’s lips quirk.

“I know you’re itching to burn some energy off. Your hand’s doing that tick thing again. Go work out. I can handle this.” She tells him and Oliver frowns, looking down at his hand. It seems he is indeed rubbing his thumb against his third finger in the way that he always does when he’s agitated.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright doing this by yourself?” He questions and Felicity rolls her eyes.

“You were doing an excellent job of holding things and distracting me.” She tells him, sarcasm dripping through her voice and he chuckles, nodding his head.

“I’ll be in the back room. Shout if you need me.” He tells her and she nods, heading back over to the server. He takes her in for a minute as she immediately jumps back into the work. “Hey, Felicity?”

“Hmm?” She asks, not looking up from where she’s placing a new router. He figures she must have had backups lying around.

“Thank you for dealing with Thea and for supporting me. I love you.” He tells her and she whirls around, a small smile pulling at her face.

“I love you too.” She tells him and in those four simple words, Oliver can feel the wave of his agitation rolling off of him. She smiles at him softly and Oliver nods, still a little in disbelief that they’re at this point. Giving her a gentle wink, he turns and heads towards the back room where he keeps more of his workout gear.

If he had been paying a little more attention, he would have heard Felicity’s next words.

“Which is why I really hope you don’t hate me for this.”

Chapter Text

Oliver frowns when he walks back into the main room of the Foundry an hour later.

He expects to see Felicity where he left her, working on the servers, but instead, she’s nowhere to be seen and the tablet and her heels are gone as well. The door leading to the bathroom is open, not indicating that she maybe slipped in there, and Oliver has to force down the bad feeling that starts to bubble in his stomach.

He turns at the sound of footsteps on the stairs but they’re far too heavy and clunky to be the light clack of Felicity’s stilettos on the metal.

Sure enough, it’s Digg, who looks around the room in confusion.

“Have you seen Felicity?” Oliver questions, trying not to let the panic rising in him take over.

“No. Wait, why?” Digg questions as he places the bag of food he’s holding on the desk by the medical supplies.

“I went out back to let off some steam around an hour ago but I can’t find her,” Oliver explains but just as Digg goes to reply, Oliver’s phone lights up with Felicity’s contact. “Hey.”

“Tockman took the bait. The money you had Walter deposit. I'm reading his signal at Starling National.” Felicity launches straight in and Oliver frowns, looking around the Foundry in confusion. If she’s not here reading the signal…

“Wait… How do you know that?” He questions slowly and forces himself to breathe as there’s a long pause on the other end of the line. “Fe-li-ci-ty?”

“Okay don’t freak out but I’m maybe… here?” Her voice goes extremely high pitched at the end of her sentence but Oliver can’t linger on it too long as panic and worry begin to take over.

“What?!” He questions, already reaching for his bow as he gestures to Digg to get ready to head out. He reaches for his jacket as Felicity replies.

“Okay so see you in a few!” She calls and the line goes dead, making Oliver growl.

“Felicity!” He calls fruitlessly and huffs, placing his phone on the side heavily.

“What’s going on?” Digg questions and Oliver pinches the top of his nose.

“She’s at the bank with Tockman for some reason that I cannot even begin to understand.” He growls, heading up the stairs already. As he’s about halfway up, the door opens to reveal Sara who takes in the scene in front of her.

“I’ll change in the back of the van.” She tells them, not asking any more questions as she follows them round to the back entrance. Oliver’s grateful for her lack of questions and speed as they head to the bank. He concentrates on adjusting his quiver strap as Digg drives because otherwise, he’s going to scream out of frustration. God, he hopes they get there before Tockman finds Felicity. He can’t have her hurt.

He can’t.

It’s not an option.

“Digg…”

“I’m already going over the limit, man. We’re going to get there and she’ll be okay.” Digg tells him but even John’s calm voice can quell his fears right now.

“You can’t know that, Diggle! What on earth would possess her to do something like this?” He questions, forcing himself to calm his voice when Digg jumps a little at his change in tone.

“She said earlier she was feeling like she has very little to offer to the team physically,” Digg tells him and Oliver can hear the dubious tone in his voice, almost as if he’s scared as to what Oliver’s reaction will be.

“What?” He questions, honestly confused at the statement. He’s never known Felicity to be particularly concerned with her physical abilities. It was Digg who wanted her to train when she first signed on with them and, whilst he’s always gotten the impression that she enjoys it, he never thought that she assigned any form of worth to it.

“She said that she felt bad that she was feeling like she was failing at what she says is the only thing she brings to the team.”

“Failing… the only thing she… what?”

“We all know it’s bullcrap, man, but that’s what she said,” Digg tells him calmly and Oliver frowns, shaking his head as he tries to wrap his head around what he’s just been told.

“And you didn’t think that was relevant to loop me into?” He questions and Digg merely shrugs.

“She’s your girlfriend, I assumed she told you that.”

“Jesus, I thought it was just Oliver but turns out, you both are dense.”

Oliver reels around at the sound of Sara’s voice. He wasn’t sure it was possible to look unimpressed behind a mask but Sara is somehow managing it as she looks between the two of them.

“What?”

“Felicity didn’t tell you what she was feeling because she knew that you’d just deny it and that’s not what she wants to hear right now. This feels bigger to her than maybe we see it as because her being bested by Tockman means that we’re going in blind. That changes the whole operation whereas when one of us has a bad fighting day, it doesn’t affect the work that Felicity does or even really what the others of us in the field do.” Sara explains and Oliver frowns, shaking his head.

“None of us are holding her accountable for this.” He tells her and Sara scoffs, shaking her head. That mere action tells Oliver that he’s somehow missed her point entirely.

“Apart from her holding herself accountable.” Digg comments and Oliver watches as Sara points in his direction.

“Bingo. I’m assuming me using her microscope and computer earlier probably didn’t help either. So she comes to the scene to prove to herself that she’s useful to the team.” Sara contemplates and Digg frowns.

“Even though we all know she’s incredibly useful. Jeez.” The bigger man huffs, shaking his head as he continues to drive. “What are you thinking, Oliver?”

What is he thinking?

Other basically just a red link blinking over and over to cause him to panic?

“I’m thinking I wished she’d have talked to me about this instead of placing herself in the line of fire.” He finally manages to get out and he sighs as Sara reaches forward, squeezing his shoulder.

“She’s going to be okay, Ollie.” She tells him and Oliver purses his lips, looking back at her.

“She better be. It’s Felicity.”

The bank is cold. She’s glad she instinctively reached for Sara’s jacket on her way out of the Foundry. It involves a little too much leather and a few too many buckles for her general taste but on top of the warmth, she’s also grateful for the boost in confidence that it gives her. She’s a little wigged out but she forces herself to remember that this is what Oliver, Sara, and Digg do on an almost nightly basis. The important thing is to keep calm and focus on the task at hand which is keeping an eye on Tockman.

Her eyes fly up at the sound of footsteps on the staircase in front of her. Okay, the thought of actually being confronted with Tockman or his goonies so does not sound appealing right now and why didn’t she think to pick up a weapon before she left the Foundry?

Not that she’d even know the first thing about using it.

Maybe she should ask Sara about that.

“Should have brought my pepper spray.” She mutters under her breath as she ducks down behind the computer stand. The footsteps only get closer and she squeezes her eyes shut when she can tell that they’re in the room.

Unable to stop the scream when a hand clasps around her arm and tugs her up, she opens her eyes to see Digg looking at her reproachfully. The clearing of a throat makes her turn her head to see Oliver and Sara too, both in full suits.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Oliver growls at her and Felicity’s eyes widen a little at the fact that he’s reaching ‘Arrow’ level of growl without the modulator enabled. She knows that he was never going to be happy with her plan but she honestly hasn’t really thought through how this might play out.  

“I'm tracking Tockman. He fried our network, so I'm using the bank's to trace the skeleton key's signature.” She explains, gesturing to the computer behind her and the tablet in her hands.

“And the jacket?” Sara asks with a smirk on her face. Felicity feels a little bad, she did just swipe the girl’s jacket without asking after all, but Sara doesn’t seem too annoyed about that.

“I was cold.” She shrugs in a poor explanation and blushes when Sara gives her a very obvious once over before grinning.

“We’ll deal with Tockman. Diggle will get you out of here.” Oliver tells her sternly and Felicity bites her lip, knowing that she’s seriously stepped across a line here. She knows she would be pissed beyond belief if Oliver headed into a dangerous situation without alerting any of them to his plan…

Before she can fully process it, Digg’s hand is around her arm as he leads her towards the stairs. He looks just as perturbed and Felicity frowns at the idea of upsetting both her boys. Luckily for her, the alarm starts to sound just as they step away from the computer system and Digg drops his grip on her in surprise, allowing her to move back to the tech.

“Tockman disabled the bank's security system. I re-abled it.” She offers as an explanation to the others’ confused looks and they all gather around the computer as she pulls up the security camera footage.

“They're blocking our way out.” Digg winces and Sara goes to move towards the steps. Felicity watches as Oliver blocks her way, shaking his head. His eyes flick over to her for a moment, softening before he looks back at Sara. The other blonde nods and steps back towards Felicity, getting a lot closer than she previously had been.

“I'll deal with them,” Oliver tells her and Digg with a nod. He goes to move up the stairs before he turns, looking directly into Felicity’s eye. “Stay with Sara and Digg. I cannot deal with this if I’m worrying about you.”

He adds the second part when she goes to protest and it has her slumping back in defeat with a small huff and a nod of agreement. The guilt rises in her a little. She should have told Oliver where she was going, even if she knew that he would protest it.

Oliver nods at her in gratitude before he heads for the stairs, disappearing with his usual nimbleness and Felicity turns back to the computer.

“Tockman's signal's strong. He's here, he's close.” She explains, looking down at her tablet where she’s tracking the OFDM signal.

“Find him, Felicity,” Digg tells her but before she can even process the words, their commlink glitches again and Tockman’s voice is once again in her ear.

“No need. I'll tell you exactly where I am. I'm everywhere. At the moment, I'm particularly focused on the sub-level. The gas mains, specifically.” He tells them creepily and Felicity frowns, pulling up the building schematics and their active systems on her tablet.

“Oh, my God. He shut down the gas main release.” She realizes, looking at the flashing red alert box on the screen. Digg frowns and moves closer, looking over the screen himself but Sara’s brow just furrows, looking at Felicity in confusion.

“And why is that bad?” She questions and the blonde takes in a slow breath.

“The build-up could cause an explosion,” Digg explains and Felicity shakes her head, zooming in on the schematics and wincing.

“It will. It'll blow up three square blocks.” She comments and Digg huffs.

“No, it won't.” He states determinedly, heading towards the stairs.

“Do you want backup?” Sara questions and the tall man shakes his head, looking back at the two of them.

“Stick together. If anything happens, Tockman will be the least of your problems when Oliver finds out.” He reminds them and Felicity huffs, watching as Digg rushes up the stairs himself.

“Hey, it took some guts to come here tonight by yourself. They’re just worried about you.” Sara tells her, a small smile on her face and Felicity sighs, shrugging her shoulders.

“I think that I should stick to computers. I’ll never be a badass.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re already pretty badass.” “Can we get out of here now?”

“Yeah.” As Sara swings her bo staff around and starts to head for the stairs, Felicity freezes, an idea popping into her head. “Wait. Tockman overplayed his hand. The gas main's in the city's network, that's where I live.”

“Am I supposed to understand that?” Sara questions, taking a step closer to her and Felicity smiles.

“In trying to blow us up, he gave me a way to track him down.” She explains and Sara nods.

“That I understood.”

“He’s in the west area of the bank, they’re currently doing construction.”

“Alright, stay behind me, okay? Just because I think you’re a badass doesn’t mean I want to face Ollie’s wrath if you get hurt.”

Sara heads out in front of her but when Felicity doesn’t hear her fighting or even moving, she decides it’s probably safe to follow. The open area of the building is covered in construction equipment, ladders and scaffolding and Sara whirls around at the noise Felicity’s heels make on the concrete floor. Breathing a sigh of relief when Sara recognizes it’s just her, the two girls stare at each other.

The flash of movement in her peripheral has Felicity acting on instinct and she squeals when she spots the gun in Tockman’s hand.

“Look out!” She calls and dives towards Sara without even thinking, knocking her what she hopes is out of the way of the bullet. The sound of the gun firing makes her jump and Felicity is pretty sure that the next few seconds happen in slow motion in her mind. She and Sara fly through the air to the ground as pain sears through her right shoulder.

It’s the most intense pain she’s ever felt and she squeezes her eyes shut, forcing herself not to look at it for fear of throwing up. It’s more than throbbing and she bites down on her lip, forcing herself to breathe normally and not panic.

“You don't even know why I'm doing this. The money's not for me! I'm doing this all for her!” Tockman calls as he stumbles towards them. Felicity’s barely away of Sara moving beside her, it’s rather difficult to focus on anything other than her shoulder right now.

Holy freaking frack does that hurt.

“Doesn't make it right.” Sara comments and Tockman shrugs.

“Tempus fugit.” He comments as he raises the gun to point at Sara once more and Felicity is aware enough to focus on that as she forces her blurry vision on her tablet and pulls up the right programme.

“Time flies.” She winces as she presses the screen, fulfilling the command as she translates his pretentious Latin statement. The man screams as his pocket fuses, falling to the ground and spasming in a rather concerning fashion. The gun falls out of his hand and Sara looks between the two of them in complete and utter surprise.

“What the hell was that?” The blonde asks and Felicity winces as she forces herself to sit up, holding back the scream that threatens to break out of her throat as she jolts her shoulder.

“His cell phone. I uploaded the same virus he used on my gear in the foundry. I didn't just kill him, did I?” She asks worriedly, looking over at the man who still isn’t moving and Sara sighs, bending down by him and pressing her fingers to his neck. Felicity watches her face but the other blonde merely sighs, looking back over at her.

“Just knocked him out.” She confirms and Felicity slumps in relief, wincing as she jolts her shoulder yet again. Jesus, how do the others do this? She’s seen Oliver make it all the way back to the Foundry after getting shot and she feels like she could pass out in this bank backroom slash construction site.

“We did it.” She offers Sara when the other girl bends next to her, looking at her wound in concern.

“You did it.” Sara clarifies, smiling at her. “Still think you’re not a badass?”

“Ask me again in an hour?” Felicity winces and Sara chuckles, laying a comforting hand on her arm. Felicity closes her eyes and focuses on the warmth of Sara’s hand and the comfort her words bring. Felicity did do it, she brought Tockman down, and she took a bullet for someone.

Huh, she guesses that is pretty badass.

“Felicity? Felicity!” Oliver’s panicked voice breaks through the moment the girls are having and Felicity groans as she sits up to try and look at him.

“Hey, try not to move too much, okay?” Sara tells her and Felicity nods, using her non-injured side to prop herself up. “We’re over here, Ollie!”

“What the hell happened?” Oliver growls as he skids to a stop by their side, glaring heavily at Sara. He throws his hood back and settles down next to his girlfriend.

“Are you insane? Put that back on!” Felicity growls herself, crying out with pain when she moves her arm as if to do it herself. She can’t believe the gall of him to do that in public. He knows how important protecting his secret identity is.

“We need to get her to the hospital,” Sara tells Oliver and he nods, moving to Felicity’s other side as Sara speaks to John on the comms about pulling the van around.

“No! No hospital!” Felicity insists and Oliver sighs, looking down at her.

“Honey…”

“No. Don’t honey me right now, Oliver. I can assure you I am not in the mood. You never go to the hospital. You can stitch me up back at the Foundry.” She insists, wincing as her shoulder twinges yet again. Good lord, she wishes he’d just accept this so that they can get out of here.

She watches as he takes a deep breath, his eyes closing behind his mask for a moment. He’s thinking it over, letting himself think with his logic rather than his heart and if she wasn’t in immense amounts of pain right now, she would be very happy to acknowledge appreciative she is of that fact.

“Okay…” He admits and bends down next to her.

“I can walk.” Felicity insists as Oliver goes to pick her up but it only gets her a doubtful look from her boyfriend who still hasn’t pulled his darn hood up.

“Felicity, you just got shot. Hold onto me and let me do this, please.” He insists and Felicity huffs loudly, throwing her good arm over his shoulders.

“You know, I think I prefer growly Oliver when it’s not directed at me.” She pouts a little and revels when Oliver’s frown lightens a little, instead sending her a disapproving look.

“I’m not growly, I’m concerned.” He tells her and Felicity tuts, hissing a little when he jolts her arm. “Sorry! Sorry!”

“It’s okay, just… can we go?” She asks, the humor leaving her voice. Her shoulder really hurts and she knows the sooner they get to the Foundry, the sooner she can take some pain medication.

“We’re going, baby, alright? Just try not to move. We’re gonna get you sorted out.” He promises, his voice softening and Felicity nods, unable to stop the tears from finally spilling over as the pain sears through her shoulder. She closes her eyes as tightly as she can and buries her head in Oliver’s neck, the hand that is thrown over his shoulder clutching his jacket as best she can.

Oliver hates this feeling.

He hasn’t felt like this since the Undertaking last year.

Not since he found out that Tommy was trapped.

He hates to see Felicity in pain. She’s crying as she clings to him. He moves as quickly and as smoothly as he can, trying to dodge anything that might cause him to jolt her shoulder. The soft whimpers that she’s letting out are absolutely killing him. He just wants to be able to absolve all of her pain. He’d take it on as his own if he could and she would let him.

Finally, they make it outside and John is there with the van. Oliver knows the terrified expression on his friend and partner’s face mirrors the one on his own and Sara offers to drive, knowing that the two of them want to keep their eyes on Felicity.

“Hospital?” Digg asks as they climb into the back of the van and Oliver lets out a sigh as Felicity groans.

“No hospital!” She bites. Her head is still buried in his neck but Oliver can tell from the tone of her voice that her teeth are clenched. Digg looks at him questioningly but Oliver just shakes his head. He won’t fight her on this, he knows it’s something she won’t budge on. He settles down on the bench, holding her carefully in his lap and she moves only a little to shunt herself even closer.

This right here is exactly why he doesn’t want her in the field. It’s why he’s so insistent about her safety and keeping her out of the line of fire, because watching her like this… it’s more painful than when he takes a bullet. He’s used to the pain of an injury by now. To see her unblemished skin marked and her usual bubbly spirit replaced by tears and cries of pain just reminds Oliver of the darkness he’s inflicted on her life and he hates that.

“Is there a medkit here? Any painkillers?” Oliver asks when Felicity whimpers again but Digg shakes his head.

“Nothing strong and if I give her something weak now, she’ll have to wait to take the stronger stuff.” He explains and Oliver sighs. He knows that his best friend’s words are right but every time Felicity whimpers, it’s like someone’s poking him with a hot poker. It physically burns him to hear and he closes his eyes, breathing in her close proximity and feeling the steady beat of her heart against his chest. He forces himself to stay calm during the ride back to the Foundry but the minute Sara stops the van, he’s carefully lifting her back into his arms and rushing down the stairs to the Foundry.

Digg and Sara scramble to keep up with them but he’s appreciative as Sara immediately pulls over a seat for Felicity and Digg heads to his med supplies to locate the correct painkillers. Oliver sets Felicity down on the seat upright, clutching her face in his hands as she groans.

“Hey, it’s okay, we’re going to get you sorted out.” He tells her gently, rubbing his thumbs over her cheeks. She’s worryingly pale and Oliver’s heart pangs at her soft, dejected sigh.

“Here babydoll, can you take these for me?” Digg comments, appearing next to Oliver holding two pills and a bottle of water. Felicity frowns as she looks up at him, clutching onto Oliver’s hand with her good arm when he moves to the side so that Digg can step closer.

“What are they?” She questions, eyes wide and Digg smiles.

“Aspirin.” He winks and Oliver chuckles as Digg inclines his head towards the bottle of pills on the table next to them. Oxycodone. Felicity accepts his fib and takes the tablets and then the water, knocking them back quickly. “We should get that wound sorted out.”

“Do you have something loose she can wear?” Sara asks, looking at Oliver and he nods, bringing Felicity’s hand up to his mouth to kiss before he lets it go, heading over to where his spare business suit is. He finds the clean shirt and pulls it out. “Alright, we need to get these off. This might hurt a bit.”

Sara’s warning might prepare Felicity but it doesn’t do anything to prepare Oliver for the screams that she lets out as they help her out of both the jacket and her cardigan. The fabric, stained with her blood, has stuck to the outside of the wound and Oliver knows how badly that can sting. He offers her his hand to squeeze and blinks back his own tears at the sound of her in such pain.

This right here has been what he’s been trying to avoid for over a year.

It’s hard to not feel like he’s failed.

Digg moves to the other side of the room, turning around like the true gentleman he is, and Sara looks at Oliver.

“Do you want to do this?” She questions, inclining her head towards where Digg has set up the supplies they need, including the shot of local anesthetic. He doesn’t know why the panic shoots through him, he knows that this is going to make Felicity better but the idea of inflicting more pain on her… especially when he knows how much she hates needles.

“I… I can’t.” He stumbles out, looking up at Sara with his eyes wide and Sara frowns, obviously very confused at his reaction.

“Ollie, you’re probably the best…” She starts but Oliver shakes his head, stumbling back a few steps.

“No.” He states definitively and Sara frowns, looking at him as if he’s got two heads but Oliver can only blink rapidly, his breathing getting heavier as he considers the idea of sticking that needle into Felicity.

A groan from Felicity herself draws Oliver out of his panic and he looks down at the feeling of her hand on his chest. She tries to fist her hand in the leather of his suit but Oliver gets the message and steps closer.

“Hey, it’s okay. Sara, would you please do it?” She groans out, her voice terse and it’s obviously hard for her to get the words out.

“Yeah, okay.” Sara nods, stepping around her to grab the supplies that she needs and starts to clean the blood away from around the wound. Oliver is focusing on that, watching Sara work, and he bites the inside of his cheek at the guilt that he can’t even bring himself to help her in this way.

His attention is pulled again when Felicity tugs at his suit again. He looks down at her and she tries to smile but it ends up as more of a grimace.

“Hey, look at me. It’s alright, I understand. Will you hold my hand?” She asks gently and Oliver sighs, bending down in front of her and taking her hand in both of his.

“Always.” He smiles softly and lifts her hands to his lips as she sighs gently.

He’s happy to distract her through Sara administering the anesthetic and starting the stitches. He can tell when the medication starts to kick in because she starts smiling at him dopily and her head starts to lull a little.

“You know, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't been so brave. Thank you.” Sara comments as she’s close to finishing up and Felicity smiles.

“It was nothing. I've always wanted to say I've taken a bullet for someone, and now I can. So really I should be thanking you.” She replies, her lips pursing in the most adorable way and the medication slurring her speech. Oliver chuckles, shaking his head.

“As long as we’re not making a habit out of it.” He comments gently and Felicity looks back to him, grinning.

“You’re so broody. Turn that frown upside down, mister.” She comments, tugging her hand out of his as she reaches forward to push his forehead upwards, almost as if she’s trying to physically remove his scowl. He laughs and shakes his head at her silliness, grabbing her hand again to press a few more kisses to it.

“All done. Not bad, but you're still going to have a scar.” Sara tells her as she finishes, tugging the shirt up onto her shoulder on that side and Felicity purses her lips, obviously thinking.

“My very own scar. Yay.” She grins and all three of them chuckle, Digg turning around now that Felicity’s covered. Oliver smiles at the call back to their conversation from yesterday.

“I thought you already have a scar.” He teases and Felicity pouts, wiggling a finger free from their entwined hands to poke him in the chest. He chuckles and uses his other hand to brush her hair back from her face.

She’s here. She’s alright.

The color is returning to her face and Oliver smiles, brushing his fingers over the apple of her cheeks.

“Alright cutie, I have to go upstairs before my shift starts but you take it easy, alright? No more chasing after bad guys on your own.” Sara comments with a soft smile, grabbing her bag of clothes from where she’s stashed it off to the side.

“Boo, you’re no fun.” Felicity comments and Sara laughs, shaking her head as she softly squeezes Felicity’s good arm.

“Shift?” Oliver questions, looking up at the blonde who smiles.

“You are looking at Verdant’s newest bartender. Thea hired me. I figured I should find something to do past running around at night and well, I used to bartend back in college.” She explains and Oliver nods with a soft smile.

“That sounds great, Sara.” He tells her and she nods, taking a deep breath. He’s glad that she’s finding ways to step back into the light, even with everything that’s going on with her sister.

“Keep an eye on that one, Ollie, you’ve got quite the badass on your hands.” She winks as she heads to the bathroom to change and Felicity giggles, leaning into Oliver.

“You all right? Diggle had mentioned that maybe you were feeling a little…” He asks once Sara disappears up the stairs and Felicity frowns, pursing her lips again.

“Inadequate? I was just used to being your girl. I mean, not your girl-girl because I know that I’m that but... Your girl. I know it sounds like the same word, but it means something different in my head.” She frowns, shaking her head as she looks down at her lap and Oliver smiles.

“Hey.” He calls, cupping her cheek in his hand.

“Hmm?” She asks, nuzzling into him and he smiles. God, she’s adorable.

“You will always be my girl, Felicity.” He tells her honestly and she smiles with a small groan. Bending down in front of her again, he leans in close to her. “And you are anything but inadequate.”

He keeps his voice low and he softly presses his lips to hers. Her soft groan as she leans into him is a far cry from the groans she’s been letting out over the past hour and it makes his heart jump.

“Hmm… are you spinning?” She asks as they pull away, her eyes widening as she looks up at him and Oliver chuckles, knowing that this conversation is one that needs to be had when she’s not high on pain medication.

“Alright, loopy, let’s get you home.” He chuckles, brushing the hair that’s escaped her ponytail back from her face with an affectionate smile.

“Can we go to the mansion? I miss that bed. It’s so biiiigggg and it’s like… perfect cuddle temperature.” She asks him and levels him with those eyes and her lips pushed out in that gentle pout.

“Baby…” He sighs, continuing to fiddle with her hair. He’s want to resist this face, her demeanor entirely too adorable for him to handle saying no to but the thought of an awkward encounter with his mother tonight… it’s really the last thing he needs on top of all of this.

“I can drop you round the back, you have a back door key, don’t you?” Digg comments and Oliver frowns, looking back at him. He’d honestly forgotten he was there.

He supposes he might be able to get them up the other staircase, the one they use less often. It feels wrong, somehow, though. That’s the staircase he used to sneak women up when he didn’t want his parents to know that he’d picked up yet another leggy brunette at a club.

“No, we’ll go in the normal way,” Oliver tells Digg who nods, smiling at the two of them.

“Alright, I’ll pull the car around. Take those pills with you, she’ll want another at some point.” Digg tells him and Oliver nods.

“Thanks, man.”

“Anything for her.” Digg comments and Oliver smiles. He goes to change quickly and throws the few things they’ll need into a bag before heading back over to Felicity who looks like she might drop at any moment.

“Alright, c’mere you. Let’s get you in a bed.” He tells an already wavering Felicity as he scoops her into his arms and she sighs, leaning her head on his chest.

“Hmm, love you.” She mutters and Oliver chuckles, brushing a kiss to her forehead as he heads towards the stairs.

“I love you too, my brave girl.”

His mom must already be in bed because the house seems practically empty for the night when they finally reach the mansion. Felicity fell asleep on the way over which was not a surprise considering how loopy the medication was making her and Oliver scoops her into his arms, assuring Digg that he will call him if anything to do with her condition changes.

He’s placed her in his bed and is crossing the hall to grab a glass of water when a voice stops him in his tracks.

“Ollie?”

He turns to see Thea stood at the end of the hall and the way she’s dressed tells him that she’s just getting in from the club.

“Hey, Speedy.” He answers softly, trying to keep his voice down for both Felicity’s sake and in an attempt to not alert his mother of his presence.

“Is Felicity here?” The teenager asks and Oliver smiles, nodding his head.

“Yeah, she’s already asleep. I’m just grabbing a glass of water.” He tells her and Thea nods, a small smile on her face.

“It’s good to see you home.” She tells him and turns towards her own room. “Night, Ollie. I love you.”

“Love you too, Speedy. Sleep well.” He smiles and watches until her door closes.

He feels terrible about this whole lying thing. Thea just wants them all to be a family and for them to share their secrets with each other because it’s what ripped them apart in the first place. The thing is, Oliver’s not entirely unsure that this wouldn’t completely decimate any relationship that Thea has with their mother.

He doesn’t want that for her.

Shaking his head with a long sigh, he fills up the glass and heads back to his room, smiling at the sight of Felicity hugging his pillow in her sleep. He moves towards her, removes her glasses and tugs off her heels, placing them neatly by the bed before he unzips her tight skirt and begins to tug it down her legs.

“Hmm, Ol’ver, too tired.” She groans and Oliver chuckles, managing to get her skirt off completely.

“Relax beautiful, I’m just trying to get you ready for bed.” He tells her and she cracks open an eye, looking at him with a frown.

“Oh. That makes sense. Do I get ‘congrats you got your first proper scar’ sex at some point though?” She questions blearily and Oliver snorts, shaking his head.

This woman, he swears.

“Not entirely sure that’s a thing, baby.” He comments with a smile. “C’mon, sit up.”

“You’re mean. I was brave tonight.” She tells him but does as he asks, sitting up so that he can carefully take off his shirt that’s hanging off of her in order to remove her bra.

“You were brave, very brave.” He smiles, pressing a kiss to her shoulder, a fair distance from her stitches which are covered with a gauze. He helps her put the shirt back on and does up a few of the buttons, smiling up at her when he’s done.

“I think I’ll stick to my computers though. It was also very scary.” She tells him with a frown and Oliver smiles, cupping her face in his hands.

“My nerves would appreciate that as well.” He tells her honestly and he expects her to smile but she merely melts a little, looking down at her lap. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“’m sorry for scaring you.” She mumbles and he smiles, shaking his head as he gently urges her gaze up with a hand under her chin.

“Hey, I am so proud of you. You were incredible tonight and yes, we will talk about you heading out without telling anyone later but what matters now is you getting some rest. Alright?” He tells her and she sighs, biting her lip as she nods her head. “Alright.”

Smiling, he leans in and softly captures her lips. He feels her smile against her lips and revels in the feeling of her leaning into the kiss. Her arms wrap around his neck and he pre-empts the gasp of shock and the recoil as she pulls away.

“That hurt.” She pouts and Oliver smiles, brushing her hair away from her face.

“Come on, let’s get some rest.” He tells her and helps her lay down on her side before he strips down to his boxers and climbs into the other side, tugging her close and breathing in the scent of her as he closes his eyes and lets the tiredness overtake him.

He’ll attempt to process all these emotions in the morning.

It’s strange to wake up to the sun and not the ringing of an alarm.

In fact, Oliver’s so unused to it that it throws him for a loop for a moment. Being back in his bed in the mansion disorients him as well, they’ve been staying at Felicity’s townhouse for practically two weeks now.

Felicity…

Oliver breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of her still sleeping peacefully next to him. She’s rolled onto her front in the night and the comforter has slipped off her. She’s cuddled close to him, her arm draped across his torso and if he turns his head, he can press his lips to her temple. He doesn’t want to wake her up but he knows that it’s probably high time she took some more pain medication.

“Hmm, what time is it?” She asks quietly, nuzzling her nose into his shoulder and Oliver smiles, peppering a few kisses to her forehead before he looks over at his clock.

“It’s eleven-thirty.” He informs her and reaches out to steady her when she flies upwards in shock. Pushing her hair out of her face, she frowns and looks between the clock and him.

“We slept that late?” She questions and Oliver smiles, reaching out for her.

“We didn’t get in until gone two.” He reminds her and she frowns, climbing into his lap as he props his back up against the headboard.

“Oh…”

“How are you feeling?” He asks softly, pressing his lips to her other shoulder and she smiles down at him.

“It hurts but I’m okay.” She tells him and he can see the truth in her eyes.

“I’ll look at the gauze in a minute.” He tells her, smiling as she entangles their fingers together. “But first…”

“You want to talk.” Felicity comments, tugging gently on his hand and Oliver chuckles as he nods his head.

“You scared me last night. I was terrified that something was going to happen and I was going to lose you, especially when you hung up the phone.” Oliver sighs and watches as Felicity takes a deep breath, pulling her lips back between her teeth before she nods.

“I know, that was the wrong thing to do. I’m sorry. I was just so sure that you were going to be mad at me.” She tells him softly and reaches up with her good arm, stroking her hand through his hair.

“I’m not mad at you but I am a little annoyed that you didn’t let me know what it was that you were feeling. I can’t help but feel like maybe we could have avoided that bullet in your shoulder.” He replies, wrapping his arms around his waist and breathing deeply as he reminds and assures himself that she’s here and she’s okay.

“Maybe you’re right, but then maybe we wouldn’t have stopped him.” Felicity reproaches gently and Oliver smirks, looking up at her with a dubious look in his eye.

“Maybe.” He smiles and nudges her neck gently with his nose, his smile growing when she lets out a light giggle. A moment of silence settles over them and Oliver watches as Felicity takes a deep breath, her fingers tugging on his hair gently as she thinks of the right words to say.

“I was just a little sick of the rules always being different for me, like you change them because you don’t think I can handle myself in the field.” She finally gets out and Oliver frowns, tightening his arms around her as he shakes his head.

“It’s not that I don’t think you can handle yourself in the field. You proved to us all last night that you are as badass as they come but think of it this way. Even though you’ve taught Digg and I a few things about hacking, would you let us take over that part of the mission?” He questions and Felicity purses her lips, shaking her head.

“No…”

“No, because you’ve been dealing with computers since practically before you could walk.” He pokes her gently in the side, smiling when she does and he waits a moment before he pulls back a little, his hand sneaking up to cup her cheek like he did last night. She nuzzles into it in the same way she did last night, making him smile. “We have a system that works, you, me and Digg, and I know that bringing Sara into the Foundry has shaken us up a little.”

“She’s a great asset to the team,” Felicity tells him, the honesty shining in her eyes and Oliver smiles softly, nodding his head.

“I think so too but nobody is trying to replace you. That’s impossible. You’re Felicity Smoak.” He tells her with a smile, watching as a blush spreads over her cheeks. She bites her lips, looking down at her lap for a second before she smiles up at him, her eyes shining.

“I love you.” She tells him and her voice is so open, so honest, that it takes his breath away for a moment.

“I love you so much.” He replies just as openly and honestly and she smiles, shifting closer on his lap so that she can lean her head on his chest and wrap her arms around his waist.

“I promise that I will let you know when I’m feeling insecure about something like this in the future.” She whispers into his bare chest and he smiles, running his fingers through her hair.

“That’s my girl. You and I work best when we keep each other in the know.” He says softly, brushing his nose against hers when she looks up at him through her lashes, her blue eyes sparkling without her glasses on. “Will you also promise to at least let me know when you’re coming into the field? You know, just so I can be prepped to have my heart in my throat the entire time?”

“I promise.” She smiles with a nod and he nods too, his eyes locked on hers as she stares up at him. “I think I like training with Sara, but maybe you could show me a few moves again?”

“I’d love to.” Oliver grins, winking at her. Felicity sighs and cuddles a little closer to him. Oliver knows she’s trying to downplay it but he knows her and he can read the tiny wince that she almost manages to hide. “Come on, I’ll take a look at that gauze and we can give you some more pain meds.”

“Okay, but only actual aspirin this time. Whatever those things were last night made me loopy. It was embarrassing.” She pouts as she sits up and Oliver laughs, helping out off of the bed.

“You were adorable. But yes, we can do normal aspirin this time.”

Oliver makes quick work of changing the gauze and locating some aspirin before both of their stomachs start to growl in hunger. Laughing at the both of them, he leaves Felicity in bed and promises to be back up with some food in a minute. Tugging on a pair of jeans and a sweater in case he runs into anyone, he heads downstairs with a smile on his face.

“Oliver? Is that you?” The familiar voice calls and Oliver freezes, taking in the sight of his mother exiting the living room before he slowly walks down the last few steps of the stairs.

“Hi, Mom.” He replies tersely, clenching his jaw and she smiles at him tentatively, looking between him and the stairs.

“Did you stay here last night?” She asks, taking in his appearance and Oliver reaches up, tugging his hand through his hair. He’s sure it’s a mess, a long sleep combined with Felicity’s hands running through it earlier are a sure-fire way to ensure that.

“Yes.” He replies simply, taking a deep breath. His mother frowns but nods her head, glancing back towards the living room before she speaks again.

“Alright, well, I’m in the middle of a meeting at the moment but maybe after…?” She asks and her voice is so full of hope and light that it gives Oliver pause for a moment. He truly does hate the tension that the two of them are experiencing at the moment but he’s struggling with a way to move past it that doesn’t have him resenting his mother every step of the way.

“I just came downstairs to get something to eat. We’ll be out of the way in a few.” He comments quickly and frowns when his mother’s eyebrow quirks and a smile spreads across her face.

“Oh, is…?” She begins to ask, obviously delighted at the prospect of seeing Felicity, but before she can finish her question she’s interrupted by a voice from the living room.

“Mrs. Queen? Is everything ok?” The voice asks, deep and obviously male. He has an accent, a familiar one that Oliver recognizes but struggles to immediately place. His mother looks at him with a hopeful raised eyebrow and he sighs but nods his head, following her through to the living room.

“Yes, thank you. Uh, my son just dropped by.” His mother tells whoever her visitor is and Oliver sighs heavily, running a hand over his face.

“Oliver, I'd like you to meet Slade Wilson.”

In a second, Oliver is back on the freighter, watching the man he once called brother unleash a plan of vengeance the like of which Oliver had never seen.

Slade stands and makes his way over, the eye patch a new accessory that Oliver knows is a result of his actions the last time he laid eyes on this man.

The sight of this man stood in his family’s living room, dressed in a suit with his mother smiling warmly at him makes Oliver’s blood run cold.

Their hands slam together in the most aggressive handshake Oliver has ever experienced and Oliver can tell by the strength of his arm that the mirakuru is still running through his veins.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Queen.”

This right here is all of Oliver’s worst fears come true.

Chapter Text

“What are you doing here?”

Oliver knows his mother is going to consider him rude but he can barely spare a thought to that right now as he stares at the man he was so sure was dead. This is a man he’s regretted killing so many times over the past five years but to see him stood in front of him, still very much alive, it only turns Oliver’s blood to ice.

“Mr. Wilson just made a sizeable contribution to my campaign.” His mother comments and Oliver forces himself to breathe. He cannot make a scene, that’s exactly what Slade is wanting him to do, so he forces himself to calm.

“How generous of him.” He comments through gritted teeth, pulling his arm harshly back from Slade’s as he watches the man smile charmingly.

“Well, I felt compelled. It was the least that I could do for your mother. And what this city needs is a pro-business mayor like Moira to spread growth through urban investment.” Slade smirks, gesturing to Moira who blushes bashfully, nodding her head in silent thanks. This is a man he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemies, let alone his family and loved ones. It makes Oliver sick to the stomach to see the man stood so close to his mother, commenting so casually about her career.

“And we were just discussing how to combat the rising wage gap.”

“And the answer lies in your budget proposal.”

Their discussion of his mother’s campaign honestly swoops right over Oliver’s head. It’s not that he doesn’t understand it but he’s finding it difficult to think of anything but the raging panic running through him right now.

How does he get Slade away from his mother? How can he do anything when he’s stood in his family sitting room? This is where he watched his baby sister take her first steps, where he fondly remembers Christmas parties, and where he’s spent numerous hours wrapped up with his love and surrounded by his family. He doesn’t want Slade to poison that.

“You know, when I look at your mother, I think about everything that you went through after the quake. All I can say is, you and I have something in common.” Slade comments, looking every bit the businessman and investor he’s trying to pass himself off as. Oliver has no idea where he got the money for all of this from or what his larger, overarching plan is but he knows he wants to rattle Oliver right now.

Mission accomplished.

“What's that?” Moira asks, a polite smile on her face but Slade keeps his eyes on Oliver as he answers.

“I know how difficult it is to pick yourself back up when other people have written you off.” He states and Oliver takes a deep breath, his jaw clenching as the scene on the freighter plays over and over in his head.

“Indeed.” Moira swallows, brushing off her dress. Obviously a little embarrassed by the praise and the comment on her involvement in the Undertaking, but unfortunately Oliver cannot think about his mother’s pride right now.

“What's wrong, Mr. Queen? You look a little piqued.” Slade comments and his behavior earns him a warning glare from his mother that has Oliver’s anger levels skyrocketing once more.

“I'm fine, thank you.” He manages to spit out but he knows it’s entirely unconvincing and his mother’s glare only deepens.

He’s saved by the appearance of one of the maids, carrying a set of crystalware and Oliver frowns as she places it on a side table next to a very familiar bottle of rum.

“Ah, thank you, dear. Oliver, Mr. Wilson was kind enough to bring a bottle of authentic Australian rum.” Moira comments and Oliver takes a deep breath.

“Will you join us in a drink?” Slade questions, that smirk back on his face and Oliver forces a smile of his own on his. Drinking the rum he’d toasted to brotherhood with the man who had then gone on a murderous rampage trying to kill him isn’t exactly his idea of a good time.

“Yes, of course.” He agrees when his mother glares at him, looking at him as if he’s grown another head. He knows that she must be incredibly confused at his behavior right now and is probably boiling it down to their own tensions. He cannot think of a way to communicate to her that their current argument has nothing to do with his behavior right now subtly, however.

“Wonderful.” She comments tersely, sending him yet another look and Oliver sighs, taking the glass when it’s handed to him. “What shall we drink to?”

“To friendship.” Slade comments and Oliver’s fully ready to grab whichever blunt instrument is closest and beat him over the head with it until he’s knocked out, mirakuru be damned.

“Oh, delicious,” Moira comments and it’s his mother’s presence and the reminder of his surroundings that brings Oliver back down from his violent thoughts, keeping his eyes trained on Slade as he walks across the room.

“This here is a beautiful piece. Tell me, does your family spend much time on the water?” He questions, looking at the model ship that sits on the table in the bay window. His question that he obviously knows the answer to has Oliver clenching his jaw tighter than he thinks he ever has before and he can feel his fingers twitching as if silently reaching out for his bow.

“Uh, no. Not since my late husband.” His mother comments, pursing her lips as she always does when someone brings up Robert without warning her. Oliver knows that it’s her way of holding herself together, just as he has his own tells.

“I'm sorry, Moira, forgive me. I do remember reading about that accident in the paper. You were a brave soul.” Slade turns his attention back to Oliver and the comment once again has Oliver twitching. How much he’d like to stab an arrow through his other eye.

“I don't like to talk about it.” He manages to spit out but Slade merely smiles at him, nodding his head.

“I can understand. All that time on that island It must have been hell for you.” He tells him, the taunting undertone detectable to Oliver but not to his mother. Moira looks over at Oliver and must notice his uncomfortable stance because her next words are far kinder than the warning looks she’s been shooting at him since they entered the room would suggest.

“Should we sit? I don’t believe my son wishes to discuss his time away, I apologize Mr. Wilson. You can understand why it’s a difficult topic.” She smiles and covers politely, gesturing to the couch.

Slade nods, relenting for now, and sits next to Moira on the couch, leaving the armchairs on the other side for Oliver’s selection. He sits across from his mother, not wanting to appear as if he’s taking too long to decided where to sit, and takes another long drink from his glass, appreciating the way the rum burns the back of his throat.

“Are you married, Mr. Wilson? Do you have any children?” Moira questions, smiling politely at the man who takes a moment, glancing at Oliver before he answers.

“Sadly neither.” He tells her and Oliver knows that this might be an even more dangerous topic than Oliver’s time away despite his mother thinking she’s just making polite conversation.

“Well, there must be someone special in your life.” Moira pressures and Slade hums, taking another sip of his drink. He looks so casual and cavalier in Oliver’s sitting room and Oliver can feel the anger bubbling in him again.

“There was. But she passed away a few years ago.” Slade comments, his eyes once again drifting to Oliver and he takes a deep breath.

“I'm sorry.” Moira comments and Oliver shuffles a little in his seat.

“My mother and I have had to deal with a lot of loss, unfortunately. And eventually, we learned that you just have to move on.” He comments as casually as he hopes he can. His comments earn him another glare from his mother but Oliver knows he’s not getting out of this without his mother being very annoyed at him. Slade grits his teeth, a flash of anger crossing his face before he covers it well, smiling politely at Moira.

“I don't believe that.” He comments sharply before he stands and walks towards the fireplace, brushing close past Oliver’s chair. “You know, I heard that your family has an affinity with the fine arts.”

“Yes, my husband amassed quite the collection of 19th-century American landscapes.” Moira smiles, looking around Oliver. She’s still stuck in her entertaining persona and doesn’t allow Oliver to catch her eye when he tries to as Slade has his back turned.

“Hmm. I'd love to see them.” Slade comments and Oliver frowns. The last thing he wants is to drag this out further than it needs to be. He truly doesn’t want to tour his father’s old art collection with the man he knows is going to bring nothing but havoc and chaos into their lives.

“Maybe another day. We have some family business that we need to discuss right now.” Oliver says as he stands but his mother is quicker, glaring sharply at Oliver as she passes and heads over to the door.

“I'm sorry. My son seems to have forgotten all his manners. Let me just get my staff to open up the rest of the house.” She tells Slade with a warm smile and he smiles back at her. She leaves the room and Oliver sees his opportunity. The only thing around him is a letter opener and he discreetly slides it into his hand as he makes his way over to the doorway as well.

“Thank you,” Slade calls after Moira’s retreating form and Oliver takes his chance, swinging his arm up to attempt to let the letter opener find its mark. Slade, however, was obviously expecting the attack and his hand catches Oliver’s tightly, a smirk on his face. The strength of his grip confirms what Oliver already knows, that Slade still has the mirakuru in him and bringing him down is going to be harder than anything they’ve faced before.

“Mom?”

Oliver freezes and allows his hand to go slack at the sound of Thea’s voice. The sickening smirk that spreads across Slade’s face as he plucks the pseudo-weapon from Oliver’s hand only aids in sending shivers down his spine.

“Not yet, kid. I'm still going to meet the rest of your family.” He tells him under his breath and Oliver takes a long breath, stepping back from Slade as Thea rounds the corner.

“Hello? Wow, Ollie, you in this house is a sight for sore eyes. Have you and Mom finally talked because this whole not speaking thing is really getting old and…” She starts to bemoan, her eyes locked on Oliver and he sighs, interrupting her before she reveals all of their family drama to Slade.

“Thea, now is not a good time.” He cuts in and Thea frowns, finally looking over at Slade as she takes in her surroundings. She smiles politely at him, accepting him as a visitor. Oliver knows it’s not exactly uncommon for their mother to have people coming and going, especially with her new campaign.

“Who's your friend?” She questions, smiling at him, and Oliver feels the anger start to bubble inside of him as Slade steps forward and clasps one of Thea’s small hands in his own.

“Slade Wilson. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard such wonderful things from your mother.” He introduces himself and Thea smiles bashfully, raising an eyebrow.

“About me?” She questions, obviously charmed, but before Oliver can speak up, Moira rounds the corner once more, smiling at the sight of them gathered.

“Thea, what perfect timing. This is Slade Wilson, and I…" His mother starts and Oliver cannot help from butting in.

“They've met.” He comments tersely, his jaw clenched, the sight of his baby sister’s hand still clasped in Slade’s large ones making most of his sense disappear out the window.

“…was just about to show him our collection. But you're far better suited. Come.” His mother comments, glaring heavily at him as she places a hand on Thea’s back and leads her away to the long corridors of the house where they store Robert’s old collection.

“Oh. Senior year, I was obsessed with art. My teacher made me bring my entire art history class over here to show our pieces. It was exactly as mortifying as it sounds.” Thea comments conversationally, laughing politely in the way she’s been taught. If Oliver’s mind wasn’t so clouded with panic and anger, he would probably have noted how much Thea could sound like their mother when she wanted to.

“Oh, I'm sure it wasn't. But you're a very lucky girl to have known such privilege. And I am fortunate to have your entire family here.” Slade comments with a smirk, looking over his shoulder at Oliver and he reaches forward and places a hand on both of his mother and sister’s shoulders. The sight sends rage bubbling through Oliver and he takes a deep breath, thanking his lucky stars that Felicity is still upstairs.

“And here we have a Curtis Swan from 1882. Fun fact about this one; he actually painted it with his left hand due to severe arthritis.” Thea points out with a smile, every bit the hostess she was raised to be as they face the next painting in the long line of artwork Thea has been talking through.

“It's absolutely exquisite,” Slade comments as he steps up to the painting.

“I know. I can't tell you how many offers we've had from private collectors for it.” Moira smiles, her eyes on their guest as he examines the artwork.

“But it was one of dad's favorites. Wasn't it, Ollie?” Thea smiles, looking over at her brother. She sends him a strange look and he manages a cough as he steps forward, taking his hands out of his pocket.

“Yes, it was. He loved that one.” He manages to get out and Thea frowns at him, obviously confused.

“Then you must never sell it. I believe that when we lose someone we love, we have the obligation to honor their memory.”

Thea’s attention is drawn back to Slade as he speaks and his words settle into Oliver’s brain. Slade has made it abundantly clear that Shado’s death is not something he has forgotten in the short interaction they’ve had and Oliver’s mind is reeling with the ways in which he might be planning his revenge.

“Oliver?”

Oliver freezes at the sound of Felicity’s voice, his jaw only clenching tighter when she rounds the corner. She’s dressed, but barely. It’s very obvious that it’s his shirt she’s clunkily tucked into her skirt from last night, her hair a mess around her head and her eyes widen at the sight of the numerous people in the hallway. Her hand flies up to her hair, running her fingers through it in an obvious attempt to calm it down and she smiles bashfully.

“Felicity!” Thea grins, looking over at Oliver with obvious excitement on her face. Oliver cannot concentrate on that now however because the look of absolute glee on Slade’s face is making his stomach twist and his heart race.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had company, Moira.” Felicity blushes, smiling apologetically over at the matriarch who only smiles, shaking her head as she walks over to her and lays a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“It’s fine, dear. This is my son’s partner, Felicity Smoak.” Moira introduces and Oliver takes a deep breath as Slade raises an eyebrow, a smile spreading across his face in a way that sends a shiver down his spine.

“Partner?”

“Oh well, you know, girlfriend sounds a little trivial and ‘lover’ is just a creepy word all around. Not that we don’t love each other, because we do, but it’s just a creepy word. Plus, you know it kind of boils our relationship down to just… something which I am not going to discuss. I’m sorry, my brain to mouth filter was missing when I was born.” Felicity blushes, rising onto her toes before plopping her heels back on the floor. It’s one of her tells that she’s feeling incredibly awkward and Oliver winces. She’s just revealed to Slade how serious their relationship is and Oliver has an incredibly bad feeling about that. “Sorry, what was your name?”

“Slade Wilson. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Smoak.” Slade smiles, stepping forward with a smile on his face as he extends his hand and Oliver can tell the moment the name clicks in Felicity’s mind.

“Oh.” She comments, meeting Oliver’s eyes over the large man’s shoulder but he merely sighs, shaking his head. He knows that making a scene right here and now is not a good idea and Felicity paints on a fake smile, shaking his hand. “A pleasure to meet you as well. Um, what are you doing here?”

“Mr. Wilson has just made a significant contribution to my campaign,” Moira explains and Felicity raises an eyebrow, nodding her head with what is obviously a fake, terse smile on her face.

“I see. Well, that’s very kind of him. Apologies Moira, I’m going to change. I hope you enjoy the rest of your tour.” She comments, looking between them and Oliver feels a breath of relief wave over him that she’s quickly found a way to remove herself from this situation. The addition of Felicity to all of this has honestly just made it practically incapable for Oliver to think clearly and he needs to know that she’s safe and away from Slade before he can even begin to formulate a plan.

But if she’s going away…

“Actually, Felicity, wasn’t there that thing you wanted to show Thea?” Oliver asks, looking at Felicity with a raised eyebrow and Felicity’s eyes widen as she looks between Oliver and a frowning Thea.

“Oh right, yes. There was that thing.” Felicity nods, smiling brightly as she looks at Thea. The teenager looks hopeful, Oliver knows that his sister has missed his girlfriend something awful and would probably jump at the chance to spend a few minutes with him.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, Thea is giving Mr. Wilson the tour.” Moira jumps in, looking between Oliver and Felicity. She sends Oliver another warning look and Oliver sighs, he truly wishes he could explain to her how important it is to keep them all safe right now but he cannot figure out a way to do it whilst Slade is still here.

“Mom, Felicity and I need to go to the office soon. It’s important.” Oliver pushes and he looks over at Thea who frowns before she paints a polite smile on her face, stepping forward towards Slade.

“There’s not many left. Will you forgive me, Mr. Wilson, if I hand you back to my mother for the last few paintings? She’s also very knowledgeable about them, I assure you.” Thea covers politely, surprising Oliver immensely at her ability to quickly find a cover and smooth over the tension.

His mother, however, only grows more indignant and her mouth practically drops open as she looks at Thea.

“Thea! I apologize Mr. Wilson, both my children seem to have abandoned their manners. Felicity is here for you to talk to all the time.” Moira comments politely before she spins to Thea, sending her daughter the same look she’s been sending Oliver since he realized exactly who was sat in the sitting room.

“But she’s not, is she?”

Thea, however, brilliant force of nature that she is, puts her foot down, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. It’s far more characteristic of his sister than the polite, calculating moment she just displayed and Oliver’s shoulders relax a little.

“It’s alright, Moira, I would be happy to hear your thoughts on the last few paintings in your collection. Thank you, Miss Queen, for your expert knowledge. I hope to see you again soon.” Slade comments, smiling down at Thea. He clasps her hand in his again and Oliver digs his nails into his palm.

“And I you, Mr. Wilson,” Thea responds before she pushes past her mother, linking arms with Felicity as she begins to pull her down the corridor. Felicity looks over her shoulder and raises her eyebrow. Instinctively, Oliver knows what she’s asking and he nods his head, gaining a nod back in response.

“She’s a beautiful girl, Mr. Queen. You are very lucky to find that someone special who means everything to you.” Slade’s voice drags Oliver back from the small flicker of hope that was beginning to form in his brain and he paints his forced smile back on his face.

“Thank you. I’m very lucky indeed.” He grits through his teeth. The words are, of course, true but he doesn’t want to discuss Felicity with Slade. It’s too tenuous of a subject, too close to home for the two of them. The warning in his old friend’s voice about finding someone who means everything to you is clear but Oliver has to hold true to the fact that Felicity is safe with Thea right now else he’ll lose it there and then.

“Felicity is so much more than her looks. She’s wonderfully intelligent as well. Certainly not my son’s usual type but we all welcomed the change with open arms.” Moira comments with a warm smile and Slade raises an eyebrow, looking between the two of them before his eyes settle on Oliver.

“And you have a strong connection?” He questions, his smile taunting Oliver.

“Oh, they’re practically inseparable,” Moira comments casually when Oliver doesn’t answer for himself and walks past them both as she gestures down the corridor. “Shall we continue the tour?”

Both men maintain eye contact for a moment, Slade’s head inclining in a way that makes Oliver feel very uneasy before they paint their fake smiles back on their face and turn to Moira, the pretense back up as they follow her down the corridor.

Felicity bites her lip as she and Thea make it back to Oliver’s room and she immediately heads for her bag, pulling out her phone. She winces at how little battery she has left but dials John.

“What’s going on? I thought you had something to show me? Felicity?” Thea questions and Felicity winces. There’s very little she can do to answer Thea’s questions and get through to the others in the little time they have before Slade leaves or Oliver loses it on him.

You know, whichever comes first.

“Felicity?” Thea pressures, looking very confused and Felicity sighs.

“I know you feel like everyone’s keeping something from you. I promise I will explain, can you give me five minutes, please?” She asks and Thea frowns but nods, settling down on the bed. Felicity can feel Thea’s eyes practically burning into her and she frowns but concentrates on what she needs to do, which is get the rest of the team here. Now.

“Hello? Felicity? How are you feeling?” John’s voice sounds on the other end of the line, considerate and calm and Felicity lets his tone settle over her for a moment.

“I’m fine. Listen, please tell me Sara’s there.” She winces, fiddling with her skirt. She can see Thea frowning out the corner of her eye but she forces herself to concentrate on the phone and she also starts pulling up the house’s blueprints on her tablet at the same time.

“Yes, she’s here.” John replies and Felicity breathes a sigh of relief. If anyone is going to be able to recognize what an immediate danger Slade Wilson poses, it’s Sara.

“Great, put her on please,” Felicity asks but she knows John doesn’t immediately comply when she doesn’t hear the rustling of a phone being switched between hands.

“Felicity, what’s going on?” Her friend questions and she bites her lip.

“Please, John.” She presses and she hears him sigh.

“Okay, one second,” John tells her and she finally hears the rustle as the phone is passed over to Sara.

“Felicity, what’s going on?” Sara questions and Felicity winces as she speaks her next words.

“Listen, Slade Wilson is here, at the Queen Mansion,” Felicity tells her and Sara takes a sharp intake of breath.

“What? How…? I… Are you sure?” The other blonde questions and Felicity can hear the frown in her voice. She knows that, like Oliver, Sara thought the man they’d known on the island to be dead.

“I’ve never seen Oliver this agitated, I’m sure, Sara.” She presses and she hears Sara take a deep breath.

“Okay. We’re moving now. Do you have a comms unit with you?” Sara asks and Felicity immediately lets out a breath of relief.

“Yes.” She comments as she reaches down and finds the device in the pocket of her bag.

“Good, put it on. We’ll be there soon. We’re going to need your eyes and ears.” Sara tells her and Felicity closes her eyes briefly in relief that Sara is stepping up. They need a leader right now with Oliver otherwise occupied and Felicity doesn’t know enough about the situation to step up herself.

“You got it.” She tells Sara and the line goes dead. Felicity sighs and continues typing away on her tablet as she inserts the comms unit into her ear.

“What’s happening? Why’s Sara coming? Is Mr. Wilson dangerous?” Thea questions when she sees Felicity put the phone down and the blonde sighs, looking over at the teenager. She knows that she’s practically blown Thea’s world up in front of her face and she’s unsure how she’s going to swing this without revealing everything to her.

“He’s someone Sara and your brother knew a long time ago. We think he might be dangerous.” She tells Thea honestly, bending the truth just a little, and Thea just frowns, looking between the tablet, the comms unit, and Felicity’s phone.

“And why do you just know who to call and what to do? I thought you were an IT girl?” Thea questions and Felicity smiles, nodding her head.

“I am. Just kind of with knobs on.” She explains and Thea frowns.

“I don’t understand.” The girl tells her and Felicity sighs, nodding her head.

“I know, but a lot of this isn’t my secret to tell.” She explains, biting her lip. She knows that she’s just thrown Oliver under the bus but she really doesn’t know what else to do besides blurt everything right here and now and she knows that would not be the right course of action.

“Ollie?” Thea questions, obviously having caught on and Felicity sighs heavily.

“Thea, I need you to trust me. Okay? Can you do that?” She asks and the teenager bites her lip, looking at Felicity for a long moment before she sighs too.

“I… I guess so.” She comments and Felicity smiles, reaching out to squeeze Thea’s knee.

“Alright guys, I’m in. I have thermal imaging up so I can tell you where they’re moving to.” Felicity explains as she activates her comms unit.

“We’re on our way. Digg has a weapon that might be able to end this tonight.” Sara tells her and Felicity’s eyes widen.

“Are you sure?” She questions and she hears Sara heave a sigh.

“Slade Wilson is dangerous. No chances, no mistakes.” She states clearly and Felicity nods her head even as the fear starts to bubble in her stomach.

“I'm in position. When Slade comes out, I'll have the shot.” Digg comments and Felicity’s eyes widen at the idea.

“Felicity? Who’s with them?” Roy asks through the comms and she bites her lip, hoping that her volume settings are quiet enough that Thea can’t hear Roy’s voice. She doesn’t seem to react and that makes Felicity breath a little easier.

“Just Moira.” She replies and she can hear a sigh of relief from both Sara and Roy.

“Thea?” Roy questions, the worry is still evident in his voice and Felicity winces.

“…is with me.”

“Like right now?” He asks, the panic seeping back in and Felicity sighs.

“Will you focus? They’re in the northwest hall.” She comments and ignores Roy’s huff of indignation.

 “Roy, remember, just get Moira away from Slade. Don't start a fight, you'll lose. Ok?” Sara commands and Felicity is glad to hear her taking back control of the situation.

“Ok.” Roy comments and Felicity bites her lip.

“Let's go.”

“Thank you again for such a wonderful and insightful tour. You were a remarkable guide, as was your daughter.” Slade comments to Moira as they round the corner into the entrance hall once more.

“Did you have a favorite?” Moira questions politely and Oliver watches as Slade’s eye slip over his mother’s shoulder to catch his.

“I found "The Promise" to be particularly compelling.” He states seriously and Oliver chews the inside of his cheek. It’s ridiculous to him that they even have such a painting in their house that lines up so perfectly with Slade’s own vendetta but Oliver supposes it wouldn’t be his life if there wasn’t some sort of ridiculous dramatic poetic connection to his issues. The people he fights do tend to all be connected in that way.

“Thea, you home?”

Oliver’s shoulders sink in relief at the sound of Roy’s familiar voice and Moira and Slade both turn to greet him. Moira’s eyebrows rise in surprise and she smiles.

“Roy! Thea didn’t say you were coming over.” She comments and the boy shrugs, his hands sliding into his pockets.

“Just figured I could give her a lift to work.” He smiles casually, meeting Oliver’s eyes before he quickly glances upstairs. Oliver looks up to see the slow and agile movements of Sara on the stairs.

“Uh, this is, uh—” Moira gesticulates but Roy steps forward, extending his hand.

“I'm Roy Harper. I’m a friend of Thea’s.” He introduces himself and Slade steps up to him.

“Slade Wilson.”

Their hands slap together more than shake, an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Mirakuru against mirakuru.

“That's a particularly firm handshake you have there, son,” Slade comments, raising an eyebrow and Roy smiles.

“Yeah, you too.” He replies but Oliver is more distracted by Sara, who is brandishing a knife on the stairs. He catches her eye and shakes his head, watching as she expertly spins the weapon back into its place.

“Ollie. There you are.” She greets brightly instead, sending everyone’s eyes whirling over to her. She smiles brightly and rushes down the stairs until she’s stood next to Oliver.

“Sara, we didn't hear you come in.” His mother comments with a smile, tilting her head, and Sara shrugs.

“The door was open so I came in when I didn’t get an answer to my knock. I went upstairs and Felicity told me you were down here.” She covers effortlessly and Moira raises an eyebrow in disbelief but nods.

“Mr. Wilson, this is my son's friend Sara Lance.” She introduces needlessly and Slade smiles, moving over towards them slowly. Slade’s eyes meet Sara and Oliver can see the tension that passes between them, the last time they saw each other was when Sara went flying out of the Amazo and they all presumed her dead.

“Of course. You're the girl who came back from the dead.” He comments, looking her up and down and Sara smiles, shrugging her shoulders casually.

“I’m just glad to be home.” She tells him and Slade hums, nodding his head.

“So what would you like to do now?” Oliver questions tersely as he looks over at the man he once called brother. The silence descends over the hallway and Oliver stares Slade down, knowing that Sara most likely has a similar expression on her face next to him. “Mr. Wilson.”

“Well, I'd hate to break up the party but I think I should be going. I look forward to seeing more of you, Moira.” He comments politely, looking between Oliver and Sara tensely one last time before he moves over to Moira. He clasps her hand in one of his and Oliver’s hands ball into fists as his other lands on her waist. He leans in to kiss her cheek and Moira reacts bashfully. “And your lovely family, of course.”

“Digg's got a shot lined up outside.” Sara stretches to whisper in his ear and he nods, wanting to see this through.

“Mr. Wilson. May I walk you to your car?” He offers and Slade turns to look at him, confusion sparking for just a moment before he nods. Oliver’s mother sends him a strange look as he passes her but he ignores her for a moment as he opens the door and allows Slade to walk through it first.

They make it a few feet down the drive before Oliver begins to speak.

“Cyrus Gold, the men in the skull mask, all this was you. They worked for you.” Oliver comments. He knows it’s fruitless but he needs to hear the confirmation from Slade that the foes he’s been facing for the past six months have been his fault.

“Well, I have my allies, just as you have yours,” Slade tells him as they reach his car. It’s expensive and Oliver’s more than a little confused as to how Slade appears to have amassed so much wealth. “John Diggle, for example. I suppose you're wondering why he hasn't taken his head shot. Don't worry. He's still alive--for now.”

Oliver’s teeth clench as he thinks of his best friend, the first one he trusted with his secret. Digg is just as integral to this as Felicity and himself and he can’t lose him. Ever.

“Slade. What do you want?” Oliver asks, feeling like he honestly might burst at any moment. This whole afternoon has been such a farce and he’s sick of the games. Slade doesn’t answer and climbs into his car, rolling the window down once he’s settled.

“Five years ago, I made you a promise. Do you remember? Well, I'm here to fulfill it. I'll see you around, kid.” He tells him, his voice just as threatening as his words and he drives off, leaving Oliver stood in the dust in the driveway.

Oliver stands there for a moment, allowing the dust to settle over him as he considers how quickly his world has turned around in the last few hours. Everything seems so tenuous now, wobbling in place. He’d been so sure that he killed Slade that he blinded himself to the possibility of the mirakuru stemming from him despite the fact that he was preoccupied helping a girl he was sure died twice acclimatize to coming home.

This is all his fault and he’s just placed his entire family and inner circle in the line of fire.

Digg.

The thought sparks him into action and he rushes back towards the house before taking a sharp right and jumping up the embankment to where he can see the weapon ready for its shot. Sara is already there, helping Digg as he slowly sits up.

“Are you alright?” Oliver asks as he reaches him, bending down next to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah man, I’m fine.” He groans, sighing heavily as he leans back against a tree.

“I heard him go down on the comms,” Sara explains when Oliver sends an inquisitive look her way. “I’ll get him back to the Foundry and make sure he’s okay. You, on the other hand, are going to have to start thinking of some answers very quickly.”

Sara nods towards the house as she speaks and Oliver sighs, looking towards the house to see the cluster of people at the front door, both Felicity and Thea among them.

“You’re right. Please don’t let him fall asleep until you’re sure he’s not concussed.” Oliver reminds Sara who nods, turning her attention back to Diggle as Oliver stands, sighing heavily as he heads down the steps and towards the front door.

“Oliver? Are you alright?” Felicity asks as she rushes towards him and Oliver cannot help but melt into her when she wraps her arms around him.

“Okay, someone is really going to need to start explaining.” Moira comments and Oliver sighs, pulling strength from Felicity’s embrace and the feeling of her heartbeat next to his own. Once he’s feeling a little less like everything is about to come tumbling down around him, he pulls back, tucking her into his side.

“I think maybe it’s time we start being a little more honest.” He speaks honestly, looking out over the group of people in front of him. He catches his mother’s eye and she raises an eyebrow, obviously confused. Thea looks like she’s about ready to bust a gut and Roy looks as if his whole world is about to come tumbling down.

Oliver knows the feeling.

“Hang on.” Felicity whispers and Oliver frowns, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow of his own. “There had to be a point to all that. I don’t think it was just a sike you out kinda situation.”  

“You don’t? What do you think it was?” He asks and Felicity shakes her head.

“I just think we should maybe move this conversation to somewhere we can be sure is safe.” She replies, keeping her voice low and Oliver raises an eyebrow as he bites the inside of his cheek.

She’s not wrong.

He doesn’t know what Slade’s endgame is right now but he doesn’t think it could hurt to be overly cautious.

“Why don’t we all head to Verdant? We can talk this over a few drinks and get everything out in the open.” Oliver suggests, looking between his mother and sister. The former nods her head but Thea raises an eyebrow, obviously still curious as to what is going on.

“You really think it’s a good idea to mix alcohol into this equation?” The teenager asks and Oliver chuckles, untangling himself from Felicity to wrap an arm around his sister’s shoulder as he leads her to his car.  

“I might need a scotch to be able to get this out in the open, Speedy.” He tells her honestly and smiles reassuringly at him when her head snaps up to look at him with concern written all over her face.

Roy manages to make an excuse to slip away that Oliver’s unsure whether Thea believes or not at this point. His poor sister seems so confused and he leads her into Verdant. She slips away from him as she heads to the bar and Moira finds a table. The club is empty, there’s no one there, which means Oliver is happy to have this conversation up here.

Well, happy may not exactly be the word.

Downright terrified actually seems more appropriate.

“Are you sure you want to do this? We can just tell her my secret.” Felicity asks, running her hands up and down his arms as they stand a few feet away from where Moira is sat with Thea at a table.

“No, she’s right. She told me a few days ago that secrets were what pulled this family apart in the first place and she’s right. I’ve been telling myself that lying to her has been protecting her and maybe it has all this time but also…”

“She’ll be easier to protect once she’s in the know.” Felicity finishes for him, smiling encouragingly up at him. “You know, hopefully.”

Oliver cannot help the tug at his lips as Felicity pulls a face. She has a way of lightening even the darkest of situations and Oliver cannot count his lucky stars enough that he gets to witness and revel in that light.

“I’m so proud of you for coming to that realization all on your own by the way.” She comments and Oliver shakes his head as an actual smile starts to spread across his face. He just can’t help it around her, especially when she pats him on the chest. “All that growth.”

“I just hope she doesn’t hate me.” He sighs heavily, looking over at his baby sister who is staring back at him just as intensely. He manages what he hopes is a reassuring smile but Thea doesn’t look all too convinced.

“She loves you. As do I.” Felicity reminds him with one of her not-winks and Oliver sighs, nodding his head as he steps back. He interlaces their fingers and squeezes, pulling strength from her as they make their way over to the table. They sit down and Oliver takes a deep breath, focusing on the grounding feeling of Felicity’s hand in his.

“What’s going on? I don’t understand why we couldn’t just talk at the house?” Thea questions before he can begin and Oliver winces, opening his mouth to try and explain but he can’t think of the right words at all.

“Thea, this is a really difficult topic for your brother. If you could just give him the time he needs to talk?” Felicity asks softly and Oliver watches as Thea frowns, her bravado falling away as she looks at him in concern. He sends a thankful look to Felicity and takes a deep breath as she squeezes his hand once more in support. Closing his eyes, he prepares himself as he starts to explain his connection to the man they all just met.

“Lian Yu was not all as deserted as I led you to believe. I met a lot of people during my five years away and Slade Wilson was one of them. We came into contact with another man, called Ivo. He took me along with Shado, a woman both Slade and I cared for, and Sara, who it turned out had landed on Ivo’s freighter after the water took her under after the Gambit sank. Ivo made me chose, Sara or Shado, and he had them both at gunpoint. He said he’d shoot them both if I didn’t pick in time and I thought that was what he was doing when he aimed the gun at Sara so I jumped in front of her. Ivo took that as me picking and instead shot Shado. When Slade found out, he went crazy and blamed me. He promised me that he would make me suffer as I made him, and that he would make me feel complete despair. When I walked him to his car tonight, he told me that he is here to make good on that promise.”

Oliver’s voice is shaky as he speaks.

He hates speaking about his time away. It’s practically impossible to speak about without his head dragging up all the memories and fears and despair that he witnessed and felt throughout those five years. Felicity’s hand in his is an anchor as he speaks, however, and when he finally raises his head, to her soft, supporting smile and loving gaze.

Taking a deep breath, he looks over at his mother and sister. Moira is still, looking at him with concern and that almost constant motherly pity he always receives from her when he tells her something more about his time on Lian Yu. It doesn’t make him wince in the way that it did when she first discovered his scars, for example, but it still creates a pit in his stomach like someone’s dropped a brick through his system. He hates that he’s the one who’s disrupted their lives so much. That he’s caused such discord and fear to enter their worlds.

“Oliver, I had no idea when he made the donation. I’m so sorry.” Moira finally speaks and Oliver takes a deep breath, nodding his head in acceptance of her words.

“He blames me for the death of the woman he loved and he is going to make me suffer in the same way. You all need to know this as people that I love.” He tells them and finally, pans his eyes over to Thea.

His baby sister, his Speedy.

No matter what Thea does or says, Oliver has always struggled with seeing her as anything other than the sweet little girl in pigtails who used to toddle around after him and Tommy. Thea, in his eyes, is the best of them all in their family. She’s always been a bright spark in a dull landscape for Oliver and if he can prevent her suffering or pain in any way, it will always be a hit he will take because she’s his baby sister and that’s what big brothers do. He loves her with all of his heart, brilliant force of nature that she is, and to know that he’s bringing pain and suffering into her world when all he wants to do is take it away is awful for Oliver. He hates this feeling.

“Speedy?” He asks tentatively, watching her face. It’s a blank canvas, impossible to read but as her nickname sparks a recognition, her brows furrow and she looks at Oliver.

“I don’t… I don’t understand.” She answers him, her voice quiet and slow and Oliver takes a deep breath, trying to hold back his emotions.

“He hates me, Thea, more than, and he is going to make me suffer. That puts you all in danger and I’m so sorry.” He tells her, trying to explain himself but he gets choked up halfway through. Thea merely stares back at him, looking at him with a frown. She looks over at Moira and then back at Oliver, the confusion evident on her face.

“Is this why you and Mom have been arguing? Because she found out you’ve been lying about your time away?” She asks, looking between them all and Oliver shakes his head. He reaches his hand across the table but Thea merely frowns, adding it to the list of things her eyes are darting between.

“No Speedy. Mom and I’s tensions have nothing to do with this.” Oliver reassures her but that only seems to make her more confused.

“Then what have you been arguing about?” She questions and Oliver looks over at Moira in a panic. This isn’t his secret to tell and even though he’s unhappy with the fact that his mother has continued to hide it from Thea, he doesn’t want to back her into a corner. Moira however, shakes her head and holds up a hand, smiling softly at the three of them.

“Thea, there’s something that I need to tell you.” She says slowly and turns to face her daughter’s inquisitive face.

Chapter Text

Sleep has been evading Oliver since his nightmares came to life a few days ago.

He can’t rest, not when he knows Slade is out there, not when he knows that his family and his loved ones are at risk. He doesn’t know what he’d do if any of them were hurt, or worse, in the name of Slade’s vendetta against him.

There’s a battle raging in him that he’s unsure he’ll be able to figure out.

He sits on his bed in his room, back resting against the headboard, with Felicity sleeping next to him. It’s not what he’d call a peaceful sleep but with her head resting in his lap, he’s able to soothe her frowns and groans with a soft hand in her hair or over her brow.

She’s so beautiful like this, hair loose and glasses off, dressed only in one of his t-shirts. Her eyes flicker as she sleeps, her hand curled gently into a fist which rests on his lower stomach, her chipped bright blue nail polish a stark contrast against his skin.

He feels in control here, with her so close and him awake and alert. The issue comes with his mother and sister asleep in the rooms next door. As much as he appreciates feeling able to protect his love, the fear that Slade or his men will be able to reach his mother or Thea without him realizing is still niggling in the back of his mind.

The thought of someone managing to sneak down the corridor without him noticing, or in through one of their windows…

He knows that he checked they were locked before Felicity tugged him to bed but what if he somehow managed to miss one or…

Yeah no, this isn’t working.

Carefully and as gently as he can, he cradles Felicity’s head and transfers her off his lap and onto the pillow next to him. Her hand twitches and he holds it gently in his own, lifting it to his lips to kiss tenderly before he places it on the bed. She groans a little but doesn’t stir as Oliver stands from the bed and he smiles sadly down at her, brushing her loose hair back from her face with as delicate of a touch as he can manage. She’s beautiful and Oliver takes in the sight of her for another long moment, reassuring himself of her steady breathing before he moves to check the windows one more time and then heads out into the hallway.

He’s so glad that his mother and Thea listened to him, despite everything that’s been going on with them the past few days. Thea has made it very clear that she came to the conclusion to follow Oliver’s pleas of staying close on her own, thank you very much, and that she still is very unhappy with her mother for her compulsive lying and secret-keeping. Oliver is glad he decided to tell Thea the truth about Slade because it certainly seems to have influenced her decision on listening to his desperate wishes. He doesn’t know whether he would have been able to handle not knowing Thea’s whereabouts with her in such a vulnerable state and Slade still out there.

Still looming.

Felicity is trying her hardest, he knows she is, but Slade seems to know how to keep himself hidden or at least has hired someone who does. Oliver doesn’t really know what he’d do if they did find Slade anyway, he needs to formulate more of a plan than merely taking him down. Finding out that Slade has been behind it all the whole time has shown him that at very least, he’s far more intelligent than Oliver would have initially given him credit for. He’s already ten steps ahead and Oliver needs to be aware of that as he tries to figure out he’s going to bring him down.

If that’s even possible.

Thea is still asleep, as is his mother, and Oliver breathes a sigh of relief as he lowers himself to the floor in the middle of the hallway, almost equidistant from each door. They make a triangle around him and Oliver sits, holding his knees into his chest as his eyes move frantically between all three of them.

He doesn’t know the time, or how long he’s been sitting there, all he knows is the soft sounds of his loved ones as they sleep and the steady ticking of the grandfather clock at the end of the hall.

Movement.

He’s on his feet in an instant when the sound reaches his ears. Shuffling and then footsteps, light but definitely still footsteps. They’re coming from his room.

Felicity.

Shit.

Looking around, he grasps the one thing he can see, a vase and stands as the footsteps grow closer. The door clicks as it opens and it squeaks, evidence of years of wear that needs some care.

They don’t have time for that now.

Oliver's fingers tighten around his makeshift weapon and he widens his stance as the door finally swings open to see the assailant.

“Hey, you.”

Oliver’s shoulders slump.

Not an assailant at all.

The vase ends back on the table and the fight leaves his system. His shoulders seem to have merely been the catalyst as the rest of his body follows, practically crumbling to the ground. The worry and the fear which would have fed into the attack had there been anyone to fight seem to crumble too and his knees crash heavily into the ground.

It’s painful but it’s a dull kind of pain.

Oliver’s not sure whether that’s because he’s used to it or whether the thoughts and fears circling his brain have made it difficult to focus on the pain itself.

“Hey, whoa, it’s okay, Oliver, it’s okay.”

Felicity’s soft voice seems almost muffled, as if she’s behind a screen, and Oliver wants to answer, to reach out for her but it’s like he cannot reach through that screen. It’s stifling and when the heavy sound of a footstep walks towards him, he instinctively scrambles back, his hands reaching up to cover his face as his legs bend in front of him to defend his body. He’s moving purely on instinct and he has no idea how to stop it. There’s a ringing in his ears and his throat is so tight, the lump in his throat less of a lump and more of a column. Breathing is harder with each inhale and he scrambles back farther as the footsteps get closer.

“Baby, it’s okay, it’s just me. It’s Felicity. Listen to me, darling, please.”

“I will make you feel complete despair.”

“Deep breaths, remember. In for four, out for four.”

“I am fortunate enough to have your entire family here.”

“In through the nose, out through the mouth.”

“She’s a beautiful girl, Mr. Queen.”

“It’s okay, Oliver. I’m here, you’re safe, I’m safe, we’re all safe.”

Safe.

No.

There’s no safe with him still around.

“I’m here, darling. Just breathe. Slowly. That’s it. I’m here, you’re here. We’re home.”

In through the nose, out through the mouth.

Deep breaths.

The ringing quietens and his vision begins to clear. He can see Felicity’s wild curls in front of him, smell the lingering scent of her sweet shampoo, and hear her gentle voice, so full of love and care. He breathes deeply, allows that to surround him. Concentrates on her instead of the fear and panic.

As he finally feels like he can breathe freely once more, he concentrates on the extension of her hand. It’s there, in between the two of them, an extension of love and hope, her forever sweet spirit reaching out to his own soul, clouded in darkness and murk. His own hand is shaky as he reaches out for her and he hisses as their skin makes contact, his fingers clasping hers tightly as he clings to that light.

“It’s okay, Oliver. We’re home, we’re okay.”

Okay.

He likes that better than safe.

More realistic.

“I…”

He tries but the lump in his throat is still so prominent. His fingers tighten in Felicity’s, trying to communicate to her that way.

“It’s okay, I know. It’s alright. Just breathe.” She tells him and he does as she asks, finally able to compute her words. His shoulders relax and he looks at her, eyes locking. “I know, Oliver. It’s okay.”

His eyes move to her free hand as it slowly reaches towards him. She never changes the speed of the movement, allowing him to track it with a certainty of what’s to come. He shudders nonetheless when her hand makes contact with his face, rubbing her thumb tenderly over his cheek. The tears finally spill over at her tender touch and he crumbles once more, clinging to her this time as the sob rises up through his throat.

“I thought… I thought…” He sobs shakily as he pulls her close to him, their limbs tangling together until Oliver doesn’t know where he ends and she begins. He buries his head into her collarbone, nudging the t-shirt out the way with his nose and the fabric gives easily, his shirt too large for her small frame. He comforts himself with the sound of her heartbeat, the movement of her hands as they smooth over his shoulders and through his hair, and her smell… sweet and gentle, just like her.

“I know. I know, but it’s okay, Oliver. I’m here, I’m okay and you’re here and you’re okay. We’re home.”

The sound of her voice penetrates the cloud of fear around him until all he can see, smell, hear, feel is her.

His Felicity.

He’s always adored her name. He’s never known anyone to have a name fit them so well. The light that she not only brings into his life but manages to find in him… she is happiness and he loves her, so much.

God, he loves her.

He doesn’t have the words to describe it, not now and probably not ever, but he knows he would be content to spend the rest of his life searching for them if he gets to also spend those years loving her.

“Ollie? Felicity?”

“Darling? What’s going on?”

The hallway begins to come back into focus as the sound of his mother and sister’s voices reach his ears. Oliver pulls his head out of Felicity’s collarbone but clings tightly to her as she pulls back.

“It’s alright, I’m not going anywhere.” She whispers to him softly, her hands gentle on his shoulders and in his hair. Her voice relaxes him and he relaxes his hold in turn. Sure enough, she barely moves back two inches and her hands continue their gentle caresses as she turns to look at his mother and sister, her soft and warm smile painted on her lips. “We’re alright, sorry to wake you.”

“Another panic attack?” Moira questions as she steps closer, bending down next to them and Oliver watches the lump move down Felicity’s throat as she swallows before nodding.

“Ollie, when was the last time you slept?” Thea asks, her voice just as gentle as she bends down on the other side of him. He’s glad both of them are a good distance away, he’s unsure he wouldn’t feel trapped if they were any closer.

“How many days has it been?” He questions right back but he keeps his attention on Felicity, posing the question to her, and she smiles softly, her hand moving to his face as she brushes non-existent hairs back from his face.

“Four, sweetheart, it’s been four days and we’re all okay, we’re all here, and none of us are harmed.” She reassures him and Oliver nods, concentrating on drawing his breath in through his nose and out of his mouth. Four seconds in, four seconds out.

“He can’t go on like this,” Thea speaks and Oliver doesn’t even mind that they’re discussing him without addressing the fact that he’s right there. He can’t concentrate on a conversation right now.

In through the nose, out through the mouth.

“I know. Sara’s coming over in a few hours. He won’t sleep unless there’s someone else here who can fight.” Felicity explains and her words make him frown. He hasn’t heard of this, didn’t discuss this with her. This must have been her plan, her idea.

He can’t blame her. He knows it must be hard to see him like this.

This is his fourth episode in as many days.

Sara.

It’s a good idea.

She’s strong, fierce, and she cares for his loved ones almost as fiercely as he does.

Maybe he could rest with her watching over his family.

For now, however, it’s up to him.

Taking a deep breath, he taps lightly against Felicity’s skin, dragging her attention back to him.

“What’s wrong, Oliver?” She asks, her expression softening and Oliver manages a quirk of his lips.

“Can we go to the kitchen? I’m kind of hungry.” He tells her and he can see the way her eyes light up. Hunger has been evading him as much as sleep has and he knows that has been concerning Felicity just as much as his lack of sleep has been.

“Of course, sweetheart, come on. I think we could all use some breakfast.”

The sight of Oliver sleeping makes Felicity feel like she’s been doused in a wave of relief. This tension in his life, on top of everything that he already juggles, she can’t imagine what it must feel like.

Her poor, beautiful love. Sometimes it feels like every time he finally has managed to pull himself up on his own two feet something else appears just to push him right back down to his knees again.

Despite her fears and worries over his utter lack of care for his own wellbeing, Felicity’s incredibly proud of how Oliver’s managed himself in the days following Slade’s visit to the house. He’s rallied the team together, waited for them to follow the scarce leads they do have, and most of all, he’s kept them all close.

She knows the Oliver she met last year, brooding and closed off from the world, would have pushed them all away, pushed her away. She’s unbelievably proud of the way he’s pushed those instincts away and has kept them all close, allowed them to assist him in the ways that they can.

“Hey.”

Felicity turns at the sound of Sara’s voice, soft and gentle, and she smiles at the sight of the other blonde in the doorframe. She looks down at Oliver, checking that he’s still sleeping before moving towards the door, gesturing Sara into the hallway and closing the door as softly as she can behind her.

“Hi, thank you so much for coming.” She smiles at the small assassin, stepping into her embrace when it’s offered. Sara’s arms are strong, but they still hold a tenderness to their touch, just like Oliver’s. It’s a sign that no matter what darkness they think consumes them so heavily, there’s still that light flickering inside them.

“How is he?” Sara asks, gesturing to the door and Felicity sighs, running a hand through her knotted hair.

“This is the first time he’s slept in four days. He finally ate something properly this morning. He’s been barely touching what we’ve been putting in front of him the past few days. He needs some kind of hope, a sign that this isn’t the end that he thinks it is. I just don’t know how to get through to him that he doesn’t need to defeat Slade, he just needs to catch him.” Felicity explains heavily, tugging on her hair as if that might make her almost permanent headache go away.

“He just needs you to be here for him and you’re doing an excellent job at that. People like Oliver, it’s hard for them to understand that there can be hope and light in the world when they’ve known so much darkness but it’s people like you that remind them that the world isn’t all crime and hatred.”

“I’m sorry, I know you’ve got a lot of stuff going on with your family. And you knew Slade too, on the island. I don’t want to burden you with my worries and everything on top of that.” Felicity sighs, managing a small smile when Sara snorts and shakes her head.

“Believe me, you’re anything but a burden, Felicity. Can I ask though, what’s going on with Thea and Moira? There’s some real tension there.” Sara frowns and Felicity sighs heavily.

“Moira finally told Thea the truth that Malcolm Merlyn is her father. Thea is... not taking it well.” Felicity explains with a wince and Sara’s eyes widen.

“Oh shit. Wow, I’m surprised she’s still here.” The other blonde comments and Felicity nods, biting the inside of her cheek.

“Well, Oliver came clean to them both about his connection to Slade so she’s aware of the danger out there. I’m so grateful she took a moment to think before she just ran though. I can’t imagine how worried Oliver would be if she wasn’t here as well.” Felicity sighs and Sara smiles a sad smile, reaching out to grasp her shoulder.

“Let’s just count our blessings that she used her head,” Sara tells her and Felicity nods, biting her lip as she looks back towards the bedroom where Oliver is still sleeping. “Come on, you’re going to drive yourself insane just worrying about him.”

“You’re right. I’m going to make myself useful.” Felicity nods, smiling at Sara for a moment before she heads down the corridor towards the stairs so that she can get back into tracing her leads.

“Not quite what I meant,” Sara mumbles behind her but Felicity’s already too far ahead to hear her.

Oliver wakes a few hours later with a jolt. The empty bed is concerning, as is the piece of paper by his head, but his heart rate slows a little when he looks at Felicity’s familiar scrawl on the page.

Oliver,

Don’t freak, everyone’s okay. You just needed to get some rest.

We’re all downstairs, Sara’s here.

I love you,

Felicity

He feels a warmth spread through him as he reads her words.

It’s the little things like this that remind him how much he loves her. The small things she does that prove how well she knows him that make his heart ache with affection for her. She could easily have let him walk down the stairs to find them all and Sara but she knew he would jump into survival mode the moment he woke and didn’t find her there.

He dresses quickly and stays light on his feet as he moves down the stairs. His years of training have taught him to take in his surroundings, to quickly scope out where people are.

He can hear Sara and Thea in the kitchen and the sound of high heels are clacking in the study. That could be Felicity or his mother but a glance into the sitting room tells him that it must be his mother.

Felicity is sat on the couch, laptop and tablet in front of her. She’s deeply engrossed in whatever she’s doing, that crease in her forehead appearing as it does when she gets deep into a hacking hole. He knows that she’s trying her best to find out where Slade is but it’s been fruitless so far. As he told her the other day, Slade is ex-ASIS and is good at staying invisible.

She’s all that stands between him and the front door.

It feels wrong, when he’s been so overbearing about her whereabouts the past few days, to sneak past her and out the door but he knows she’d try to stop him. She’d tell him to find another way and Oliver would probably relent. It’s wrong but he knows if he’s going to get the information he needs from Alexi, he has to do this.

Luckily for him, Felicity has a tendency to work in a very all-consuming way. She gets so caught up in what she’s doing that she’s often not aware of her whereabouts or what’s going on around her. It’s a little worrying at times, especially with the nature of their work, but right now, Oliver can’t help but be slightly appreciative of it.

He stays as quiet as he can but she doesn’t even look up from her tech as he heads past the sitting room doors and out the main entrance to the mansion.

He’s sure he’s okay and halfway to his bike when a voice stops him in his tracks.

“Ollie?”

Heaving a sigh, he turns to see his sister stood there. Her arms are crossed and there’s a very unimpressed look on her face. He knows Thea is not someone he wants to annoy right now. She doesn’t want to be here, around their mother with what she’s recently discovered, and he’s very grateful that she listened to his pleas to stay close in the first place.

“Speedy, please go back inside.” He tells her, looking at her pleadingly but she merely frowns.

“Is this how this works in your mind? You lock us all up in our home but then you sneak out without telling any of us?” His sister questions and her words make him wince because, despite the dramatic nature of her wording, she’s not exactly wrong.

“Thea, I am not locking you anywhere. I just need to go and track something down.” Oliver tells her but Thea merely shakes her head. “Listen, if you want to go somewhere, you can go with Roy or when Digg gets back, he can go with you. He’s just a little busy right now.”

Oliver frowns as he thinks of the message he received from his friend. Lord, he hopes Waller behaves.

“Roy? I thought you didn’t like Roy?” Thea questions, obviously taken aback at the suggestion and Oliver holds in a groan as he realizes his mistake.

“I like Roy well enough and he grew up on the streets, Speedy, he’s got a good awareness to him.” Oliver quickly covers. It’s getting harder to remember who knows what and how much each person knows.

“Have you forgotten that you’re the one Slade is trying to hurt the most? You really don’t think he’d jump at you if he got the chance?” She questions and Oliver sighs.

“He won’t get the chance, Speedy. I promise. This is just a quick errand.” He tells her, stepping up to her and cupping her shoulder but Thea isn’t having any of it apparently.

“Okay then, what about us? You haven’t been sleeping because you’ve been sick with worry about all of us being murdered in our beds but suddenly Sara shows up and you’re happy to swan off to god knows where?” She presses and Oliver winces again, taking another deep breath.

“Sara can keep you safe, I promise. Why that is, that’s her story to tell, Thea.” He tells her as slowly and as levelled as he can manage. Thea sighs, her shoulders slumping and she nods her head.

“Alright. But you better be back quickly or I’ll tell Felicity you’ve been sneaking off.” She says sternly, her eyes narrowing and Oliver laughs, shaking his head.

“Okay, Speedy.” He smiles and lingers for a moment to press a kiss to her forehead. If he wasn’t so distracted by his plan and the other lingering fears of their current situation, he probably would’ve noticed Thea’s coy smile and taken it for what it truly means.

Thea may have just learned that she’s not biologically a Queen, but she’s still Moira’s daughter, and that means she’s got a certain scheming tendency that her brother should really remember.

The interaction with Alexi is just as cold and unfeeling as his previous one a few days ago and as all interactions with the Bratva are. He knows he’s out of favors with the organization now but he’s got the account number and that’s what matters for now. What he’s sure of is that Felicity will be able to track it, he has no doubt in her abilities there.

As he’s heading away from the meeting point and back to his bike, he can tell that there’s someone following him. Moving cautiously, he waits until the presence is just behind him and whirls around, his arm flying up to defend himself from an attack.

“Relax, it’s just me.”

The sound of Sara’s voice should calm him, but it doesn’t because if Sara’s here, that means that no one’s at the house.

“What are you doing here?” He growls, looking at her with a glare but she just raises her hands up in a surrender position.

“Relax, Roy’s at the house.” She tells him but that doesn’t exactly calm him. Roy is still a bit of a loaded weapon right now and they’re still unsure as to how the mirakuru is affecting him. “What’s going on? Thea told me you were sneaking off.”

“Of course she did.” Oliver sighs, his eyes rolling as he realizes his earlier mistake. He never should have trusted that Thea was merely going to drop the issue, it wouldn’t be his sister if she had.

“Seriously Ollie? The Bratva? Felicity would have found whatever that is eventually.” Sara tells him with a reproachful look but Oliver shakes his head.

“Exactly, eventually. I can’t do eventually. I need this to stop and for it to stop, I need to find him. This account number can help me do that.” He tells her and waves the envelope in front of her. He turns to head back to his bike but Sara catches up with him, stepping in front of him as she stares up at him.

“That may take until eventually, Ollie, and if that’s the case, how long do you think you can keep this up? Felicity told me you’re barely eating and sleeping.” She levels him with a disapproving look and Oliver sighs, shaking his head.

“I don’t need your concern, Sara. Felicity shouldn’t have told you that.” He tells her honestly. He doesn’t need Felicity worrying everyone around them with his issues, what he needs is for everyone to focus on the issue at hand. It’s clear by Sara’s huff and unimpressed look that she doesn’t agree.

“She’s worried about you, Ollie. We all are. Okay? I know that Slade is in your head about this all but it’s not enough to merely not push her away. She needs you to keep her in the loop, Ollie, or she’s not going to be able to help.” Sara sighs but Oliver cannot focus on relationship advice right now.

“I have to end this soon, Sara. If I don’t, all the reasons I cannot even close my eyes at the moment are going to manifest themselves in reality.”

His voice is curt as he addresses her and he pushes past her, heading to his bike and zooming off, leaving her stood there in the dust.

Getting back to the house is easy and he heads back in through the main entrance. He can hear his mother just down the hall and pokes his head into the sitting room to see that Felicity has moved since he left.

Odd.

He thought she’d still be in her hacking haze.

“So, a little birdy told me you might have traced some information by form of the Russian mob?”

Oliver stops at the sound of Felicity’s voice and he turns to see her stood a few feet away, rising up and down on her toes like she often does when she’s nervous. She’s holding her phone in her hand and he guesses that she’s just hung up with Sara. He doesn’t react to her comment more than turning to look at her and she frowns, that little pout appearing on her lips.

“Oh, come on, bird, canary? That was kind of funny.”

Oliver sighs and shakes his head. “I did what I had to do.”

“You know, I am very good with a computer but even I can admit I have areas where my expertise aren’t quite up to scratch. For example, I have no idea how one even goes about contacting the Russian mob or how they can find an account number attached to a man that I have been attempting to find for days on end. Not that I’m bitter but I just would never have associated an institution like Bratva with good computer skills. Seems a little backward to me.”

She walks closer to him as she speaks and Oliver sighs as her presence washes over him. He shouldn’t have done it, especially not without telling her, and the guilt is rising in him. Her rambling calms him. It’s good to know that no matter what is going on, Felicity and her babbling will remain the same.  

“It’s a rule of Bratva. You don’t ask. I don’t think I want to know.” He tells her and she frowns, her nose scrunching up in that adorable way of hers.

“Delightful. Just like Fight Club.” She comments and a smile does pull on his lips at that comment. She finally reaches him, her arms reaching up to land on his shoulders, and his eyes close, reveling in the touch for a moment.

“What matters is I got the account number.” He states and she hums, leaning in closer. Her front presses against his and her arms slide up for her hands to clasp behind his head.

“You did, and I found the address it’s linked to.” She whispers softly before she presses her lips to his in a soft kiss and he’s distracted for a second at the feeling before her words compute properly and he pulls back to look at her.

“How…?” He asks, his brow furrowing. He just walked through the door. Does that mean that she found the account number anyway? Either that or she managed to hack the Bratva which is just as insane.

“You have your methods, I have mine.” She tells him coyly and Oliver frowns, shaking his head. He’s entirely sure that she could definitely be more terrifying than the Bratva if she tried. He kisses her gently once more before he steps back.

“I need to get my bow.” He tells her and Felicity sighs, shaking her head.

“You are not going out there alone. Roy and Sara are going with you.” She tells him and Oliver can tell from the tone of her voice that she will not take any opposition to her statement. Sighing, he nods and takes a deep breath as she squeezes his hand before she rushes off down the corridor.

“You know, it’s awfully strange.”

Felicity turns at the sound of Thea’s voice to see the girl stood in the doorway of the kitchen. Felicity herself is sat at the island, keeping an eye on the trackers she has on Oliver, Sara and Roy.

“What’s strange?” She counters, reluctantly turning the trackers off and placing the tablet down on the island.

“Well, you and Ollie, with this whole thing with Slade. It’s like you’ve done this before. You work well together.” Thea comments as she steps properly into the room and Felicity resists the urge to wince. The last thing Thea needs is more people telling her lies but Oliver and her have already discussed that being fully transparent with the teenager now might just push her over the edge. She has not taken the news of her true parentage well, not that either of them can really blame her, but they’re both worried that the revelation that her brother is spending his nights running around in a hood might be the final straw for Thea.

And then there’s the Roy of it all.

They’ve managed to make it work the past few days but with Oliver finally starting to lean on those around him for this mission, Felicity’s worried that the close quarters Oliver’s insisting on might cause Thea to figure a few things out for herself.

“We just understand each other well.” Felicity provides with a shrug of her shoulders and Thea frowns, obviously scrutinizing her.

“Okay then, say I believe that. How do you even know how to do all of this? I know you’re good with a computer but I doubt an IT job equates to hacking.” The younger girl questions, stood on the other side of the island now and she leans on her elbows as she looks at Felicity.

“A girl can’t have a hobby?” The blonde quips and a smile pulls at Thea’s lips before she levels Felicity with a look. “No, I was involved in some… shall we say, interesting and not very legal pursuits whilst I was in college. Turns out, it’s like riding a bike.”

“I can’t imagine you breaking any rules in college. Or ever for that matter.” Thea chuckles as she looks at Felicity in scrutiny and Felicity laughs.

“Ha, well, maybe I should show you some pictures of me from that time. It might change your opinion.” She comments flippantly but she can see the spark in Thea’s eyes ignite. For how rare that’s been over the past few days, she going to cherish it.

“Oh really?” She questions and Felicity grins.

“Think Avril Lavigne but goth.” She explains and Thea laughs before she looks at Felicity with an amused raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, pics or it didn’t happen.” She states, smiling for a moment before she stills, her face falling and the pensive expression returning to her face. Felicity drops too, reaching a hand across the counter.

“I know you’ve probably got people asking you this all the time but are you doing okay?” She questions, keeping her voice soft and Thea heaves a long sigh, shrugging her shoulders.

“Yeah, I’m not sure that okay is the word.” She comments casually before she bites her lip and looks at her, eyes meeting Felicity’s. “I know that it’s important to stay here whilst we’re all figuring out what this Slade guy is going to do but it’s so hard to be in this house with her and not want to yell at her all the time.”

“She’s giving you space though, right?” Felicity questions with a frown. Both her and Oliver have stressed to Moira how much they would advise leaving Thea to process this and she thought the matriarch had come to the same conclusion.

“Yeah, most of the time but when we do run into each other, it’s like she’s trying to pretend like nothing’s happened. Like she didn’t just reveal to me that she’s been lying to me my whole life.” Thea explains softly, talking quickly until she sighs heavily at the end of her sentence. Felicity lets out a sigh of her own and she waits a few seconds to figure out how she wants to word this before she replies.

“Listen, as someone who has some experience in the not-so-great parent department, remember that Robert was still your dad in all the ways that mattered. He was there for you and he loved you, you know that. What you’ve just learned, it doesn’t change any of that. But that’s what your mom was trying to protect, the memories that you have with Robert and your understanding of him as your father.”  Felicity tells Thea gently and even though she freezes at the mention of Robert, she seems to actually take in what Felicity is saying.

“Yeah.” She sighs, taking in a deep breath and opens her mouth to speak again.

“Thea, you in here?”

Felicity jumps at the sound of Roy’s voice and she frantically tries to catch his eye. He’s holding a bag of what looks like groceries and Felicity frowns. Thea however immediately relaxes and turns to look at her boyfriend as he enters the kitchen.

“Oh good, you’re back from the store. Did you get my chips?” Thea asks with a smile and Roy nods.

“Oh hey, Felicity. I passed Oliver on the way in, he said to say he was going upstairs if I ran into you.” Roy tells her, looking at her with a badly covered intent to his expression. Felicity notes briefly that they’re going to have to improve on his subterfuge skills before she stands and heads towards the door.

“I need to see those pictures soon.” Thea comments and Felicity laughs, nodding as she looks over her shoulder.

“You got it.” She tells Thea and manages to maintain her casual speed until she’s out of sight of the teenager. Then she rushes down the hall and up the stairs, practically tripping over the threshold of Oliver’s room to find him sitting on the bed. His suit is on the table in the corner and he’s pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a Henley.  

The sound of her stepping through the door alerts him to her presence and he just looks at her, forlorn and a little broken.

“I killed her. I did it. Shado… she’s dead because of me.”

His voice is shaken and there’s obviously a lump in his throat. Felicity can see the tears in his eyes and she immediately crosses the room, bending down in front of him and placing her hands on his knees.

“Hey, whoa, we’ve talked this through. You’ve told me before, it was an impossible choice. You thought he was going to shoot Sara so you jumped in front of her. There was no way you were getting out of there without one of them dying. You do understand that, right?” She presses, repeating the words he’s admitted to her. His hands come to rest on top of hers and Felicity takes that as a good sign, he’s not too deeply buried if he can still make those kinds of decisions.

“But maybe if I’d done more or done something differently…” Oliver sighs and Felicity sighs, shaking her head.

“Then it would be Sara haunting your dreams and not Shado.”

The statement is blunt and she keeps her tone as gentle as she can to soften the blow but she knows it’s what he needs to hear right now. To know that this Ivo man was never going to let both of the women walk free and Oliver was placed in an impossible position.

“You’re probably right.” He finally sighs, his teary eyes locking onto hers and Felicity hums, squeezing his hands lightly.

“Oh, I’m always right.” She quips in an attempt to lighten the mood and Oliver sighs, smirking ever so slightly. He tugs on her hands and she goes willingly to her feet and into his arms. His arms wrap around her waist and his face rubs against the fabric of her dress over her stomach. Felicity sighs and rubs one hand over his back, the other moving to gently run her fingers through his hair. “So, the lead, it was a dead-end?”

“Just an office with a dead man, an arrow in his head, and a video playing of Shado,” Oliver explains, his voice muffled by her stomach but Felicity still hears him and she winces.

“Holy…” She mutters before realizing that that’s really not helpful right now. “So we move in from another perspective, a different lead.”

“Which we don’t have…” Oliver tells her, pulling his head out of her stomach and looking up at her.

“Then we’ll find one. Oliver, we’re going to stop him. He’s not going to fulfill his promise.” She tells him and Oliver sighs, his eyes closing for a moment. He takes a deep breath and Felicity runs her fingers gently over his cheek. He leans into the touch before sighing again and opening his eyes.

“Have you seen Thea, is she okay?” He questions and Felicity smiles sadly, moving her other hand from his back to his hair.

“What was it she said… she’s ‘not sure that okay is the word’ but I think she just needs a little more time to think it over. It’s a huge thing, learning your parent isn’t who you thought they were. Both figuratively and literally.” She explains, wincing at her words as they register. They’re all juggling so much at the moment. It’s practically impossible to keep track.

“This just could not have come at a worse time.” Oliver groans and Felicity hums. Stepping closer, she wraps her arms around him and pulls him back into her embrace. Oliver goes willingly and she bends over, her lips pressing kisses into his short hair.

“I know but we’ll figure it out. We always do.” She whispers into his head and her words are a promise. They stay wrapped together, clinging to each other like they’re the only real thing the other one knows until pressure on her arms forces Felicity to loosen her grip. Oliver pulls back and looks at her, a determination in his eyes.

“I can’t do this alone.” He tells her finally and Felicity hums, nodding her head.

“I will admit, it’s a little frustrating that it took you meeting with the Russian mob and then a failed mission to realize that but I will give you kudos for finally coming to that realization.” She smirks, fiddling with the neckline of his Henley where a single button is undone.

“Well you know, not all of us are geniuses.” He snarks back and she smiles, shaking her head.

“Come on. Step one of working together is both of us getting some sleep. No more camping out in the hallway. Roy is with Thea and your mother is in the room next door.” She tells him, moving up the side of the bed and tugging him with her hands. He smiles dopily at her and follows, crawling up the bed.

“Yeah, okay.” He relents, laying back against the cushions as Felicity goes about taking out her earrings and belt. She’s happy to nap in the dress she’s wearing otherwise.

“Good. I love you.” She smiles as she climbs onto the mattress to join him and Oliver smiles, drawing her close.

“I love you too.”  

“Boom!”

Oliver jumps as the sound of Felicity’s voice interrupts him working out the next day. They’re outside by the pool; Oliver likes to workout outdoors when he’s doing it from home and Felicity claims she thinks she should probably be getting some more vitamin D anyway. Oliver’s not entirely sure it’s not just an excuse to ogle him as he exercises but even if it is, he’s not complaining.

“What’ve you got?” He questions, reaching for the towel he laid out nearby and rushing over to where she’s sat.

“Okay so John’s little excursion with Task Force X reminded me of something. ARGUS is tracking possible threats all the time. So… I did a little digging, got into their servers and found out some information about a little someone they’ve been calling ‘Deathstroke’.” Felicity explains and Oliver will admit he struggles to hear anything past the fact that she apparently just hacked into a secure, seemingly invisible, covert government agency.

“You hacked ARGUS?” He questions and she obviously misunderstands his tone because she whirls around, poking a finger in his bare chest.

“Hey, I didn’t blow up at you about Bratva, you don’t get to blow up at me about ARGUS.” She tells him with that look on her face that he knows she thinks is intimidating but Oliver actually just finds it adorable.

“Fair enough, but between the two of us, we would make quite the rap sheet.” He teases, catching her hand in his. She melts a little, a smile spreading across her face.

“I’ll be Bonnie if you’ll be Clyde.” She proposes, wiggling her eyebrows and Oliver blanches for a moment that this is apparently their idea of flirting now. Squeezing her hand, he frowns.

“Yeah, let’s just stick with the secret identities for now I think.” He tells her and her smile turns into a pout.

“Boo, you’re no fun.” She comments and Oliver snorts. He drops her hand and steps up behind her, hands falling on her shoulders.

“So, Deathstroke?” He questions, bending at the waist to drop a kiss to her hair.

“Yup. They’ve been tracking him pretty much across the world, from Macau all the way to Starling. The timing can’t be a coincidence.” Felicity explains, showing him the timeline ARGUS have apparently created on her tablet. Oliver leans in, his front pressed against her back as he examines the occurrences.

“No. Do they have a visual?” He questions and Felicity hums.

“One sec.” She tells him and types quickly for a second before an image appears on the screen.

“That’s him,” Oliver confirms, taking in the unfamiliar suit. It appears that Slade has gotten quite the upgrade from his days on Lian Yu. One thing, however, has not changed.

“You’re sure?” Felicity questions and Oliver nods, staring at the mask that he remembers as clear as day.

“The mask.”

“Okay, I’ll get all the information they have on his previous attacks and try to work out how he generally carries out his attacks. If there’s a pattern he generally follows, maybe we can work out what he might do next.” Felicity tells him, already working and Oliver takes a deep breath, squeezing her shoulders.

“Thank you. That’s great work.” He smiles lightly and she looks up at him with a teasing smirk of her own on her lips.

“Well, you know…” She starts but jumps as the sound of the backdoor slamming makes her jump. Oliver moves in front of her but relaxes when he sees that it’s just Roy marching across the pool area towards them.

“I need to talk to you.” The teenager growls and Oliver frowns, stepping back from Felicity as he faces the younger man.

“Good morning to you too, Roy.” He comments casually but it appears that Roy is not in the teasing mood today.

“I can’t keep doing this, being so close to her and lying about it. I can’t. It’s eating me up inside.” He blurts out, gesturing towards the house where Oliver supposes his sister is. The boy’s words make him frown and he steps closer to Roy as he thinks his next words through carefully.

“Do you really think she’s in a position to learn any more secrets right now, Roy? You tell what you’re doing, you’re going to take away one of the only things she feels like she can rely on right now and that’s your relationship. Don’t do that to her, not right now. She’s too fragile.” He explains, wincing as he thinks of how Thea might react if anything else gets thrown in her face right now.

“Not to mention how easy it would then be to make the connection between you and Oliver. This isn’t just your secret to tell.” Felicity pipes up from her seat next to them, her voice carrying concern more than anger but Oliver can recognize the bite there is to it as well.

“Roy, if you don’t feel like you can keep this secret from Thea, then you need to distance yourself from her. This isn’t about us and the mission, this is about what’s best for her right now.” Oliver tries to explain calmly but Roy’s hand is already shaking and he’s obviously already extremely agitated.

“That’s so easy for you to say when you looped her in practically from the get-go.” He cries out and Oliver reacts immediately as he flings a careless hand in Felicity’s direction.

‘Whoa!” He cries, stepping in front of Felicity properly this time as he levels Roy with a glare. “My relationship with Felicity has nothing to do with this.”

He makes sure to emphasize Felicity’s name as he speaks and Roy sighs, running a hand through his hair as he stumbles back a few steps.

“You can’t just order me around all the time and control every aspect of my life.” He bemoans and Oliver frowns, following him with a cautious hand extended in front of him.

“I’m not trying to do that, Roy, but our lives are linked through Thea and if I think something you’re doing is going to hurt her, then I’m going to speak up.” He tells him slowly but it seems like Roy is still not having any of it.

“Jesus, you’re a nightmare.” He huffs and turns on his feet, heading back towards the house. Oliver sighs and turns to look at Felicity who is staring after Roy with a concerned look on her face.

“What was that all about?”

Oliver whirls at the sound of yet another voice but settles once more at the sight of his mother who walks over to them, her heels clacking against the path.

“I honestly don’t know.” Oliver sighs as he makes his way back to Felicity’s side. She runs a comforting hand up his side and he sighs, leaning into her.

“How are you, darling? How’s everything going?” Moira asks, looking between the two of them in concern with a sad smile on her face.

“We’ve just found a possible lead. Hopefully, it can give us a little more information.” Felicity explains and his mother nods, smiling properly at the two of them.

“Well, that’s fantastic news. Have you thought about the company, what’s going on there?” She questions and Oliver sighs, his hands running over his face. Felicity’s hand moves to his bare back, her small hand moving comfortingly over the tense muscles there.

“I’ve been organizing calls and messages as best I can. It’s a lot at the moment but Isabel has actually been quite helpful as of late.” She explains and his mother nods, looking over at him. Oliver sighs, it does actually seem like Isabel might just give off a certain aura but she has been incredibly helpful the past few weeks with helping them balance everything at QC. They’re running out of family emergencies to feed to her as excuses but they’ll cross that bridge when they come to it.

“Yeah, seems like maybe she’s had a change of heart,” Oliver speaks up but his mother purses her lips, making Oliver raise an eyebrow.

“I warned you, Oliver, you need to watch yourself around her.” She tells him, her voice and expression changing drastically and he frowns.

“What do you mean?”

“Isabel Rochev is not…”

“Ollie! I’m going to Verdant, Roy’s going with me. I figured since you’ve been so anal about where we all are recently I should let you know.”

Thea’s voice is loud as she calls from the house and they all turn to look at her, their faces turning to smiles.

“Okay Speedy, have a good shift.” He calls back and Thea goes to turn but Moira steps forward.

“Thea, how about…?” She tries and Oliver winces, knowing this isn’t going to turn out how she wants it to.

“Whatever you want, the answer is no,” Thea states bluntly before smiling as she looks over at Oliver and Felicity. “Bye Ollie, bye Felicity!”

With that, she’s gone and Moira sighs, her despair written on her face. Oliver moves towards her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“She’ll come around.” He reminds her but his mother merely sighs.

“Yes, maybe when she is forty.” She answers defeatedly and manages a small smile before she walks away, her heels clicking on the stone as she goes.

Chapter Text

The information ARGUS has collected is thorough.

And graphic.

Felicity is cursing her vivid imagination right now because reading all of this is sending her places that she really does not want to be.

The descriptions of Slade’s trail of bodies are detailed and accurate with very little left to interpretation or imagination. The reports of the damage inflicted are extensive and gruesome and more than once as she’s been researching, Felicity has had to break in order to stop herself from gagging.

One thing is clear through all of this.

Slade is dangerous and not to be underestimated.

“Hey.”

Felicity jumps at the sound of Digg’s deep voice and turns to see him stood there, a smile on his face as he looks at her.

“You okay?” He asks and Felicity sighs, nodding her head as she leans back in her chair.

“Yeah, just… this isn’t exactly like reading Harry Potter. It’s heavy.” She explains and Digg frowns as he walks over to her.

“Excuse you. You’re aware of how many people die in ‘Deathly Hallows’, right? That book is the definition of heavy.” He comments as he smirks at her and Felicity chuckles for a moment.

“Yeah well, Rowling’s got nothing on Slade Wilson.” She sighs, running a hand through her hair. She wishes she’d tied it back this morning and there’s not a hair tie in sight down here. It keeps flopping down in her face and it’s annoying her to no end. Digg’s hand falls on her shoulder and she looks up at him to see his sympathetic smile.

“I bring sustenance.” He tells her, holding up a bag of food and she smiles.

“Please tell me it’s not Big Belly Burger? I’ve eaten so much of it this week, I might run a mile at the sight of another French fry.” She comments and Digg snorts, shaking his head as he pulls containers out of the bag.

“I thought you might say that. That is why I brought sushi.” He smiles and Felicity lights up.

“Yes! You are a savior, John Diggle.” She tells him with an appreciative smile, pushing up from her chair to quickly kiss him on the cheek before she grabs her usual platter that Digg’s picked up and moves back to her seat.

“What’s the computer revealing today?” Digg asks as he settles against the table, digging into his own sushi.

“You mean apart from the gruesome details of the bodies that Slade has dropped on his way to Starling City?” She questions, wincing before she takes a deep breath. “It seems that he’s only spread the mirakuru once. In his last spotted location before Starling City. Lisbon. Fifteen died, and two were documented to be ‘crying blood’. The one lone survivor spoke of men with incredible superhuman abilities including remarkable strength. The police wrote it off as the trauma distorting his perception of events.”

“So even though the attempt was unsuccessful, he launched the attack here? Why do it if you’re not sure it’s going to work?” Digg questions and Felicity hums.

“I think it might tell us something important. If Slade was willing to take the risk to enact the plan here when he was unsure it would work, and a previous attempt proved futile, he’s either overconfident in the plan…”

“Or his hatred towards Oliver is so deep that he’s willing to risk everything to get his revenge.” Digg finishes for her and Felicity nods.

“Bingo.” She comments, pointing her finger at him to emphasis her point and Digg frowns, moving closer to her so that he can look at her monitors as they speak.

“So, how does that help us?” He questions and Felicity frowns.

“We can feed into that, distract him, get him into his head about his need for revenge and then bring him down.” She explains. It’s a tenuous plan, one that needs a lot more thought and detail put into it but it is a plan and that’s more than they’ve had for weeks.

“You’re forgetting one small detail,” Digg adds and Felicity frowns.

“He has the mirakuru in him.” 

They both spin at the sound of Sara’s voice to see her stood on the other side of the room, arms crossed and a deep frown on her face.

“You okay?” Digg asks as she walks over and Sara nods, closing her eyes for a moment. Felicity can tell that she’s just as affected by this as Oliver is and she can’t help but worry that she’s also struggling with the basic human necessities of sleeping and eating.

Just as Felicity goes to ask what Sara thinks they might need to add to this plan, because they have to start somewhere, her phone starts to ring. The number isn’t programmed into her phone but she recognizes it and her frown only deepens when she realizes it’s the number for Oliver’s office that she hands out to those wanting to get in touch with the CEO.

“Hello?” She questions as she answers it, shooting Digg and Sara an apologetic glance as she pushes away from the desk and scrambles away so that they can continue to talk over their Slade issue.

“Miss Smoak? I’ve been trying to get hold of Oliver for hours.”

Felicity freezes at the sound of Isabel’s voice. It’s been immensely difficult with all of this going on to concentrate on the company and both Oliver and Felicity have been slacking on their day jobs.

“Miss Rochev, I’m terribly sorry. Mr. Queen is dealing with a family matter at the moment. If you let me know the issue, I’ll make sure he’s made aware of it.” Felicity covers, forcing her professional voice on. It’s not that she’s unappreciative of the work that Isabel’s been doing to cover their asses but there’s also still something about Oliver’s co-CEO that just rubs her up the wrong way. She doesn’t come across as trustworthy and Felicity generally prides herself on being a good judge of character.

Isabel, however, merely laughs and the sound makes Felicity freeze, her brow furrowing.

“You’re kidding, right? Miss Smoak, you and Oliver have not been seen at the office for a full day in over a month.”

“It hasn’t been that…” Felicity starts before stopping. She tries to think of the last time they were both at QC for the full day and her mind can only come up with Valentine’s Day before the gala which was weeks ago. 

“I assure you it has, Miss Smoak,” Isabel tells her, her voice as cold and calculating as always and Felicity sighs.

“We’re keeping up with the work, Miss Rochev. There’s just been a lot for Oliver to deal with at the moment.” She tries to explain. She has been trying to keep up with his phone calls and emails but on top of everything, she’s further behind than she’d like to be. There’s a list a mile long that she honestly just hasn’t been able to bring herself to force Oliver to look at. She knows he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on budget proposals and technology pitches right now, even if he desperately needs to.

“I would be sympathetic if you were able to tell me what any of these family and medical emergencies were, Miss Smoak. It seems to me that either Oliver has the worst luck in the world, or you’re hiding something, and I can tell you now that board is starting to doubt that there are any emergencies at all.” Isabel presses and her words only worry Felicity more.

“What do you mean?” She questions and Isabel scoffs. She can guarantee if she saw the woman now, she’d be rolling her eyes at Felicity.

“I mean, Miss Smoak, that when a young CEO and his beautiful girlfriend of an executive assistant disappear off the face of the earth, talk starts. And when a legitimate reason for that disappearance cannot be provided, that talk gets louder.” The co-CEO spells out as if she’s speaking to a child and Felicity gasps at the insinuation. She’s used to office gossip, she’s had to get used to it since her promotion to the executive floor, but Isabel’s insinuation isn’t just gossip. It’s accusing Oliver of slacking and disinterest in his family’s legacy which couldn’t be further from the truth.

It’s just not a priority right now.

“Oliver and I would never…” Felicity tries to defend but it appears that Isabel is interested in driving the point home a little deeper.

“Can you tell me what QC’s latest project is, Miss Smoak? What the new R&D project is? What Applied Sciences has been cooking up?” The other woman questions and Felicity frowns, biting the inside of her cheek. She knows what they’ve been proposing but she’s unsure if anything’s been green-lighted or if there are setbacks in any of the projects at the moment.

“Um…”

“The answer is nothing, because nothing has been green-lighted because the CEO has been awol for almost a month. Now tell me, Miss Smoak, you’re supposedly the IT wiz, does that sound smart for a technology-based company?” Isabel pushes, her voice gaining a slight edge as she speaks of Felicity’s ‘credentials’. The blonde would be a little taken aback at the diminishing of her skills had she not been dealing with the blindsight of this information.

“No…”

“I am doing my best to cover for Oliver, Miss Smoak, but there are meetings over the next few days he must be present for. Specifically the board meeting that’s happening tomorrow.” Isabel tells her forcefully and Felicity nods, taking a deep breath.

“He will be there, I’ll make sure of it.” She reassures the co-CEO but Isabel just hums.

“You better, Miss Smoak, for all our sakes.” She states before the line goes dead and Felicity sighs as she places the phone down on the med table next to her.

“Everything okay?” Sara questions as she walks over and Felicity frowns, running a hand over her face.

“No.” She states plainly and the other blonde is flanking her in a second, her hand landing gently on her shoulder.

“Felicity?” Digg questions as he walks over as well and she sighs, rubbing over her temples.

“He’s already juggling so much and he’s barely staying afloat. How am I supposed to add more to his list, to tell him that I know that he’s barely sleeping and eating but he needs to go into the office and concentrate on budget proposals and sign documents and think about what projects the company is going to take on next? With everything that’s going on and how much he is struggling, how can I even think about telling him he needs to take on more?” She questions, her mind spiraling as she looks between the two of them. Their expressions both drop, sympathy written on their faces and Felicity sighs. The idea of loading more onto Oliver’s plate right now sounds like the worst idea in the world to her.

“Hey, you know this is important?” Digg asks and Felicity sighs before she nods, biting her lip nervously.

“It could be the difference between him staying CEO and his family’s legacy falling into Steelmoor’s hands.” She winces, only really realizing the implications missing this meeting could have as she speaks it aloud.

“Then he’ll know how important it is,” Sara tells her, nodding her head when Felicity sends her a worried, disbelieving look. Digg sighs and places his hand on her other shoulder, drawing her attention. He smiles at her warmly before squeezing gently.

“You’ve been trying so hard to remind him that everything isn’t his burden to bear that I think you’ve forgotten to take your own advice. Oliver’s strong, Felicity, and he can handle a board meeting if he has to.” He tells her and Felicity sighs, letting his advice and comforting tone wash over her. There is just something about Digg, he just always knows what to say.

“Right.” Felicity nods as she takes in a deep breath.

“Go, we’ve got things here.” Sara prompts and Felicity nods, picking up her phone and taking a step towards the door before she pauses, turning on her heel.

“Don’t…” She starts but Sara laughs, shaking her head.

“We know. We won’t change anything on your computers.” She tells her, leveling her a look and Felicity cannot help the small smile that tugs on her lips.

“Okay. Right. Thank you.” She states, floundering for the right words to say before she nods, turns, and heads up the stairs, already pinging Oliver’s location on her phone.

Oliver hasn’t been here in months.

The need for a quiet space to himself hasn’t diminished but he’s learned over the past few months how to find those quiet moments within his busy life without disappearing. He has more people to lean on now and he doesn’t feel the need to disappear for hours on end as much as he did when he first returned from Lian Yu.

The reason he’s here now isn’t so much a want to be alone with his thoughts as a want to be able to train without distraction. Once Diggle and Felicity became more permanent fixtures in the Foundry, he moved his more intense workout equipment to this secondary facility and it’s this equipment he’s come here to use right now.

His makeshift rings are something he doesn’t train on often and muscle ups on them aren’t particularly the most intense thing he’s trained doing but he enjoys the repetitive motion of the workout and the full-body nature of the exercise.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs gives him pause but the clicking of heels settles him a little. He’s extremely doubtful that Slade’s going to be wearing Loubotions when he comes after him. He tenses his arms and holds his body suspended in the air as the footsteps grow closer.

Sure enough, Felicity appears round the corner, her frown immediately dropping as she takes in the sight of him.

He knows that look.

He loves that look.

Unfortunately, they do not have time for that look.

“Hi.” He smiles and jumps down, bending his knees to soften the landing.

“Hi. So this is just like, your private gym, huh?” She questions and Oliver chuckles, shrugging his shoulders.

“Kinda.” He explains, picking up the towel he brought with him to wipe the sweat out of his eyes. He smiles at her but she doesn’t reciprocate. He can tell there’s something on her mind. He’s unsurprised, they’ve all got a lot on their minds at the moment, but he can tell she’s nervous about something. She’s rising up on her toes, her heels rising out of her shoes, and her hands are clasped in front of her, playing with the case on her phone that she’s holding.

“So, quick question, do you remember where you put your business suit?” She asks and Oliver frowns, confused by her question.

“What?”

“Isabel called.” She states as if that explains it and he frowns. Isabel calls them both pretty much daily but they’ve been managing to ward her off. Oliver is worried about QC but he honestly just doesn’t have the time or energy to focus on it now.

“Yeah, she’s been trying to call me all morning. I figured it was something trivial like all the other messages have been.” He frowns and watches as Felicity takes a deep breath, before wincing.

“Turns out, not so much.” She practically winces and Oliver’s frown only depends. She’s not usually one to withhold information like she is right now and that’s worrying him. How bad must it be for her to be this worried to tell him?

“Felicity, what’s going on?” He asks her plainly and she sighs before she finally looks him in the eye.

“The board meeting, it’s tomorrow.” She states, again as if that’s an explanation and it only makes him frown again before he quirks an eyebrow.

“Right, and she can’t cover that?” He questions and Felicity’s face scrunches up, shaking her head.

“Well no. You both need to be there. It’s in the business outlines and kind of part of the rules. Plus…” She starts but then trails off. Oliver sighs, he’s getting a little sick of this now. Why won’t she just tell him?

“Plus?” He prompts and she bites her lip, her eyes turning sorrowful as she begins to explain. He can see the worry in her expression and he knows that QC is something they won’t be side-lining anymore.

“Turns out the board is questioning our excuses for us kind of disappearing off the face of the earth? There’s talk of it just being lack of interest on your part and the implication with that is that…”

“I’m unfit to continue as CEO.” He finishes for her and she slumps as he states the words.

“Yeah.” She winces and he frowns.

“Shit.”

He can see why Felicity was nervous to tell him this. Not to the level that she obviously was, but this is a whole new player in their craziness right now. If it were just another addition to the Slade situation, or even Thea and his family, he would be worried of course, but adding a whole other player into this might just be the nudge over the edge to call it too much.

“Pretty much.” Felicity sighs and Oliver does too.

“So I have to go to this thing?” He questions, wrapping the towel over his shoulders.

“Yup.”

“Okay.”

A meeting tomorrow isn’t the end of the world. He can sit through a board meeting. He might need to do a little reading tonight to re-establish what’s going on with the company but if this is what he has to do in order to deal with this, then that’s what he has to do.

“Okay? That’s it?” Felicity questions and Oliver frowns at her words and confused expression. Is he usually that oppositional?

Yeah, maybe, he doesn’t want to hear the answer to that.

“Felicity, it’s obviously important. Just add it to the other list of things that it would have been convenient to have dealt with a month ago.” He tells her, sighing a little as he considers the fact that everything seems to be happening this week. Of course, the situation with Thea and his mom was caused by the situation with Slade but it’s something he has to deal with completely differently.

“I’m sorry.” Felicity sighs, her face falling. She looks completely crestfallen and Oliver frowns, stepping forward to cup her elbow.

“Hey, it’s not your fault.” He frowns, his thumb rubbing over her skin in an attempt to calm her. The last thing he wants is for her to feel like he’s placing any place on her. She’s been nothing but wonderful and supportive and he loves her all the more for it. He’d be devastated if she thinks anything other than that.

“I just hate that I’m adding more to your plate.” She frowns, biting the inside of her cheek and when she looks up at him, he can see tears forming in her eyes. Oliver’s brow furrows and hoping that she’s not bothered by his sweat, he wraps his arms around her. She doesn’t seem to be phased and her arms lock around his waist, her hair brushing against his chest.

“Whoa, are you on the board? Did you put the thought of me being unfit into their head?” He questions, looking down at her. He’s grateful when she looks up at him as well, their eyes meeting. It’s better when they have these conversations properly, eye to eye, he thinks. It’s easy to understand each other clearly that way.

“Well, no…” She frowns and a smile tugs at Oliver’s lips. Her concern for him does make him smile, it’s nice to know that she’s in his corner, always. To know that someone’s always going to be thinking of him and considering him in the way that he knows he always will for her…

That’s sort of beautiful.

“Exactly. If you hadn’t told me, I would have continued to ignore Isabel’s calls and we’d be in a worse place than we are right now.” He tells her and he knows that his words are true. He would be lost without Felicity, in far more ways than just this.

“I just don’t like the idea of you having even more to deal with.” She whispers and Oliver almost melts.

This woman…

He’s sure he will never find the words to express just how much he adores her.

“I can take a lot.” He tells her, winking and smiling when he manages to elicit the smallest quirk of her lips. “Thank you for always thinking of me.”

Felicity sighs, nuzzling her nose into his chest. He’s glad it’s in a spot he wiped with the towel, he doesn’t want her to be wiping her face in his sweat.

“I love you but sweetheart, I am so sweaty.” He tells her and she finally giggles, stepping back a little. He catches her hands, squeezing them when she smiles at him. “Speaking of things to deal with, how’s your research coming along?”

“Good, I think I might have the starts of a plan?” She tells him and Oliver’s eyebrows rise in surprise. It’s not that he’s unaware of her abilities but she’s been working on this for less than a day.

“Already?” He questions and she shrugs before pressing her shoulder to her cheek as she tends to when she’s feeling bashful.

“I work quick.” She states and he chuckles, tugging on her hands to pull her closer again.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” He questions as he does so but Felicity pulls her hands away, pressing them on his chest to stop him as his fall to her waist. She levels him with a reproachful look as she sighs.

“How many times Oliver? We deserve each other.” She frowns and Oliver smiles, nodding his head with a chuckle. He tugs on her waist and Felicity drops her hands to wrap around his waist.

“I love you.” He whispers into her hair and she smiles, pressing a gentle kiss to his bare chest. Oliver does his best not to shiver at the feeling, especially with how full his heart is feeling right now.  

“I love you too. Now come on, let’s get back to the Foundry and we can talk this through with everyone.”  She smiles gently, rising onto her toes to kiss him softly before she pulls back, smiling at him over her shoulder as she heads towards the exit.

“Where’s Roy?” Oliver questions as he looks around at the others gathered in the Foundry. It’s very strange for him to see so many people down here. He never expected this to expand outside of him, let alone a team of five.

“I um… oh, speak of the devil.” Felicity smiles, holding her phone screen up to him.

Fill me in later? Can’t get away from Thea rn

“You don’t think…?” Oliver frowns, looking between the screen and Felicity. With the way Roy was acting yesterday, he’s terrified that he’s going to spill their secrets to Thea.

Who knows how she’d react to that?

“Hey, you know what Thea’s like. It’s probably nothing.” Felicity tells him, catching his hand to stop him from pacing which he was about to start doing.

“Probably being the operative word in that sentence.” Oliver sighs, his mind starting to spiral. The thought of Thea freaking out, storming off and then running into one of Slade’s goonies is far too realistic for his liking. It makes him sick to the stomach to even think about it.

And he’s had a bad feeling in his stomach all day.

All week, really.

“We can only go off what we have. He’s proven himself to be loyal so far. I think we might need to trust him on this.” Felicity insists, squeezing his hand and Oliver sighs.

“Maybe…” He comments, managing a quirk of his lips before he stands and turns to face the other two. Digg smirks at him, his arms crossed in front of him, and Sara is also hiding a smile. They straighten however when he clears his throat, crossing his own arms over his chest.

“Alright, what’s the plan?” Sara asks, looking between the both of them.

“So you know how I was talking about using the intensity of Slade’s vendetta to distract him so that we can bring him down?” Felicity questions, looking between them all. Oliver supposes this is what she was discussing with them earlier. The idea makes sense. If they can distract him, they can get to him.

“Yes, but that still doesn’t negate our biggest obstacle.” Digg frowns and Oliver hums.

“The mirakuru.” He adds and Digg nods, looking back to Felicity.

“Here’s the thing, I think I might have something that can help. You remember Barry?” She questions, looking between him and Digg. Oliver nods. He certainly remembers Barry Allen, his babbling, his lies, and his quick thinking.

“Allen? The kid from Central City?” Digg questions and Felicity nods.

“I’m sorry, who’s Barry?” Sara questions, looking confused and Oliver smirks.

“He helped us a couple of months back when we were first dealing with the mirakuru. When he went back to Central City, he was struck by lightning.” He explains and Sara’s eyebrows rise at the last revelation, shock covering her face.

“Wait, seriously?” She questions, obviously surprised. For everything Sara’s seen, Oliver’s surprised that’s something that alarms her but he supposes that everyone has to pick a hill to die on.

“Yup. He’s in a coma. But I got an alert the other day that told me he’s been transferred. His condition grew critical and the local hospital claimed there was nothing they could do. A local facility had a different idea, however.”  Felicity explains, wincing a little at the idea of Barry’s condition getting worse. Oliver feels his heart sink in the same way. They didn’t meet the Allen kid for very long but he had an impression on them all. To know that he’s still suffering is not the news any of them want to hear.

“Like a psych ward or…?” Sara questions and Felicity hisses, shaking her head.

“Not exactly. It’s STAR Labs.” She explains and Oliver frowns, trying to place where he’s heard the name before.

“The people who made the particle accelerator?” Digg asks and Oliver realizes that’s where he’s heard it, when Felicity was excitedly explaining to him about the implications the accelerator could have had in the scientific world.

“Yes. So I did a little digging into their employees or their remaining ones that is. They laid a lot of people off after the disaster and even more left of their own volition. There’s two who stayed, however, that I think might be able to help.” She whirls around in her chair to face her computers and starts typing, pulling two files up. The others move closer, looking at her monitors as she begins to talk again. “Doctor Caitlin Snow. She’s a bio-engineer with a medical degree, one of the brightest minds in our generation. Her papers and ideas have made waves in the scientific community, hence why she was scooped up by Harrison Wells.”

“Why did she stay? If the explosion has tarnished STAR Labs’ name, why would someone as bright and forethinking as her not just find somewhere else to work?” Sara questions, leaning over Felicity and the other blonde hums, typing as she pulls up what looks like a forum thread.

“Well, I did a little more digging, because I had a similar thought. Turns out, she worked with her fiancé at STAR Labs. He was one of the chief engineers on the particle accelerator but he was killed in the blast when it malfunctioned. Caitlin was obviously devastated but the scientific community thinks that staying at STAR Labs is her way of holding onto him.” Felicity explains and Oliver frowns. It’s certainly a sad story and he can hear the emotion in Felicity’s voice as she speaks. It’s obviously something she’s contemplated since she learned of the story and he can tell that it’s hit something within her.

“And the other one?” He questions and Felicity jumps a little, looking up at him with a sad expression before she scoots her chair over a little so that she’s in front of the other profile.

“Cisco Ramon. He’s a mechanical engineer but just as bright and forward-thinking as Caitlin. There’s a pattern with who Harrison Wells hired for his company. It was basically a hub of the greatest minds in America. The particle accelerator would have been their greatest success.” She explains, gesturing to the image of the man.

Both of them seem young, but Oliver knows their credentials must be legitimate if it’s Felicity that’s done the research. He’s got an idea of her plan already, he’s just waiting for her to spell it out to confirm it.

“But if Cisco’s an engineer, how’s he going to help?” Digg asks and Felicity smiles.

“Well, probably not as much as Caitlin, but from what I’ve read, the two of them kind of come as a pair nowadays anyway.” She explains and Digg nods.

“What’s saying they’ll help?” Oliver questions and Felicity pushes back from the table. They all step back as well so she doesn’t hit any of them. She then spins in her seat, her eyes scanning over them all.

“Well, they already agreed. I reached out to them this morning. Don’t worry, I made sure the line was secure. There’s no way Slade tapped it.” She tells them, her eyes landing on Oliver. It’s a reassurance more than an apology and Oliver’s lips quirk as he nods ever so slightly, letting her know that he knows she wouldn’t take that kind of risk.

“Hang on, what exactly are they helping with?” Sara asks, looking between in confusion. Digg looks just as clueless and Oliver and Felicity share a look, nodding their heads.

“A cure. If we can get close enough to Slade, we might be able to administer a cure and stop this without dropping bodies left, right, and center.” Felicity explains and Oliver’s lips quirk again as his suspicions are confirmed. He knows that Felicity would always look for a way to avoid harming people but her wording also tells him that she knows how important it is to him to continue honoring the promise he made in Tommy’s name.

“So they’re already working on this?” Digg questions and Felicity hums, pulling her lips back between her teeth.

“No, they’ve just agreed to help. You can’t just create a cure for a drug you’ve never seen.” She tells them and Oliver frowns, running a hand over his forehead.

“They need a sample of the mirakuru.” He states and Felicity nods, pointing a finger at him to emphasize her reply.

“Exactly.”

“Question is, how on earth do we get our hands on that?” Sara asks and they all share a look, the lack of reply settling over them like a heavy cloud.

The sound of the door slamming makes them all jump and they turn to see Roy practically throwing himself down the stairs.

“Roy?”

“It’s… it’s Thea. She’s gone.”

Chapter Text

The tension that begins to build in the Foundry following Roy’s words is heavy and weighted. The hope that had been building from the establishment of their plan crashes down around them and Felicity watches as Oliver stands stock still, frozen in place.

Roy has been stuttering for a minute or so but Felicity knows that Oliver hasn’t heard anything past the words ‘Thea’ and ‘gone’.

To be honest, she’s not sure that she has either. 

“Roy, you need to breathe. What happened?” Sara finally steps in and Felicity sends her a grateful look as she and Digg guide the younger man over to a seat. He slumps into it, his body practically admitting defeat. He manages to take in a few deep breaths and get his breathing under control.

“I couldn’t do it anymore, she asked me where I kept going and I told her the truth. That I lied to her, that I have been for months. That I’ve been working with the Arrow.” Roy finally explains and Felicity winces. It’s exactly what Oliver had feared when Roy texted earlier and she had been so sure that he wouldn’t tell her.

“But she doesn’t know about the rest of us?” Digg questions as Felicity looks over at Oliver. His expression is still unreadable, but she thinks he’s in shock. His shoulders are sagging and Felicity’s heart breaks at the thought of Thea out there alone so she can’t even fathom what’s going through Oliver’s head right now.

“No, to be honest, I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to tell even if I’d wanted to. She freaked, I’ve never seen her so mad. She told me that I was one of the last people she thought she could rely on and then she ran off. By the time I got out there to follow her, she was gone.”

“Okay, well let’s not freak out just yet. She could still be out there. Felicity?” Sara prompts and Felicity jumps at the sound of her name, looking over at Sara. The other blonde sends her a sympathetic smile before she raises an eyebrow and Felicity frowns for a moment before she realizes what she’s asking.

“On it.” She tells them and spins back to her computers, pulling up Thea’s number and using her algorithm to find her phone. “Her phone was last used fifteen minutes ago at a street corner not far from Roy’s apartment. It hasn’t been used since.”

“Where?” Oliver finally speaks, already reaching for his bow and Felicity frowns. She’s really not convinced that Oliver’s the right person to be heading out to look for Thea right now.

“Roots and 5^th, two blocks over from Crescent Circle.” She answers nonetheless, sending a worried look in Sara’s direction.

“I’m on it,” Oliver tells them as he heads for the door and Felicity winces.

“Oliver…” She calls after him and to his credit, he stops but he shakes his head at her when he turns around.

“I’m on it.” He repeats, practically growling, and is halfway up the stairs before Felicity can say any more. She knows that her worry must be written all over her face because Sara scoops up her bo staff and rushes after him with a nod in Felicity’s direction.

“I’ll be right behind him.” She promises and Felicity nods, biting her lip. She looks over at Digg who is still stood by Roy. The boy goes to get up as if to follow but the taller man presses on his shoulder in a remarkable display of bravery. Digg may be twice Roy’s side but Roy’s got the mirakuru in him and that’s proven to not only have increased his strength, but his volatility as well.

“You’re not going aware in the state you’re in,” Digg tells him and Roy huffs but doesn’t say a word, staring straight ahead of him. Felicity can see his hand shaking in his pocket and she sends Digg a worried look but her friend merely shakes his head, gesturing to her computers.

Felicity takes the prompt and slowly turns around, scooting closer to the monitors as she activates her comms through the speaker and locates the trackers on both Oliver and Sara. They’re not far from the spot, it having been close to the Foundry anyway, and Felicity is grateful to see that there’s a lack of other vehicles in the area.

“Shit.” Sara’s voice sounds through the comms and Felicity winces as it’s closely followed by a growl and a shout of Oliver’s.

“What’s going on?” Felicity questions, nervously tapping her nail against her lips. Digg and Roy appear on either side of her and she flinches a little when the latter’s hands land a little heavily on the desk.

“We found her phone. It looks like it’s been dropped with some force. Possibly thrown out a window.” Sara explains but Felicity barely has time to process her words before Roy is moving. She screams as his fist dents the metal surface of her desk and Digg has his arms around her and is pulling her away as the volatile boy throws a nearby stall across the room.

“Roy!” She screams, flinching in Digg’s arms as Roy rounds towards them, the anger clear in his eyes.

“She’s gone! They’ve got her! Because we didn’t tell her the goddamn truth!” He screams, his hands shaking as he throws them around in an attempt to emphasis his point. Felicity hates the idea that she should be scared of Roy, who she has such a wonderful relationship with usually.

“Well, we need to focus on finding her then. Destroying the equipment we need to do that isn’t going to help!” Digg yells right back and Felicity frowns, wiggling out of his arms and heading back over to the station.

“Sara, are you there?” She questions, reactivating the comms and moving the monitor that’s sloping into the dent.

“Yeah, are you alright? What’s happening?” The other blonde’s voice sounds and Felicity winces as she looks over to where Roy is finally settling, Digg’s words apparently having hit the right nerve.

“It’s fine. Is Oliver still there?” Felicity asks worriedly. His comms are off on his end and she knows what he’s like. It worries her that he might be taking his worry out in a less than productive way.

“Checking the surrounding area.” Sara replies and Felicity winces. The sound of a motorbike whirling before it comes to a stop sounds through the commlink and she bites her lips.

“Shit!” She hears Oliver’s voice, panicked and loud, and she chews on the inside of her cheek nervously. She can’t do anything from here and that’s the most heartbreaking thing of all when she knows that he’s out of his mind right now. He needs her more than ever right now.

“Okay, Ollie, we’re gonna find her.” Sara tries but Felicity can tell from her tone of voice that she’s unconvinced by her own words.

“How do you know that Sara? That’s my baby sister and she’s all alone!”

The sound of Oliver’s voice cracking, even as shaky and difficult as it is to hear over the comms, sends a knife right through Felicity’s heart. This is why she didn’t want him going out there. He hadn’t fully processed the idea of Thea being gone yet and now he’s falling apart in the field. If someone hears him and connects the dots, they could be done for. Felicity doesn’t know how she can help Thea right now and that’s eating her up inside but she does know how she can help Oliver.

Or at least try to.

“Sara, can you activate his comms?” She asks and Sara doesn’t reply but there’s a rush of wind that crackles in Felicity’s ear so she assumes the assassin is trying.

“What are you…?” Oliver asks but then the sound of his comms link opening hits Felicity’s ears.

“Oliver, you can’t do anything out there with no idea where to look. Come back and let’s think of a plan of action.” Felicity begs, her worry slipping into her voice a little more than she’d like.

“It’s Thea.” Oliver bites and Felicity can see the tension in his jaw even if he’s not stood in front of her.  

“I know and I’m terrified as well but you can’t help her when you’re this wound up and moving without thinking. Come back and let’s think.” She prompts and there’s a moment of silence before she hears him sigh heavily.

“Yeah okay, we’ll be back soon.”

Felicity slumps into her chair as relief sweeps through her. She’s terrified for Thea. She has no idea where she could be and it’s more than likely that she’s in Slade’s grip, but she needs Oliver to focus right now else they’re never going to find her.

They decide the best thing to do is run all the searches they can, inform their contacts, and head back to the mansion so that they can inform Moira of the situation. Oliver is tense on the ride over and Felicity can tell that it’s killing him to not be out there, to not be looking for her, but she also knows that the only thing that’s going to come from him searching the city from head to toe is his exhaustion.

Moira can tell something is wrong the instant they enter the house and Felicity suggests they head into the sitting room, knowing that the mother is probably going to want to be sat down when she hears this.

Sure enough, she sinks into the couch as if someone’s just knocked the air out of her. She looks so different from the usually poised, business-minded woman that used to terrify Felicity so much and the blonde’s heart breaks for the mother. She’s obviously distraught.

“So she just left? How did you lose her so quickly?” Moira questions, looking at Roy who relayed his part of the story. The boy looks just as distraught as Moira and Felicity’s unsurprised when everyone keeps bringing up his part in it all.

Yes, she doesn’t think he should have told her right now, but also, she knows how difficult it must have been to keep lying to her when Thea has spent the last week emphasizing how lucky she feels to have Roy who won’t lie to her. The poor boy was in quite the quandary but unfortunately, it only appears to have been blown up rather than resolved.

“I don’t know, by the time I got outside, she was nowhere to be found.” He answers, his eyes darting around the room as if he can’t bear to looks at any one of them.

“There’s a possibility she was taken in a close proximity to Roy’s apartment and then her phone was thrown out the window of the vehicle they took her in,” Sara explains gently, her eyes sad as she looks at Moira but the matriarch only has eyes for her son.

“You definitely think she was taken?” She questions Oliver, her eyes wide, and he sighs heavily, his eyes closing for a moment. That tells Moira all she needs to know and her body slumps further, the last glimmer of hope in her eyes diminishing.

“I think it would be naïve of us to assume anything less with Slade out there,” Oliver answers fruitlessly as it’s clear that Moira’s already aware of his answer.

“Oh my.” The mother stutters, taking in a deep breath and Felicity’s moving before she even realizes, sitting down next to her and placing a comforting hand on top of Moira’s which are nervously pressed together.

“I’ve got every search possible running and Roy has spoken to his contacts in the Glades, they’re keeping their eyes peeled in the spots that CCTV and facial recognition won’t work. We’re gonna find her.” She tells her, her voice full of promises and Moira looks at her. In this moment, the façade of her poise and elegance falls away and she’s looking at her as a terrified mother.

“What if he hurts her? What if he harms my baby girl?” Moira questions, her voice quiet as it catches in her throat and Felicity shakes her head, wrapping her arms around the mother. Moira practically falls into her arms, clutching at her shirt as her shoulders shake with the cries that finally burst through her.

“Mom, we’re going to find her. I promise.” Oliver’s voice is calmer as he settles on the other side of his mother, placing a comforting hand on her back. His eyes meet Felicity’s and she nods, her lips only managing to lift slightly at the ends. His hand catches hers where it rests on Moira’s back and she squeezes his fingers for a second before letting go, turning her attention back to the distraught mother in her arms.

“Lance is on his way over,” Digg comments as he re-enters the room. Moira sniffs and pulls back from the hug, sending Oliver a reassuring nod, before she wipes her tears and looks at Diggle in confusion.

“We’re involving the police?” She questions and Felicity can tell from her tone that the news has only scared her further. She supposes it makes sense, if they thought they could deal with it themselves, it seems like it might be a less severe situation. The truth is, the decision to involve the police is more to do with the personal stakes they have in this. None of them are really thinking clearly right now, not with the thought of Thea in the clutches of Slade running through their minds.

“The wider the search, the more likely it is that we’ll find her,” Oliver explains, taking a deep breath, and Moira nods, reaching out to clasp his hand as she too slows her breathing.

“So, what, we’re just all going to sit here and do nothing whilst she’s out there? All alone?” Roy asks, standing up from the armchair he’s stood in after a moment of silence. Felicity frowns, still worried after his violent reaction earlier in the Foundry and Digg seems to be thinking the same thing because he inches a little closer.

“Roy, you need to calm down. There’s not much we can do at this point. We need some more information.” Felicity tries to explain but the boy just rounds to look at her, that same anger from earlier sparking in his eyes and his hand shaking by his leg.

“Information, my ass. This is Thea. She’s out there in the hands of the man we’ve been trying to protect everyone from all week! Who knows what he’s going to do to her? I can’t just sit by and wait for her to show up dead.” Roy glares, turning his body to glare at Oliver.

Felicity feels Moira jump next to her at Roy’s words and she reaches out to grasp her hand as Oliver stands, the boy’s words obviously having hit the wrong nerve.

“Hey! You are not the only person in this room that cares about her.” The older man yells, walking towards him and Felicity winces as Roy only squares up to him.

“Oh really? Well then maybe you should all start acting like it!” He yells right back and she turns her head away as they reach each other, only inches between them.

“Whoa!” Diggle frowns as he steps up to the as well, just as Roy reaches out and shoves hard on Oliver’s chest. It sends the archer flying backward and Diggle rushes to him as Sara catches Roy and shoves him towards the door.

“Okay, that’s it, you’re done. Come with me.” She tells him, her intimidation just as strong as the mirakuru running through Roy at that point and Felicity winces as he wrenches his arm from her grip, stumbling towards the exit.

“This is bullshit!” He yells and storms down the corridor. It’s all Felicity can do to thank every deity she knows that he didn’t storm out the door and right into danger.

“Okay…” Sara sighs as she follows him.

Squeezing Moira’s hand, Felicity stands and rushes over to where Oliver is sat on the floor, glowering heavily at the empty doorway.

“Are you alright?” She questions, laying a hand on his shoulder but he merely waves her off, nodding his head. She sighs and sits back on her heels, her lip catching in her teeth.

That awkward tension that was building in the Foundry is starting to build here as well and Felicity looks between Oliver and Moira, feeling a little lost as to what she should be doing right now.

The loud ding of the doorbell makes them all jump, even Oliver.

“I’ll go.” Diggle offers and Felicity watches him leave before she turns back to Oliver, offering him a hand. He sighs heavily and looks at it for a moment before humoring her and allowing her to pull him to his feet.

She’s well aware of the fact that he’s more than capable of standing on his own but that’s not the point. She wants him to know that she’s here for him to lean on, both literally and figuratively.

“Mrs. Queen, Oliver, Miss Smoak.” Lance greets as he steps into the sitting room, looking at all of them respectively. Felicity frowns at the lack of respect he shows Oliver, even in a time like this. She knows there’s a lot of history between the two of them but still.

“Thank you for coming.” Moira takes a deep breath, smoothing over her skirt as her public persona goes back up. The officer nods, sitting down in an armchair.

“I understand this is a troubling time for you Mrs. Queen. I just need to ask a few questions.” He tells her and Felicity is at least grateful for the reverence he’s showing Moira.

“Of course.”

“Who was the last to see Thea?” He questions, looking between all of them.

“Her boyfriend, Roy. They had an argument and she stormed off. When he followed her out, she was gone.” Oliver explains, rubbing his finger over his thumb. Felicity frowns at the sight of his nervous tick and steps closer to him, gently wrapping both her arms around his arm. He looks down at her and manages to give her a small smile, which she returns with a soft kiss to his bicep.

“And no one’s heard from her since?” Lance questions and they all shake their heads.

“We found her phone, just a couple of blocks away. It looks like it was thrown out a window or dropped at the very least.” Felicity explains and nods at the technology that’s sat on the coffee table. Lance frowns and nods his head, writing something down in the notebook he’s pulled out.

“Okay, is her boyfriend here?” The officer questions and Diggle nods.

“I’ll go get him.” He offers and Lance nods at him appreciatively. Just as Digg steps outside, Felicity phone starts to buzz where it’s sat on a side table. She’s on it like a dart but it’s not one of the searches. Instead, it’s an alert that there’s a transmission interrupting the entire city’s frequency. She moves quickly to the TV and turns it on, stumbling back a few steps at the image that appears.

It’s Thea.

She’s dressed in her coat, the blue one she’d so excitedly texted Felicity about getting a bargain on a few weeks ago, and her hair is a mess around her head, showing clear signs that she’s been tugged around by it. Her makeup is smeared across her face and there’s a nasty looking wound on her temple, the dry blood from which is flaking on her skin. She’s obviously terrified, tears streaming down her face, and Felicity reaches behind her as she slumps down onto the couch in front of the TV, her heart stuttering loudly in her chest.

“Go on.” A clearly modulated voice speaks and then Thea looks straight at the camera, her eyes filled with terror.

“Help, please, someone help me, I…” She starts to beg and Felicity jumps as a hand reaches out and smacks the girl straight across the face. The sound echoes around whatever room she’s in and Thea cries out, a harsh red mark on her face when the hand pulls back.

“That’s not what we agreed on now, is it?” The modulated voice speaks again and Thea swallows, looking away from the camera as she breathes heavily. “Come on pretty, don’t make me angry.”

That seems to prompt Thea into action and she takes another deep breath before she turns her head towards the camera, her eyes flicking between the lens and just off the side as she speaks her next words shakily.

“Th… the person that took me, they want my family… the Queen family to know that their ac-actions have c-consequences on… on others and that… that their reign o-over St-Starling City is coming to an end. Please, just someone…”

There’s another loud slapping sound before the transmission ends and the screen goes black.

“Fuck!”

The sound of the cry from the doorway makes Felicity jump again and she turns just in time to see Roy kick the hallway table with an incredible amount of force. Sara appears just in time to catch the vase that goes flying but a few pictures still fall, the sound of the glass shattering reverberating around the room.

The sound, as startling as it is, brings Felicity back down from the daze the image of Thea put her in and she moves, snatching up her tablet from the side table her phone was on. Both Moira and Oliver are sat on the couch, staring into the space in front of them in shock, but Felicity can see the starts of tears forming in both of their eyes. She’s unsurprised, of course, the image was terrifying and heartbreaking and clearly showed that Thea has been through a lot in the short time since she went missing. The clear implication with her interaction with whoever was filming her is that the violence isn’t going to stop.

But no note of where she was, no ransom charge, no nothing.

Expect the image of a terrified girl to send out a clear message.

They’re not getting out of this unscathed.  

Lance takes Roy with him to the station, claiming that he thinks it may be more productive and less worrying for Moira to question him there. Sara leaves too, to go and check on Laurel and then chase up some contacts of her own who might be able to help. She promises she’ll be back as soon as she knows her sister is safe and hopefully with something to help them find Thea.

With Lance gone, Felicity gets to work on tracing the signal from the transmission.

Oliver and Moira don’t move from the couch. Moira watches Felicity as she works, her fingers nervously tapping against the mug of coffee that Digg brings in. Oliver sits next to her, his head in his hands. The silence is palpable and Felicity is torn between finding a lead and reaching out to comfort the people who have become like her own family.

She looks up as Diggle’s hand lands on her shoulder comfortingly and he smiles comfortingly at her, handing her a mug of coffee of her own.

“Thank you.” She whispers and he shakes his head, smiling at her with a wink before he squeezes her shoulder and walks away. She’s grateful for his support and that which he’s offering to Oliver and Moira as well so that Felicity can concentrate on finding a location.

She jumps at the sound of a door opening and closing and both Sara and Roy enter the room.

“Are you alright?” Felicity questions when she spots Roy’s hand shaking by his side but the boy shakes his head, managing a small smile in her direction.

“Just annoyed by the assumption that I might have had something to do with this.” He sighs and Felicity nods, sending him what she hopes is a sympathetic look.

“I swung by to pick Roy up after I was done with Laurel. I’m sorry, Moira, but my contacts on the streets haven’t seen her and they haven’t heard anything.” Sara explains, looking over at the mother with a sad look on her face. Moira takes a deep breath and shakes her head, a small smile settled on her lips.

“Thank you for trying.” She states diplomatically and Sara waves her off, walking over to Felicity and placing her hand on her shoulder.

“How are you doing?”

“I am almost there, just triangulating a location now and… boom. Shady warehouse in a shady part of town, no surprises there.” Felicity huffs, sending a smirk in the team’s location. It gains her a snort from Sara and an amused shake of the head from Digg but Oliver just reaches for the bag containing his suit and walks towards the door.

“Let’s go.” He commands and the others share a glance before they start to follow them.

“Shouldn’t we inform the police?” Moira interjects, looking towards Felicity specifically and she winces, biting her lip.

“We can’t really explain where we got this information from without incriminating ourselves. Well, technically myself.” She explains, knowing that she just broke about ten different laws to get this location. Moira raises an eyebrow before heaving a long sigh and looking back to the team who are paused at the doorway.

“Go on then.” She prompts and Oliver nods, sending them both a smile before he turns around. He pauses however when he walks a couple more steps and turns towards Roy.

“Hang on, we can’t deal with any liabilities right now. I need you to stay here.” He tells him and Felicity winces as the mirakuru powered boy freezes, looking at him incredulously.

“No way, man. That’s Thea, that’s my girlfriend.” He cries incredulously, gesturing towards the door and Oliver shakes his head, obviously standing strong.

“And she’s my baby sister, I’m going to do everything I can to bring her home but Slade is going to be looking for any cracks in our armor.” He states clearly and Felicity is surprised at the even and logical tone to his voice.

“I can’t just sit here!” Roy argues back and Oliver sighs, closing his eyes for a moment before he levels Roy with a look.

“Listen. I cannot deal with anyone else getting hurt and I know that Thea wouldn’t want that either. Stay here, Felicity can keep you in the loop, and make sure that the both of them are safe. For Thea.” Oliver tells them, gesturing over to where Felicity and Moira are sat and Felicity does her best to look as if she hasn’t been eavesdropping.

“Fine, but I’m not being side-lined again.” Roy finally tells Oliver and Felicity looks up to see Oliver placing a hand on his shoulder in a grateful gesture.

“Thank you, let’s go.” Oliver manages a small smile before he inclines his head to Sara and Diggle and they head out the door.

Oliver remembers everything he’s been taught as he, Digg and Sara close in around the warehouse. Stay light on your feet, stay alert, and above all, lean into your instincts. He forces himself to concentrate on that and push the image of Thea’s terrified face to the back of his mind. Hopefully, by the time this is done, he can replace that image with a picture of Thea’s smiling face.

Oh good lord, he sincerely hopes so.

Felicity guides Digg and Sara in through separate entrances and Oliver makes his way down a long corridor. Every door he kicks in reveals empty room after empty room and by empty, he means empty. The small, square-shaped rooms don’t show any evidence of having had anyone in them for years. There’s a thick layer of dust over most of the surfaces and Oliver is unconvinced that this place has been disturbed since whatever company owned it packed up and left.

“Room at the end.” Felicity’s voice in his ear tells him and Oliver frowns.

“Huh?”

“It’s the only one left. Be careful, if they’re anywhere, they’ll be in there.” She tells him and Oliver takes a deep breath, nodding his head. He notches an arrow and moves in close to the door. He can’t hear anything through the thick metal of the door and therefore that leaves him only one thing to do.

The door takes a sharp kick and a sharp shove to open and Oliver steps through and raises his bow towards the singular figure in the room.

“Hey, hey, it’s just me.” Sara’s voice calls out and Oliver sighs, his bow falling down as he takes in the room.

It’s not as abandoned as the others he’s found on the way in and it’s clear that people have been here recently. A singular chair sits near the back wall, a few small flecks of blood on the floor around it, and Oliver knows immediately that his sister has been here.

Try as he might, he can’t shake the image of Thea sat in that chair. That bastard’s hand reaching out to slap her across the face numerous times in less than a minute and that injury on her temple, the blood, sweat, and makeup mixing together on her dirty face. His baby sister.

“Hang on, what’s that?”

Oliver spins at the sound of Diggle’s voice to see that he’s gesturing to a box in the corner. He didn’t even hear the last member of their team enter the room and Oliver takes a deep breath, knowing that he needs to concentrate right now or he’s never going to be able to help Thea. They move over together and Diggle opens it to reveal that it’s empty except for a single vile of a glowing green substance.

The mirakuru.

Oliver would remember the sight of it anywhere.

“Felicity, how much mirakuru do you need to manufacture a cure?” Diggle asks as he activates his comms and Oliver turns his on as well so that he can hear her response.

“I don’t think Caitlin will need much? Just enough to understand the formula.” She tells them and Digg looks between Oliver and Sara before wrapping up the vile and storing it safely in his pocket.

“I think we should head back. It’s clear that Slade was here but he’s not here anymore.” Sara suggests and Oliver sighs, looking back towards the empty chair. His sister was there, scared beyond belief and hurt, and he was too late.

He knows realistically that she was most likely moved the minute that transmission ended but it doesn’t negate the feeling of failure that flows heavily through him. He’s supposed to be there for Thea, to protect her from harm, and he’s failed at that job so many times. No more than he has now, however.

“Come on, man. We need to get this to Felicity’s friend.” Digg prompts and Oliver glances one last time back at the chair, the image of Thea sat in it as she begged for someone to help burning in his mind before he heaves a long sigh and follows his friends back outside.

Felicity leaves Oliver to take a shower as she rushes across town to hand-deliver the vile of mirakuru to Caitlin and Cisco. There’s a deep feeling of disappointment and failure weighing on her heart. She’s terrified for her friend who’s become like her own sister since she and Oliver started this thing. The idea of Thea still being out there with Slade scares her beyond belief but Felicity also knows that she needs to maintain a clear head if she’s ever going to be able to help find her.

By the time she gets back to the mansion, Oliver is sat on the step out the front, his head in his hands as he runs his hands through his hair. Felicity sighs at the sight of him, she knows how heavily this is weighing on him. He’s doing the best he can but nothing seems to be working and every minute they wait is another minute that Thea could be hurt. It’s hard for Felicity to deal with and she can only imagine how Oliver must be feeling right now.

“Hey.” She smiles softly, settling down next to him and she wraps herself around one of his arms as he sits up. He looks down at her and she maintains the biggest smile she can with is a rather pathetic attempt on her part but it does earn her a softening of Oliver’s gaze.

“Any updates?” He asks and Felicity hates the fact that she has to shake her head. The image of Thea in that broadcast is ingrained in her mind, weighing heavily on her every minute that goes by without them finding her. Oliver sighs and runs his free hand through his hair, tugging tightly in a way that Felicity thinks must be painful. “I don’t know what to do, Felicity.”

“Hey, that mission wasn’t a complete flop. We got the mirakuru and Caitlin is already working on the cure.” She reminds him, resting her chin on his shoulder and Oliver heaves a long sigh.

“That wasn’t the point of the mission. I was supposed to find my baby sister, to bring her home safely, but instead, she’s still out there, in the arms of that… monster.” He winces and Felicity does as well, rubbing her thumbs over his arm in what she hopes is a comforting manner.

“We’re going to find her.” She promises him but Oliver just sighs again, looking at her with the fear and worry swimming in his eyes.

“How?” He questions and Felicity pauses, unaware of the answer to that herself.

“We’ll figure it out. We always do.” She reassures him but Oliver is obviously aware of the shake in her voice as she speaks because he closes his eyes as he takes a deep breath.

“I just can’t see a way where this ends peacefully, where we bring an end to this and I keep my promise to Tommy.” He admits and Felicity frowns, realizing that this conversation is not going to help anything.

Maybe it’s time to try a different technique. She sits up and slides her hands down so that she’s clasping his hand instead.

“What do you want to do when this ends?” She questions and Oliver frowns, looking over at her with his eyebrows furrowed.

“What?”

“After we finish this, when we find Thea and stop Slade, what do you want to do?” She elaborates and Oliver huffs, sending her a look.

“I don’t think this is a good use of my time.” He tells her and Felicity frowns. She knows he’s got a lot going on but the look she sends him reminds him that she is not just his lackey and he doesn’t use that tone with her. Ever.

It seems to hit right and he sighs, raising an eyebrow as he silently asks her to elaborate.

“You need something to fight for right now,” Felicity explains and Oliver snorts.

“My sister is a pretty good cause.” He reminds her but Felicity just huffs.

“She is but you need a goal, Oliver. Something to hone yourself in on. Please, for me?” She asks and employs a soft pout for good measure. Oliver sends her a look to tell her that he knows what she’s doing but his shoulders slump in defeat. “Good, close your eyes.”

“Seriously?” Oliver questions, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at her, but she just smiles.

 “Visualisation is important,” Felicity tells him and Oliver heaves a long sigh but complies, his eyes sliding closed. “Thank you, now what do you want?”

He takes a deep breath and Felicity holds his hand steady as he thinks. His shoulders relax and a small smile begins to form on his face.

“I’d like to get an apartment. Somewhere for the both of us.” He admits and Felicity freezes. She thinks for a moment before a smile of her own crosses her face. The thought of an apartment for the both of them, somewhere that’s theirs that they can both call home, sounds like the best thing she’s heard in a while.

“Yeah?” She asks, leaning her chin back on Oliver’s shoulder as she leans in closer. Oliver’s smile grows but he keeps his eyes closed.

“A big kitchen so I can cook and an office for your computers.” He elaborates and Felicity sighs contently as she imagines it. Oliver cooking pancakes on a Sunday morning, the smell of the food and coffee in combination with the sight of him shirtless at a stove. It seems like a dream right now, a fantasy they’d only be so lucky as to obtain.

“That sounds lovely.” She tells him honestly and Oliver’s eyes flick open, smiling softly at her as he raises a curious eyebrow.

“You’d want to move in with me?” He asks her and the nervousness in his voice makes her melt. How he can go from being a brooding typecast of a vigilante to this sweet, nervous, adorable mush continues to confound her.

“I’d go anywhere with you.” She replies to him honestly and he smiles properly for the first time in days, closing his eyes as he leans in close and brushes his nose over hers. Felicity hums into the touch, brushing her lips softly against his.

“I’d like to take Thea to the beach,” Oliver adds as they pull back and Felicity smiles, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand.

“Yeah?” She prompts and Oliver nods, taking in a deep breath.

“When I first learned to drive, it was the first thing she asked me, if I could drive her to the beach. We used to go every few weeks. She would chat for the entire hour and a half it took to get there. I loved getting to have that time with her, to hear all about her life. It was mostly just random tidbits from her school and her friends but I felt more connected to her when I had that time to just drive and listen to her.”

Oliver’s voice drops to almost a whisper as he reminisces and the smile that lingers as he talks of his baby sister tells her how important this memory is to him. His relationship with Thea has always been one of the things that she adores about him, he’s an incredible big brother and the two of them have such a wonderful bond.

“Concentrate on that, Oliver. Think about the apartment and driving Thea to the beach, let that guide you and let’s get this son of a bitch off the streets.” She tells him, squeezing his hand with a soft smile of her own.

He looks over at her, a smile pulling at his lips and tears in his eyes but he nods, taking a deep breath. He goes to stand up but as he turns to offer a hand to help her up, both of their phones chime loudly. Felicity frowns and pulls hers out, her eyes widening at the alert she placed there yesterday.

It’s a reminder about the board meeting.

And it starts in half an hour.

Chapter Text

Oliver is so tired.

He just wants his baby sister home and safe. The idea of sitting through a three-hour board meeting right now sounds like the freshest torture.

He changes into his business suit in the back of the car and as they rush towards the elevator, he watches Felicity comb her hair into a ponytail. They’ve got around ten minutes before the meeting starts and the elevator ride up to the executive floor seems to be longer than it ever has before.

“I so don’t want to do this right now.” He admits as they finally pass the halfway mark and Felicity sighs, leveling him with a sympathetic look. She steps up to him and brushes the dust off his shoulder before she lays her hand on his shoulder.

“I know, but this is important, Oliver. I know it feels like nothing but finding Thea is important but you can’t lose everything whilst you look for her. Thea wouldn’t want that.” She tells him with a frown and he takes a deep breath, lifting his own hand to intertwine with her free one.

“I just can’t get the sight of her in that video out of my head. She looked so small, so scared.” He admits, closing his eyes as he breathes heavily. The feeling of Felicity’s hand in his as she squeezes it reassuringly grounds him.

“I know. Three hours, that’s all QC needs right now, okay? And I promise I will update you if there’s any change. If we need to leave, we will leave.” She promises him and he bites the inside of his cheek before he sighs and nods his head.

“Okay.” He relents and she smiles, rising onto her toes to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you.” She replies and Oliver nods. “Now remember, don’t give them an inch and whatever you do, make sure you at least seem like you know what’s been going on.”

Oliver nods again, taking a deep breath. He needs to focus. He concentrates on Felicity and her hand in his, allowing her presence to have its usual calming effect. The bell dings and the doors open, revealing the floor that is embarrassingly unfamiliar at this point. He knows that they’ve been shirking their responsibilities at QC, especially since Slade showed up, but it’s been pretty impossible for Oliver to concentrate on anything else.

As they round the corner towards the board room, Felicity drops his hand. She squeezes his shoulder with a smile before she peels off and heads towards her desk. He wishes more than anything that he could take her with him but he knows that the board is not appreciative of EA’s sitting in on meetings.

“Oliver, we weren’t expecting to see you.” Isabel turns from where she’s stood by the door, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of him and Oliver frowns.

“You spent the whole of yesterday emphasizing how important it was for me to be here, Isabel.” He reminds her. The amount of missed calls on his phone from her, the numerous messages and her conversation with Felicity that sent his girlfriend spinning make him incredibly confused as to her surprise at the sight of him.

“I do understand such a thing as extenuating circumstances, Oliver.” His co-CEO huffs, pursing her lips and Oliver sighs, really not having the patience to deal with Isabel’s antics right now.

“I’m here, Isabel. Now shall we go ahead?” He asks and opens the door for her, suddenly appreciative of his mother’s insistence of etiquette training from such a young age that allows him to act on autopilot right now.

“Mr. Queen, we appreciate you taking the time to be here during such a tumultuous time for your family.” The head of the board greets, standing to shake his hand and Oliver smiles politely, undoing his suit jacket as he settles down into his seat.

“This company has always been at the heart of my family and my sister wouldn’t want me to forget that. However, I hope you will understand if I do have to take off at some point during this meeting.” He requests, looking around that the board who all nod their heads.

“Of course.”

“Excellent, shall we begin?”

The meeting is long and tedious. The board grill Oliver on the company’s current standings and he’s incredibly appreciative of the dossier that Felicity has managed to put together that alerts him to the company’s projects and recent failures, complete with her own ideas of how they can move forward. Those especially impress the board and Oliver feels his appreciation for his girlfriend spike, she’s truly a genius and he’s entirely unaware of what he’s done to deserve her.

He makes sure that it doesn’t appear as if he’s merely reading off the sheet, however. Years of practice throughout school and his short time at college, as well as the time he’s spent as CEO, have taught him how to bluff well and appear as if he knows what he’s talking about. He’s taught himself to have an ease of speech even when discussing subjects he hasn’t any idea about and he’s unsure he’s used it as much as he does in this meeting.

He manages to circumvent their invasive questions about his prolonged absence from the company but he can tell that they’re being slightly softer on him than they would be due to the situation with Thea.

The interesting thing about it all, however, is how the whole thing has Isabel visibly seething in her chair. He’s unsure as to what her plan truly was here but it’s obvious that this was not it and she’s practically vibrating in anger by the time the meeting comes to a close.

“Well, I think that’s all we need to cover. Thank you all so much for attending and for your continued investment in Miss Rochev’s and my view for the company.” Oliver wraps up, sending them all a polite smile and the board members nod, collecting their things as they get ready to head out.

“Wait! We had a plan.” Isabel suddenly declares as she stands from her chair and Oliver frowns, watching curiously as numerous members of the board sigh and turn to face his co-CEO.

“Miss Rochev, you assured us that Mr. Queen would come into this meeting today with a complete lack of awareness of what has been going on with the company and where it should go next. You were entirely certain that in the time he has been missing from the company, that his concentration has not been on it at all. What Mr. Queen has proved to us here today is that your suggestion is not the case at all.” The head of the board tells her, leveling her with a look before he smiles at Oliver. “Whatever has kept you away from the office, it’s clear that it has not hindered your investment in this company, Mr. Queen.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Oliver smiles politely back, raising his eyebrow at Isabel when she huffs loudly.

“This isn’t what we agreed upon!” She tells them but many of the board members have already left the room and the head of the board merely shrugs his shoulders as he makes his way to the exit.

“The circumstances were not as you presented them, Miss Rochev.” He comments finally before he too leaves the room. The last few people that linger look awkwardly between Oliver and Isabel before too scurrying away.

“Would you like to tell me what that was about?” Oliver questions, turning to look at the woman who appears to have snapped something within her. Isabel huffs, brushing off her skirt.

“The board was supposed to see how incompetent of a CEO you are and agree to hand over the company to me.” She admits, placing her hands on the back of her chair as she levels Oliver with an unimpressed look and he frowns, the dots finally starting to connect in his head.

“That’s why you didn’t want me here.” He states and Isabel snorts, nodding her head.

“So there is a brain between your ears. Funny, I thought you just repeated everything your girlfriend told you to.” Isabel smirks, gesturing to the dossier in front of him that Oliver has been referencing the entire meeting. Suddenly, Oliver remembers the conversation they started with his mother a few days ago before Thea interrupted them.

“My mother, she’s not a fan of yours. Why?” He questions, looking at Isabel with a frown and her lips curve into a smile.

“She hasn’t told you. I suppose she doesn’t want to tarnish your memory of him.” She comments airily, walking towards him with a smirk playing on her lips.

“Of who?” Oliver questions, his frown only deepening.

“Your father. I told you I knew him when we first met.” The executive smirks and the condescending tone laced in her every word starts to worm its way underneath Oliver’s skin.

“I assumed you had met him a few times, you never indicated a relationship closer than acquaintances.” He frowns as he thinks of the way Isabel spoke of his father when they first met.

“No, I suppose I didn’t. My acting skills must have certainly improved.” She smirks and Oliver frowns.

“You knew my father?” He questions, as he did that first day when she first brought him up, but this time Isabel scoffs.

“Knew him? We were soulmates.” She tells him, her eyes relaying just how much she believes her own statement but it seems that it’s Oliver turns to scoff as the sound bubbles through him without warning.

“He’s old enough to be your father.” He bites back with a smirk but Isabel just shrugs.

“And yet...” She smiles, making Oliver frown.

“My father was not a faithful man, Isabel. I can guarantee you that you were one in a long line of women he was unfaithful to my mother with.” He tries to explain slowly but Isabel just hits the table in front of her with surprising strength.

“This isn’t about infidelity! We were going to run away together, he was going to leave you all! And the company!” She yells, leaning across the table towards him and Oliver frowns.

“He would never…” He starts but Isabel apparently isn’t finished.

“We were at the airport, we were going. Then, of course, your silly little sister had to go and break her arm doing something ridiculous of course.” She scoffs and the reminder of Thea makes Oliver’s heart pang. He remembers his father rushing back from a business trip when his sister was little and she ended up in the hospital.

“She fell off her horse,” Oliver recalls and Isabel nods with a scoff and a roll of her eyes.

“I begged him to stay true to his word. I reminded him that the little brat wasn’t even his, but he still went. He left me, like he was going to leave all of you.” She snarls at him and Oliver scoffs, finally standing from his own chair as he truly thinks about what she’s just said.

“You really think my father was that dense? Would have been swayed that far by infatuation?” He questions, thinking back through the things he knew about his father. He was always aware that he and his mother didn’t have a ‘happily-ever-after-true-love’ kind of marriage. It was a partnership that they knew was beneficial for business and their standing in society and, whilst Oliver thinks that they certainly cared for each other, he’s never been under the impression that either of them were besotted with each other. Seeing his mother with Walter last year, he saw how his mother acted in love and it was never how she was with his father.

As for his father, Robert was always a business-minded and logical individual. He adored Thea and loved Oliver with all his heart, Oliver knew that without a doubt, but he was always a cheater and he viewed the relationship he had with Moira as a public persona as much as being CEO of QC was one. He got on Oliver’s back a lot about his cheating ways but Oliver always knew that it wasn’t the infidelity he had an issue with, it was the fact that it was seen by the public. After all, ‘Ollie’ had taken his example from somewhere.

“It. Was. Love.” Isabel growls, her face growing redder and Oliver watches as an almost animalistic quality begins to appear behind her eyes. The mask of indifference and ice she’s always worn is peeling away and Oliver frowns at the obvious rage fuelling her fire.  

“For you, perhaps, Isabel, but my father was a complicated man. He loved his children, for sure, but whether he was capable of romantic love…” He presses, an idea sparking in his brain. He’s seen this kind of anger before and as her hand begins to shake next to her body in a very familiar way, his suspicions are confirmed.

She’s got the mirakuru in her and that means she’s working with Slade.

“How dare you?” Isabel yells but all Oliver can see is red and he flies across the room, pushing her back against the wall with a hand against her throat. He uses her surprise to his advantage and she stares at him, her eyes wide.

“You’re working with him. Where is she? WHERE’S MY SISTER?” He screams in her face and the surprise in her face morphs into amusement which only angers Oliver further.

“Look at that. Very good, Oliver. I didn’t think you’d work it out.” She comments, suddenly calm and he winces as she easily grasps his arm and pulls it off herself. She smirks at him and dusts herself off, flipping her hair over her shoulder before pushing him paces back with just a tap on the shoulder.

“How long?” He questions and she smirks at him, raising an eyebrow. She’s obviously enjoying the taunting. “HOW. LONG?”

“Oliver? What’s going on?”

Oliver whirls at the sound of Felicity’s voice to see her stood in the doorway with a concerned look on her face as she looks between the two of them. Isabel’s smirk only grows and she glances at Oliver before she saunters over to Felicity.

“You know, I wasn’t entirely convinced by Mr. Wilson’s plan. I wasn’t sure that my interference in the company would draw you back to Starling, Oliver. You never seemed interested in the company at all and your father was always so worried that you wouldn’t want to take his role when he stepped down. I tried to convince him that he didn’t need you but he was always so set on it. Imagine my surprise when you did arrive and you brought her with you. The pretty, little IT girl with a complete lack of instinct for business and a tendency to ramble that would give any executive a headache in minutes.”

Isabel’s voice is back to her regular cold tone and she keeps her eyes trained on Oliver even as she saunters around Felicity. His girlfriend frowns, looking over at Oliver with confusion and a slight fear sparking in her eyes. She frowns at Isabel’s comments about her and Oliver sees red as Isabel’s hand curls around Felicity’s arm and she tugs her fully into the room.

“Don’t. Touch. Her.” Oliver growls and steps towards her as Felicity grimaces at the pain.

He knows that the mirakuru can make the simplest of touches feel like a brace and the grasp that Isabel has on Felicity appears to be just that. Isabel just scoffs and pushes him back again with her free hand. He loses his footing and tumbles to the floor which only has Isabel chuckling. Felicity cries out and Oliver looks up, realizing that Isabel has tightened her grip and Felicity’s pale arm is now entirely trapped in her grasp.

“Oh Oliver, always so driven by emotion. You know, I thought you were just the same boy you always were, stringing the pretty blonde along and reveling in her clear adoration for you. Until that night in Russia. I’ve never had a man call out another woman’s name before in the throes of it. I’ll admit it was quite the ego knock down.”

Oliver winces at the realization that he’s slept with the same woman as his father. That’s honestly a new low for him and the thought of it makes him sick to his stomach. It’s clear that Isabel has been playing the long game and the thought that he’s been blindsided yet again hits him like a wave of ice-cold water.

“And then you just kept putting that nose of yours where it didn’t need to be. If you had left it alone and let him ignore my calls, it would have all worked out just the way I wanted it to and I would have my hands on QC like I deserve!” Isabel rounds on Felicity, her face inches from hers as she growls in her face. If fear didn’t immediately spike through Oliver, he would have been impressed by Felicity’s ability to maintain a calm façade. Her comment makes him frown as he stumbles to his feet and steps closer to her.

“Deserve? You think you deserve my family’s company just because you slept with my father?” He questions, his eyebrows furrowing at the thought. He catches Felicity’s eyebrows rising in surprise before a look of disgust crosses her face.

“I told you! I was his soulmate!” Isabel’s voice rises again as she spins and Oliver knows that this is the right vain. This is how to hit her where it will hurt.

“Is that what he told you? He always was a charmer, my father. It’s what made him such a good businessman. My mother used to say that he could smile anyone into signing anything. Do you really think your bond was that deep if my baby sister, who wasn’t even his biological daughter, breaking her arm could pull him away from you? Tell me, Isabel, did you ever hear from him after that day? Did he come running after you? He didn’t, did he? You were left all alone in an airport and you never heard from your so called soulmate again, did you?”

Isabel’s free hand starts to shake again as the anger obviously grows in her. As Oliver continues and she grows more irate, her hand drops from Felicity’s arm and Oliver barely hides his sigh of relief. The blonde immediately steps away slowly, reaching for her tablet from her desk, and starts typing. Oliver prays whatever she’s up to can help them get out of this situation somehow.

“It was your mother, she’s always been a conniving bitch.” Isabel snarls and Oliver smirks. That’s not something he can deny or that he particularly wants to, he’s very aware of that side to his mother.

“Maybe, but at least she’s not delusional.” He responds and Isabel snarls, stepping up as close to him as she had been to Felicity.

“You’re going to pay for all the people you and your family have hurt, Oliver. He’s going to see to that and when you’re in the ground, I’ll take what’s mine.” She tells him with a conviction that Oliver’s no longer sure she should really have.

“That’s interesting, Isabel, because your plan didn’t work. The board still believes in me and we still share equal holdings in QC. How are you planning on getting your hands on my company now?” He questions and her eyes narrow.

“I still have half your company and my own.” She reminds him and Oliver knows that she does have him there.

“Oh yes, about that.” Felicity comments and Isabel turns, her eyes narrowing, but Felicity merely smiles, holding up her tablet. “I did some digging and I found a number of offshore accounts under the same alias that all lead back to you with a remarkable amount of money in them. Specifically, money that has been covered up as missing from Steelmoor International accounts. Well, your board was just made aware of that and all the money has been donated to environmental causes. I’m sure the board of QC will also be very interested in that information.”

Oliver blinks before he reminds himself to never get on Felicity’s bad side.

“You… you bitch!” The executive stutters, coughing out the insult as she stumbles back.

“Bitch with WiFi.” Felicity immediately counters, smirking as she tilts her head with a small smile, and Oliver cannot help the smile that manages to pull at his lips.

Isabel lets out a cry of anger, a snarl that rips through her throat in that same animalistic anger and in hindsight, Oliver knows that he shouldn’t have let himself be so distracted by Felicity’s quip. Isabel takes the opportunity and jumps, her strength sending him immediately to the floor and she spreads herself, trapping him down on the floor.

“Good luck seeing your sister again.” She snarls in his face before she stands. He thinks she might walk away before she spins. Pain rips through his body as her stiletto smashes into his knee with far more strength than her small body should be capable of. The mirakuru amplifies her power and Oliver knows in that moment that she’s done some real damage. She disappears in a whirlwind of clicking heels and flying hair and Oliver cries out in pain when he tries to follow her.

“Oliver!” Felicity screams and she lands on her knees next to him, her hand landing gently on his shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“Mmm, your arm…” He frowns, looking down at the painful-looking mark banded around her arm.

“It’s fine. Okay, well maybe not fine, it hurts like hell but it’s really not as bad as your knee which I’m entirely sure should not be bending that way.” She winces as she looks down at his knee. Oliver frowns as he does as well.

“Oh… yeah, that’s not supposed to do that.” He comments and Felicity sighs, shaking her head at him.

“You are entirely exhausting sometimes. I’m calling an ambulance.” She tells him as she reaches for his phone from his pocket.

“No. Call Digg, we can’t go to the hospital. Not now.” He tells her, catching her hand gently in his and she frowns, leveling him with a look.

“Oliver…” She sighs but he shakes his head.

“We’ll go to the Foundry, Digg can set this back into place and we’ll hit the streets again to find Thea. We need to end this.” He pledges, searching her eyes for something to cling to and she freezes, closing her eyes for a moment.

“Fine but once this is done, you are getting that checked by a medical professional.” She insists and he nods, releasing her hand and letting her find his phone in his pocket. She dials the number and turns it onto speaker as it connects. “Digg?”

“I was just about to call you.” Diggle’s voice rings out and there’s an uncharacteristic panic to it.

“You were? What’s going on?” Oliver questions, frowning at Felicity who shrugs.

“Digg, we need you to come to the office. Oliver’s hurt.” She insists and they hear Digg sigh heavily.

“Okay, I’m on my way but please, turn on the news. There’s something you need to see.” He tells them and they share a confused look as Felicity moves quickly to pull the remote off the side of the screen on the wall. She turns it on and switches it to Channel 52 to see Bethany Snow staring at the camera morosely.

“Mayoral candidate, Moira Queen, has been reported missing. She was traveling with a security detail to a meeting with one of her benefactors when family friend, Sara Lance who was traveling with her, claims the vehicle was attacked and Mrs. Queen was dragged from it. This comes just twelve hours after Mrs. Queen’s daughter, Thea, was reported missing and this transmission was sent to all TVs in the city. Sensitive viewers may wish to look away.”

Oliver freezes again at the news as an image of his mother’s campaign poster appears on the screen and it goes black just before the video of Thea starts to play again. He frowns and looks over at Felicity to see her pointing the remote at the screen.

“I’m calling Sara.” She states and reaches for his phone again, dialing the assassin’s number.

“Ollie? I don’t know what happened. One minute she was talking about the meeting and the next the car was thrown off the road. I tried to fight them off but there was four of them and they were definitely mirakuru-ed up. I’m so sorry, Ollie, I couldn’t stop them and now she’s gone as well and…” Sara’s voice is panicked and even a little scared as it comes through the speaker and Oliver sighs, his shoulders slumping as he leans back on his hands.

“Sara! Just… can you get to QC?” He questions with a frown as he closes his eyes.

“Yeah, I just need to get away and get Laurel to my dad.” She tells him, a clear wariness in her voice as to his response, but Oliver just nods.

“Okay, we’ll see you in a bit and you can explain properly then.” He tells her and prompts Felicity to hang up. She does so and turns to him, tilting her head as concern covers her face.

“Oliver?” She asks him, lurching forward as he pulls himself to her feet with his leg a dead weight in front of him. His hands clamor for the table behind him and he’s grateful for Felicity’s arms as they wrap around his waist to help him up.

“We end this. No one dies.” He tells her, gritting his teeth as his leg cries out in pain.

“Oliver?” Felicity repeats, her hand smoothing over his chest with her eyebrows furrowed and Oliver takes a deep breath, looking her straight in the eyes.

“We find them, we end it, and no one dies because I don’t know what I’m going to do otherwise.”

Chapter Text

“Just… give me the most you can.”

Felicity sighs at Oliver’s statement and Digg looks over at her with a raised eyebrow. She shrugs her shoulders and he purses his lips, looking back towards Oliver with a frown.

“I’m not really not sure that’s…” He starts to explain but Oliver just huffs from where he’s propping himself up still on the desk of the board room.

“Digg, I swear, you can send me to all the medical professionals you want once this is over but I need to get through this for now.” He interrupts and Digg’s shoulders slump before he fills the vile full of the drug.

“Okay.” He relents and Felicity looks away with a wince as he injects it straight into Oliver’s knee. Felicity cannot imagine how painful that must be right now. Getting trod on in stilettos hurts, her mother’s run over her hand or her foot a few times, but she’s never had it happen when the shoe wearer is jumped up on mirakuru. “What’s the plan?”

“It’s funny that you think there’s any sort of plan.” Felicity snorts in answer to Digg’s question but apparently, Oliver takes issue with that because he frowns and glares at her.

“There’s a plan!” He insists and Felicity sighs, stepping closer to him now that all sights of needles are gone.

“Honey, as proud of you as I am for realizing that we can end this, simply ‘ending this’ is not sufficient as a plan.” She tells him, leveling him with a look, but his brow only furrows deeper and his lips push out in a slight pout. He holds her gaze for a long moment, Felicity not relenting, and finally, he sighs, looking away as he scrunches his nose.

“Well, we can’t do much until we know all the facts from Sara.” He tells them and they both nod. Felicity steps closer once again, reaching out for his hand and squeezing. It’s her way of telling him how proud she is of him for his ability to keep a level head throughout this because she knows how easy it would be to just fly off the rails. She watches as he takes a deep breath and looks down at her, his eyes shining as tears are building in them.

This man is incredible and the strength he’s showing right now just reminds Felicity of all the reasons she’s so deeply in love with him. He could be a wreck right now, by all means he should be, but he’s found something deep inside him and he’s fighting still. She’s so incredibly proud of him for the fact that he’s standing next to her still.

“I’m here, I’m here!” Sara calls as she rushes into the board room, looking far more flustered than Felicity has ever seen the assassin. “Security wouldn’t let me up until I gave them ID, it was a whole thing.”

“Sara, are you okay?” Oliver questions first and Sara takes a deep breath before she nods, stepping up next to Diggle as she looks at them. There’s a vulnerability in her eyes, a sorrow that Felicity has always been impressed that, after all she’s been through, Sara still has the ability to express. The other blonde likes to act as if she’s as clouded by darkness as Oliver is but Felicity’s always felt like she hasn’t allowed herself to sink into it quite as much as Oliver had when he first returned from Lian Yu.

“Yeah, I’m fine. The driver was taken to the ER. He’s fine but they just want to monitor him because of the shock of the impact.” She explains and they all nod.

“What happened?” Felicity questions, squeezing Oliver’s hand when she feels him tense next to her.

“I honestly don’t know. We were in the car, just chatting, she was great about my insistence that I go with her and then all of a sudden, we jolted to a stop and the doors opened on all sides. I got distracted trying to fight them off and when I turned around, she was gone. I’m so sorry, Ollie, you trusted me and I let you down. Now she’s gone and it’s all my fault.” Sara relays, her voice growing more emotional with every word and Felicity feels her heart clench. She’s terrified, she’s happy to admit that. First Thea, and now Moira, Felicity’s starting to triangulate an idea of what Slade’s plan might be and it’s honestly too horrific for her to even contemplate.

“Hey, it’s not your fault.” Felicity insists but Sara keeps her eyes trained on Oliver, wide and visibly upset. Oliver heaves a sigh and he raises his free hand to rub over his brow.

“She’s right, it’s not your fault. I know you did what you could. He’s just always one step ahead.” Oliver sighs and Felicity rubs her other hand up his arm, not even having the words to attempt to comfort him right now.

“That’s the thing that doesn’t make any sense to me, though,” Sara says softly and they turn to her, the three of them frowning.

“What?”

“How did Slade know we’d be there?” Sara explains and Felicity hums. It’s a good question, and one she hadn’t contemplated before now.

“He’s been tracking us, maybe he hacked her schedule or got the information from the backers.” She suggests but Sara immediately shakes her head.

“No, Moira set up the meeting minutes before we left the mansion. She was going to meet with them to discuss pulling out of the race so that she could concentrate on helping us find Thea.”

“Could he have tapped the phone line?” Digg questions, looking at Felicity who frowns before shrugging her shoulders.

“Maybe.” She winces, not entirely sure. She looks over at Oliver to see him staring into space as he tends to when he’s thinking and then suddenly, his eyes snap to hers.

“Wait… what was it you said after he visited the mansion, about his visit maybe not being purely to sike us out?” He questions and Felicity frowns, thinking his words through. She did say that and she’s beating herself up now for not following through on checking. The last few days have honestly all been such a whirlwind and she somehow completely forgot that she was planning on doing that. 

“You think he bugged the place?” Sara asks, looking between them all and Oliver looks at Felicity. She raises her eyebrow with a shrug. It’s definitely a possibility and it would explain a lot.

“He did prompt the tour of the artwork. It gave him access to the wider house.” Oliver explains and Felicity frowns, nodding her head with a long sigh. This is seeming more and more likely and the thought of it is incredibly disturbing. The idea that he’s been watching their every move in Oliver’s home, what’s supposed to be his safe place…

“So he’s been watching us this whole time?” Digg asks and again, he poses the question to Felicity who bites her lip as she thinks it through.

“Can’t know for sure. We’d have to physically check the place.” She tells them and Sara nods, already stepping towards the door.

“Well let’s go.”

“Hang on, this could be the ace in the hole we’ve been waiting for. If he has bugged the mansion, we can’t let him know that we know that.” Oliver calls out, stopping the assassin from walking out the door.

“Well, how do we do that?” Digg questions and Oliver takes a deep breath, obviously thinking it through before he answers.

“We go in for another ‘reason’, check the place for bugs, and then meet back here to formulate a plan.” He tells them and they all nod.

“That’s smart.” Felicity comments and Oliver looks down at her, his eyes telling her what she needs to know. She squeezes his hand and gives him a small smile before she turns back to the rest of the team. Speaking of… “Where’s Roy?”

Digg looks just as confused as she and Oliver but Sara frowns, her face slipping for a moment before her mask is back up. The picture of impassivity. Oliver must have seen it too however because he frowns. “Sara…”

The blonde sighs heavily, crossing her arms as she looks across them all. “His anger… it was getting out of control. I figured it would be a good idea to keep him off the streets until we can give him the cure.”

“And by off the streets, you mean what exactly?” Felicity winces. Sara’s sweet but she’s also a deadly assassin and Felicity dreads to think of the things she’s capable of that they could never imagine.

“Tibetan Pit Viper venom. Knocks you out cold. He’ll be fine.” Sara waves them off as all their jaws drop in surprise.

“Sara…” Oliver starts but Sara is apparently not planning on hearing a lecture because she raises her arms in a surrender position before interrupting.

“What else was I supposed to do? Let him destroy the mansion?” She questions and Oliver heaves a long sigh as Felicity strokes her hand up his arm again in what she hopes is a comforting manner.

“Okay, we’ll deal with that later. For now…” Oliver starts, his shoulders slumping but before he can continue, Felicity’s phone starts ringing.

“We just cannot catch a break, huh?” She comments dryly as she pulls it out her pocket and holds it up to her ear. “Hello?”

“Felicity, are you there?” The newly familiar voice calls and the blonde feels relief soak through her at the sound of Caitlin’s voice.

“Caitlin, hi! Yes, it’s me.” She replies and the others turn to look at her, anticipation on their faces. This might be the turnaround they need to claim this mission and their city back from Slade’s grasp.

“Excellent. Listen, the cure’s finished. It’s on its way to the Queen Consolidated office as we speak. I’ve given the courier your number in case he runs into any issues.” Caitlin explains and Felicity cannot stop the smile that spreads across her face. This could very well be it.

“Thank you so much, Caitlin. We owe you big time. If STAR Labs ever needs a hand…” She promises, trying to show all her appreciation for the work Caitlin and Cisco have done through the tone of her voice.

“We’ll know who to call. You’re welcome, just glad to help.” Caitlin tells her and Felicity smiles.

“You certainly have. Thank you so much again.” She says gratefully and hangs up, turning back to the team’s hopeful faces. “That was Caitlin, the cure’s done. A courier’s on his way here as we speak.”

They all slump in relief and Felicity swears she even sees the start of a smile start to play on Oliver’s lips.

“Okay, Digg will stay here with you. Sara and I will go scope out the mansion and bring Roy back here.”

“How are you going to explain that to security? They barely let me up.” Sara interjects and Oliver stops dead, closing his eyes for a moment before he looks back to the assassin.

“We’ll figure it out.” He tells her before he steps up to Felicity, holding his hands in hers. “Stay safe. Don’t leave Digg.” He orders and Felicity cannot stop the small huff that she releases before smiling up at him.

“I know. You stay safe too. I know you don’t like to admit it, but you need protection too, especially with your knee now.” She frowns, looking down at where he’s still not placing his weight on it properly. That worries her, Slade’s the toughest criminal they’ve faced and the fact that Oliver’s going out there with a very obvious injury only puts him at more risk.

“I’m okay, or I will be. I love you.” He promises and Felicity sighs, rising onto her toes to wrap her arms around his neck.

“I love you too.” She whispers before kissing him gently. She keeps it short, knowing that they need to get going but Oliver tugs her back in as she goes to pull away, his arms wrapping around her waist. Closing her eyes, Felicity breathes him in and lets him give her the strength she needs to let him go.

They linger for a moment before Dig clears his throat and then Oliver and Sara head out, the former’s eyes lingering on her for as long as possible.

“Did Dr. Snow say how far out he was?” Digg asks after a moment’s silence and Felicity takes a deep breath, shaking her head.

“No. It’s just a waiting game at this point.” She explains and he hums, leaning against the table.

“What time is it?” He questions and Felicity frowns but checks the display of her phone.

“8:56. Why, you got somewhere to be?” She quirks an eyebrow incredulously and Digg snorts, shaking his head.

“No, just curious.” He tells her and the silence settles back over them again. Felicity tries to shake the images from the past few days from her head to no avail. Thea’s terrified face in that video, Roy losing it at the mansion, Isabel driving her stilettos into Oliver’s knee and the horrific sound that followed…

She forces herself to swallow down the bile that rises in her throat.

“Digg… his knee, how bad is it?” She asks quietly after another long moment and her friend sighs heavily, staring at the floor for another moment before he looks up at her, a frown deep set on his face.

“If we were in any less of a dire situation, I would not let him be out there on it right now. There’s a real possibility he could do some irreversible damage to it.” The bodyguard tells her honestly and she winces, her shoulders slumping. It’s not what she wanted to hear but she appreciates Digg not lying to her.

“Great. Add that to the list.” She bites sarcastically, blinking back the tears that begin to form in her eyes involuntarily. She can’t fall apart, not now, but it just feels like there’s more and more piling on top of them and somehow they’re supposed to just clear it all away? Felicity’s not sure there’s enough time for that.

“Hey, we are going to end this,” Digg tells her, his voice steady and calm as always and she sighs, turning to look at him. The sympathetic look on her face sends her over and she feels a tear escape down her face.

“You can’t promise that, Digg,” Felicity replies, her voice quiet as it threatens to crack with the lump in her throat.

“It’s not a promise. We are going to fight, harder than we’ve fought before.” Digg tells her, conviction in his voice and Felicity takes a deep breath, reaching up to wipe that tear away.

“We’ll need to. Slade beats out even Malcolm Merlyn on the crazy scale, and that’s saying something.” She smirks, trying to inject some humor into the situation to stop herself from losing it completely but it seems like she can’t quip her way out of this one.

“Hey, c’mere,” Digg tells her, opening his arms and she sighs, sinking into them. His embrace has its usual calming effect and she thinks, not for the first time, that John Diggle might actually be a little bit magic. “He’s going to be okay and I’ll drag his sorry ass to the hospital myself when this is all over if I have to.”

Felicity snorts into his chest and Digg smiles, squeezing her tightly. They stay there for a while, Felicity listening to the steady heartbeat in Digg’s chest and wishing it were Oliver’s, but then her phone starts to ring again.

“Is this Felicity Smoak?” The voice on the other end of the line is unfamiliar and she frowns, clicking it onto speaker so that Digg can hear as well.

“Speaking, who is this?” She questions but she has a pretty good idea as the telltale sounds of an engine whirl in the background.

“I have the cure! But I can’t get into the city, something’s happening on the bridge and…”

The courier’s voice cuts out and Felicity jumps as an unintelligible stream of noise comes out of her phone. There’s a distinct crash and then it stops, a long groan the only sound in the forefront, although the chaos appears to continue in the background.

“Hello? Hello?!” Felicity calls, looking at Digg in a panic as the courier doesn’t answer.

“I don’t know. What’s going on? I can’t…” He finally manages to get out and Felicity heaves a sigh of relief.

“Which bridge are you on?” She questions, already reaching for her tablet and Digg nods, moving towards the door with her.

“Off fourth street.” The courier tells them and Felicity nods, rushing towards the elevator after Digg.

“We’re on our way to you. Do not move and don’t give the cure to anyone else.” She tells him, trying to convey how important that message is over the crackling line.

“Couldn’t move if I wanted to. Pretty sure my leg’s broken. Some guy in a hockey mask just flipped my entire car.” He groans and Felicity freezes, reaching forward to clasp Digg’s shoulder to get him to stop as well.

“Hang on, did you say hockey mask?” She questions and Digg looks at her, shaking his head as his eyes widen. He ushers her into the elevator as the courier explains.

“Yeah, half orange, half black. There’s a few of them, they’ve brought the bridge to a standstill.” He tells them and Felicity slumps, wincing. Digg shakes his head, letting out a long breath of his own.

“Okay, just… stay where you are. Text me your number plate. We’ll be there soon and whatever you do, don’t let anyone in a hockey mask get the cure.” She tells him severely and then cuts the call, leaning back against the elevator in defeat.

“How’d they know?” Digg questions and Felicity wracks her brain for a moment.

“We were talking about the cure at the mansion. If that’s been bugged…”  She realizes and then trails off as they reach the ground floor and the doors open.

“Come on, I came over in the van,” Digg tells her and ushers her towards the exit.

“I’ll call Oliver and Sara, let them know,” Felicity tells him as they rush outside but as she goes to do that, her phone starts to ring yet again. This time it’s one of her contacts and she sighs as she accepts the call. “Detective Lance.”

“Where’s your boy?” The gruff voice of the detective asks and Felicity frowns at the question.

“Pardon?”

“The Arrow, where is he?” Lance elaborates and Felicity frowns, taking in the carnage that is already taking place on the street in front of them.

“He’s a little busy at the moment, have you looked outside?” She questions, shooting Digg an incredulous look as her friend raises an eyebrow in question.

“Listen, it’s Laurel. She was at the station with me and then that dude put on his weird mask and before we knew it, he had her and was out the door.”

Lance’s statement makes Felicity freeze.

Thea, Moira, Laurel…

“Oh my god.” She stutters as the realization hits her.

“What?” Digg asks and she bites her lip, clicking the call onto speaker again as she looks up at her friend.

“He’s collecting the people who mean the most to Oliver.” She tells him and Digg’s eyes widen, a panic setting into them that Felicity is unused to seeing from her calm friend. It’s more than unnerving.

“Queen? What’s he got to do with all this? You got to call the Arrow, that’s my baby girl they’ve got!” Lance shouts, jolting her attention back to the call but Digg is still staring at her, his eyebrows furrowed.

“If you’re right, there’s a real possibility you’re next.” He tells her and Felicity takes a deep breath, forcing herself to push the terror that comes with thinking about that possibility to the back of her head.

“We can’t think about that right now, we’ve got to get the cure.” She tells him and he sighs, nodding his head.

“Are you two even listening to me? Laurel!” Lance calls and they share a look.

“Detective Lance, we know, okay? But there’s a more pressing matter at the moment.” Felicity explains, wincing as she hears her words properly.

“More pressing matt… are you kidding me?” He coughs and Felicity huffs.

“Please, just do the best you can to get as many people to safety as possible. We will let the Arrow know about Laurel.” She states and then hangs up the phone, praying it doesn’t start ringing again. “We gotta go.”

“Not so fast.”

The sound of Isabel’s voice is like the worst cold shower ever, truly as if someone just took a bucket full of ice and dumped it over Felicity’s head.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She mutters as she turns to face the woman now stood in the foyer of the company. She’s dressed in what is obviously her take on Slade’s mirakuru army, complete with the mask and all. Felicity looks for security but she sees that Isabel must have already taken them out and she winces.

“Oh, it’s no joke, Miss Smoak.” The executive hums and even though Felicity cannot see her mouth, she knows that she’s smirking underneath that mask. “I’ve been dying to put a bullet in your pretty little head for months now. Unfortunately for me, someone wants you alive.”

“Go, I’ve got it. Meet me around the side.” Digg tells her, throwing her the keys to the van and Felicity frowns.

“Digg…” She stalls but her friend glares, gesturing to where the van is parked a few feet away.

“Go!” He yells and she winces, watching as he starts to fight with Isabel for a moment before she rushes to the van and starts up the ignition. She tries to swerve around to pull up next to the side entrance but there’s two more of the mirakuru men in her way.

“God, I hope running over mirakuru soldiers trying to kill me doesn’t count because I do not look good in orange. Sorry!” She mutters as she closes her eyes and slams her foot onto the accelerator. There’s a significant bump and she winces but she gets through it. “Wow, really thought the airbags would go off.”

The door opening makes her jump but she relaxes when she sees that it’s merely Digg.

“Drive!” He shouts and Felicity winces as she sees Isabel chasing up the sidewalk towards them. She spins the car around as effectively as she can and presses her foot down as far as it will go as they speed away towards the bridge off Fourth Street.

The city is in chaos. There are mirakuru men everywhere and civilians are running around, scared and confused. There are so much screaming and a significant amount of crying too and it all makes Felicity feel sick. This is exactly what they were trying to avoid and it seems like they’re just too late.

“How did Slade even…? I thought Cyrus Gold was the one building the army.” She comments as they round the corner towards the bridge.

“He was working for Slade, I guess he found someone to take his place,” Digg comments morosely and Felicity huffs loudly when she sees that the entrance to the bridge is surrounded by emergency vehicles. The entrance itself is being blocked by cones and Felicity winces as she presses down on the horn and simply drives, grateful that the officers are out of the way.

“Wow, I’m so losing my license,” Felicity comments as the officers begin to chase after them and Digg chuckles, shaking his head.

“The van’s registered as a government vehicle. You’re fine.” He tells her and Felicity frowns at the information, looking over at him. “What? You’re not the only one who can fake a document.”

“Are you coming for my job, John Diggle?” She questions and Digg winces, gesturing back to the road where there are two more soldiers stood there blocking their way.

“Let’s make sure you’ve still got a neck first, eh?” He comments and Felicity shakes her head as she presses her foot down once more.

“This is the worst version of ten pin bowling ever.” She comments as she finally brings the van to a stop a few meters away from the carnage of the crashes.

“C’mon,” Digg tells her and they climb out, rushing down the road. Felicity checks the number plate the courier sent to her and then starts scanning the vehicles.

 “Over there!” She calls to Digg when she stops it and they rush over, bending down next to the window of the flipped car. Felicity shows him her ID and he looks at her as if she’s water in a desert. “Hi! Are you alright?” She questions, looking over where he’s trapped underneath the weight of the vehicle.

“I can’t feel my leg, I think it’s broken.” He tells her and Felicity winces.  

“Okay just breathe, they’re sending medical help up now, we came past the ambulances.” She tries to reassure him but he just reaches back, pulling a box up past his body.

“The cure… it’s here.” He explains and Felicity takes the heavy box from him, handing it over to Digg who smiles at her.

“Thank you so much, you have no idea what a help you’ve been.” She tells him and the poor man cracks a smile, nodding his head.

“You’re a hero, man,” Digg adds, nodding his head and the courier smiles, looking between the two of them with a sigh.

“Go, I’ll be fine. Do what you need to.” He tells them and Felicity frowns. She wants to stay and make sure he’s okay but she also knows that they need to go or his bravery will have been for nothing.

“Thank you so much again.” She tells him and she reaches out, brushing a hand over his shoulder before she and Digg rush back to the van. Digg takes the driver’s seat this time and Felicity winces as he rushes straight back through the emergency vehicles, swerving just in time to avoid hitting one of them. Her phone starts to ring again but she heaves a sigh of relief when she sees the caller ID. “Oliver?”

“Are you alright? That doesn’t sound like the office.” He questions immediately and Felicity winces.

“The courier got trapped, we had to go to him.” She explains and she can practically see his shoulders slump and his eyes pressed close from the sound of his sigh.

“Felicity…”

“Not now, okay? We got the cure, that’s what matters.” She insists and she imagines him gritting his teeth.

“Fine, meet me and Sara in the clocktower. We have Roy.” He tells her, an obvious bite to his tone and Felicity sighs but then remembers the other thing she needs to tell him.

“Oliver! Lance called, he has Laurel too now.” She calls before he hangs up and winces at his sharp take in of breath.

“And you went out there?” He growls at her, his voice ten times more aggressive than it was before and she winces.

“What was I supposed to do? Let the cure get taken? We don’t time for this now, Oliver. We’ll see you at the Clocktower.” She tells him, trying to sound determined even as her eyes close from the squinting of her wince.

“Everything okay?” Digg questions and Felicity huffs.

“Yeah, aside from the fact that he’s still a dense, brooding… ugh…” She blurts, not able to think of words right now, but Digg chuckles, shaking his head.

“Sounds about right. Clocktower, huh?” He questions and turns the van around as they head in the other direction.

Felicity looks over at Roy’s body, lying still on the table, with a frown. He looks so much like her friend now but she’s still finding it difficult to get rid of that image of him losing it at the mansion. It’s clear that the mirakuru can affect even the nicest of people and that’s what makes it so terrifying, she thinks.

“So the mansion’s compromised?” She asks after one last look at Roy. He’s been injected with the cure and Sara and Digg are working on pouring the cure into arrows and vials so that they can more easily distribute it amongst the soldiers on the streets.

“The bugs were everywhere. I have no idea how he placed so many in the time he was there.” Oliver sighs. He’s been acting a little odd since she and Digg got there but she’s writing it off as merely being stressed about the whole situation. It’s mind-boggling, to say the least.

“And now he has Thea, Moira, and my sister.” Sara comments, her voice catching a little on the last word and Felicity frowns sympathetically.

“The question is… what’s his plan?” Digg asks and Felicity sighs, running a hand over her hair. Her ponytail’s starting to come undone and even her coat isn’t helping protect her from the chill in the air up here.

“Do you think…” Felicity starts before trailing off, stopped by the heartbroken look that Oliver sends her way. He looks utterly defeated right now and she sighs heavily, stepping closer to him. “The better question is what’s our plan?”

“I called Nyssa, she’s on her way to help,” Sara tells them but that seems to only make Oliver frown more.

“Sara, we said no deaths.” He reminds her but the blonde just shrugs, raising her hands in a surrender position.

“I just figured the more hands, the better.” She tells them and Felicity watches as Oliver clearly battles the conflict in his head.

“But they’re assassins… fine.” He finally relents, sighing loudly again, and Felicity reaches out, squeezing his arm briefly.

“Well, Slade doesn’t know that we know about the bugs in the mansion.” She comments, trying to draw the conversation back to the plan.

“And we do know that he wants Felicity as well,” Digg adds and Felicity winces as Oliver freezes, looking between the two of them.

“Sorry, how do you know that?” He questions and Felicity bites her lip.

“We had a run-in with Isabel. She said that she wanted to kill me but someone wanted me alive. Delightful, really, when you think about it… okay, I’m stopping now.” She explains but stops when Oliver sends her the look that tells her this is really not something she should be making light of.

“That’s not much to launch a plan off,” Sara states morosely and they all stand in silence for a moment.

“Actually, it might be everything we need.” Oliver finally speaks up, his eyebrows furrowing as he clearly thinks whatever he’s just sparked up through.

“Oliver, what are you thinking?” Felicity questions but he merely stands up tall, looking over at the other two.

“Sara, Digg, you gather everyone you can and start administering the cure amongst the soldiers on the streets.” He tells them and they nod, finishing up what they’re doing as Oliver turns to look at her. She can see that spark in his eye again and she raises an eyebrow, curious as to what he’s planning. “Felicity… we’re going to the mansion.”

Oliver is not a fan of this plan of his.

Not by any stretch of the imagination.

In fact, he’d probably rank it at the bottom of the ideas he’s had since they started this mission of theirs but he truly cannot see another way to end this without a lot of other people getting hurt.

More than there already has been.

And that’s why he takes a deep breath, readjusting the tracker he just hid in the lapel of Felicity’s black coat. He pulls back, looking at her, taking her in… he’s doesn’t want to think about why it might be necessary to commit her to memory.

She’s tired, it’s obvious, not only by the droopiness of her eyes but also by the weariness of her body. She’s moving less nimbly than usual, fatigue setting into her muscles from the hours on end they’ve spent awake.

If… no.

When this works, he’s going to make sure they sleep for a week. Maybe more.

“I’m going to be okay.” She tells him, her lips curling up in a reassuring smile and Oliver sighs, lifting a hand to cup her cheek. She hums, nuzzling into it, and Oliver smiles at how beautiful she looks like this… so peaceful. Here in this car with her, it’s almost as if the whole world could just… fall away.

“I know, I just… I hate the idea of you in danger.” He sighs, savoring the feeling of her soft skin under his touch.

“I can handle it, I’m a tough girl.” She smirks and Oliver takes a deep breath almost as if he’s trying to inhale her light. Selfishly, he wishes that this didn’t feel like their only option so that he could keep her voice in his ear for the next few hours which undoubtedly are going to be some of the hardest he’s faced.

“Just… promise me that you’ll wait until I’m there. If this works, it will cause an immediate response from him.” He tells her and Felicity swallows before she nods.

“I promise you, I have no desire to fight a mirakuru-ed up ex-ASIS fighter.” She winces as she speaks and Oliver sighs, forcing himself to block that image from his head. “Okay, you ready?”

“No.” He states honestly and Felicity chuckles, reaching up to cup his face in both her hands. Oliver drops his hand down to her elbow and stares into her eyes, admiring the delicate sparks of color within them.

“This is going to work.” She tells him, that fierce determination that he’s always admired about her sparking in her eyes and the tone of her voice.

“How can you be so sure?” He questions, allowing himself for this moment, within this brief bubble they’ve created, to share his worries with her. Felicity shakes her head, a few tears growing in her eyes as she looks at him, her thumb softly caressing his cheek.

“Because you’ve done it before, Oliver. Malcolm Merlyn, the Count, the Clock King, the Triad, everyone who has tried to hurt this city, you stopped them and you are going to stop Slade.” She tells him with a conviction to her tone that Oliver wishes he could find within himself right now.

“If this works.” He adds and Felicity sighs, shaking her head.

“It’s smart, it will work.” She states as if it’s fact and Oliver frowns, leaning into her touch.

“You’re sure?” He questions and her determination turns into a soft smile, her red lips turning upwards as she gives him that look that always makes him wonder what he’s done to earn the love and support that Felicity gives him so wholly.

“I believe in you and I believe in your ability to bring an end to this. You can do this and you don’t have to do it alone.”

He can’t help himself. The conviction in her words, the love that is shining in her eyes, it’s all too much for him in this moment and he wraps his arms around her, pulling her as close as he can with the central console of the car between them.

“I love you.” He whispers into her hair and he swallows down the lump in his throat.

“I love you so much.” She whispers back just as softly and just for a moment, he contemplates listening to the voice screaming in his head. The one that tells him to abandon this plan and keep her here, wrapped up in his arms for as long as he possibly can.

But then she pulls back, cupping his face in her hands once more and a determined smile pulling at her lips.

“Now come on, we’ve got a city to save.”

Oliver’s legs are like lead as he leads her to the door of the mansion, her hand clasped tightly in his the only thing keeping him grounded.

Felicity’s demeanor changes the instant they cross the threshold, her determined stride becoming a nervous flutter as she looks around the dark and empty entranceway.

“Oliver, what are we doing here? The whole city’s falling apart.” She questions as he tugs her further into the foyer. If his heart wasn’t beating so loudly in his chest at the thought of purposefully leaving her here to be taken, he might have had the time to be impressed at her acting ability.

“I know. I need you to stay here.” He tells her, swallowing down the lump in his throat as he turns to face her.

“That’s a hard pass.” She frowns, her brow furrowed in fake confusion as she stares at him. They’re face to face, inches apart and Oliver doesn’t stop himself as his hands move of their own volition to cup her arms. “Oliver, I can help. I can find them, I can…”

“Felicity…” He interrupts with a sigh, leveling her with what he hopes is a convincing look. “I need you to stay here.”

“No. Not unless you tell me why. You’ve done nothing but cling to me for days, why now are you hiding me away?” She questions and Oliver’s heart clenches at the confusion and panic in her voice. He forces himself to remember that she knows, and this is just her selling the ruse, but the way that her hand reaches for his sleeve and fists in the leather of his suit doesn’t help.

“Thea, my mother, Laurel, it’s clear that Slade is taking the people I care about, those that I love,” Oliver tells her, forcing himself to keep his voice level and measured as he explains to her what she already knows.

“I know.” She counters, her brow still furrowed as she looks at him like she’s searching for the answers in his expression. He freezes for a moment, taking a deep breath before he locks his eyes onto hers.

“I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you.”

His voice catches as he speaks and Felicity’s expression melts, her mouth dropping open. They didn’t discuss exactly what they were going to say and it’s clear from her face that she wasn’t expecting that but it’s the most honest thing he’s said since they walked through the door.

“Oliver…” She sighs, her hand loosening on his arm and Oliver takes a deep breath before he forces himself to ‘explain’ further.

“I am struggling enough as it is, Felicity. If Slade gets to you…” He trails off, the worry in his voice completely honest as he thinks about how she might get hurt in all of this. He knows that it’s a risk she’s willing to take and he cannot stop her from doing it but that doesn’t stop him from worrying.

“Okay.” She sighs after a moment, her shoulders slumping as she nods reluctantly.

“Please, just… stay here and stay safe, for me?” He asks her and she closes her eyes for a long moment before she nods. There’s another long pause and then she steps closer, rising onto her toes as she wraps her arms around his neck. Oliver freezes for a moment before his arms move to wrap around her waist, pulling her close in the way that he wasn’t able to in the car.

“I love you. So much. More than you’ll ever know.” She tells him and the emotion in her voice almost makes him lose it.

“I’m so lucky that I get to love you. You’re the best thing in my life, the very best part of me.” He whispers back honestly, his arms tightening around her and he knows that he has to let her go, that he has to walk away, but all he wants to do is cling to her here. He wants to stay in this moment for as long as he can.

“Oliver…” Felicity finally whispers and they pull away, hands finding each other even as their bodies separate.

“I will come and get you when this is all over.” He promises and before he’s even fully aware of what he’s doing, he steps closer to her again to kiss her.

It’s as if everything they want to say but can’t passes between their lips and Oliver savors the feeling of her as she surrounds him. The softness of her lips, her supple skin, the smell of her perfume that is just still clinging to her skin…

All too soon it’s over and they pull away, their eyes locking for one last long moment. Then she gives him a soft smile and nods, stepping back with just her hand connected to him now.

Her fingers cling to his until the very last moment and Oliver prays that he can add the ‘until this is all over’ clause onto that statement later. It takes everything in him to walk away and he contemplates walking back with every step he takes in the opposite direction from her but knowing that they might be able to stop this…

He walks to his car and forces himself not to watch the house disappearing in his rear-view.

Chapter Text

Felicity hasn’t felt this wigged out in a while.

The Queen mansion used to intimidate her. It had taken her half an hour to work up the nerve to knock on the door the first time she came to the large, imposing building last year. Slowly but surely, however, the large house has planted itself in her mind as somewhere that feels like home.

This is the house she’s spent hours with Thea in, watching movies and laughing about the silly things that Oliver does. It’s the house in which she learned to understand what makes Moira tick and to see the warm, loving person beneath the façade she puts on for the rest of the world. This is where she’s spent countless moments with Oliver, learning him, memorizing him, and falling more in love with him every moment that passes. It’s a house that she used to think was a representation of the cold-hearted nature of the societal elite but she’s now come to learn that it has love bursting out of its walls. It’s not a house, it’s a home, and her heart beats full of love for every person that inhabits it.

That love is hard to remember however, when you’re in a mansion alone in the dark.

She contemplates turning the lights on but then worries that it might alert Slade’s men to the idea that she’s not actually trying to hide. If she was trying to stay out of sight, she wouldn’t want to give any indication that there actually is anyone in the house.

Sighing, she sits down on the stairs, examining the tall pillars that decorate the entranceway. She wonders whether they’re original to the house or whether a later owner put them in, perhaps even the Queens themselves. She inspects the details of the design of the room and tries to push out the millions of other questions swimming around in her head.

Does the cure work? Have the team been able to monopolize and begin to spread it? Has Sara’s backup arrived? Are they willing to help Oliver? Will they clash too harshly over Oliver’s no killing policy? Is Roy awake yet? Is he willing to help? How will he react to the fact that Thea is still missing? Is Thea alright? Are she, and Moira, and Laurel being harmed? Are their injuries worse than what they saw on the video of Thea? Is Felicity going to be harmed in a similar way? Can Oliver concentrate on taking down the mirakuru soldiers with this ruse playing out? Will one of them take advantage of his distraction? Will his knee hold up for this final fight?

What, in all of this, does Slade actually want?

“You’d think someone would tell a Queen not to leave their diamonds unprotected.”

Felicity flies almost an inch off the stair she’s sat on in surprise. The voice is deep and unfamiliar and yet Felicity knows immediately who this is. She wasn’t expecting Slade himself, a goonie perhaps, but the intimidating figure of the man she’s spent the last week trying to track down towers over her. There’s a surprised smirk on his face as he takes her in and she supposes this must seem like Christmas come early to him; exactly the person he’s been trying to capture left alone like a sitting duck.

Involuntarily, she scrambles backward, making it up a few steps to the tune of Slade’s creepily amused chuckle.

“Oh Miss Smoak, don’t you worry, I’m not looking to hurt you. Not yet at least. Your sweetheart has to make his choice first.”

She turns as if she’s going to run up to stairs and screams involuntarily as his hand clasps tightly around her ankle, the mirakuru strengthening his grip. He gives a sharp tug and Felicity groans as he tugs her down the stairs towards him like her body is merely a rag doll.

“It’s alright Miss Smoak. Why don’t you take a nap? We’ve got a while to wait.” Slade’s voice still carries that amused tone that sends a shiver up Felicity’s spine. He lifts something up to her face and his face lit up with sick glee is the last thing she sees before her vision blurs and her eyes slip closed. She’s not awake to feel the bang of her head against the strong wood of the stairs or the vice-like grip of Slade’s hands on her body as he drags her through the hallway and down the stairs of the mansion.

“Oliver.”

The archer turns at the sound of his name, still a little off after leaving Felicity at the mansion. It’s difficult to concentrate on much else than the thought of his loved ones but he knows he needs to deal with the situation out here first.

Sara’s the one who called for him but she’s stood with a figure in black and red, long dark hair loose around her head and a group of familiar-looking people behind her dressed in black robes.

Nyssa and the League.

“Thank you for coming.” Oliver takes a deep breath as he steps up to the daughter of the leader of the deadliest organization on the planet.

“My beloved has agreed to the cost of our assistance,” Nyssa tells him in her clear accent and Oliver frowns, glancing over at Sara who sends him a small, reassuring smile.

“You’re going back.” He states with a frown and she nods gently.

“I don’t belong here, Ollie.” She tells him and Oliver frowns, confused as to where this sudden decision is coming from.

“What about your family? Your dad, Laurel?” He questions but Sara merely smiles, shaking her head.

“I’m not disappearing. I’ll be back but I underestimated how much of my heart I left in Nanda Parbat.” She tells him honestly, glancing at Nyssa next to her and Oliver is surprised to see the pulls of a smile at the assassin’s lips. It’s almost sweet.

“Ta-er al-Sahfer tells me your beloved is quite something. I look forward to meeting her.” Nyssa comments and Oliver sighs at the reminder of Felicity, which only reminds him of the situation he left her in.

“Well to do that, we need to save her.” He states, drawing himself back to the issue at hand and Sara nods.

“And Laurel,” Sara adds and Oliver nods.

“And my family.”

“We will follow your command,” Nyssa tells him decisively and Oliver nods appreciatively before he walks over to where Roy is stood, the cure apparently having taken effect in the time he was at the mansion.

“Hey, you okay?” He questions, laying a hand on the younger man’s shoulder and he frowns but nods.

“Apart from the last week being incredibly blurry… yeah. Is Thea…?” He questions and Oliver grimaces.

“We’re going to get her home safe, tonight. But first, the army on the streets.” He promises before he steps up to address the room at large. “You shoot using the cure, you do not shoot to kill.”

“These men are murderers.” Nyssa immediately protests, looking at him as if he’s grown two heads and Oliver sighs.

“They don’t know what they’re doing. We shoot with the cure. No one dies tonight.” He tells them definitively and Nyssa looks as if she might argue again until Sara places her hand on her shoulder.

“Nyssa, you said you’d follow his command.” She reminds her and the assassin sighs, looking behind her to the group she brought.

“Fine.” She huffs, nodding her head and they all nod back at her in odd unison.

“It looks like the majority of them are focused in the tunnel leading out of the city,” Diggle tells him, turning one of Felicity’s tablets around to show him what he guesses is a program his girlfriend set up.

“We strike there.”

“Felicity! Felicity!”

Felicity groans at the pain in her head as she starts to come around. It’s a sharp pain, sat in the front of her head and it’s beating in time with her heart, coupled with a nauseous feeling rising in her throat.

“Felicity!”

That voice…

Felicity winces as she tries to place it. It’s female for sure… young… it brings to mind laughing and the clicking sound of a camera…

“Thea…?”

“Oh, thank god, I thought you were dead too!” Thea cries out and Felicity winces as she tries to focus on the girl in front of her. The other girl’s once bright blue coat is caked in dirt and dull with numerous tears and rips. Felicity gasps in air and her vision starts to clear, revealing Thea’s messy curls and worried face to her. They appear to be in some form of woodland and the cold wind is biting through Felicity’s relatively thin coat.

I thought you were dead too…

Too…

Felicity turns her head and her eyes widen at the image on the forest floor a few feet away.

Isabel Rochev is staring at her with lifeless eyes, her neck laying at an unnatural angle and a significant lack of rise and fall in her chest.

“Oh my god.” Felicity scrambles back, moving closer to Thea, until her back hits a tree and she wants to look away but it’s as if she’s physically incapable of looking away from the dead body lying mere feet from her.

“She was apparently supposed to bring you here. When she showed up here without you… he just… he snapped her neck. It was… it was horrible. I know she wasn’t a good person but no one deserves that.” Thea explains brokenly and Felicity feels her eyes fill with tears at the tone of Thea’s voice. It’s empty, almost, and Felicity honestly dreads to think what the poor girl has been through in the last week.

But Isabel…

Felicity swallows down the bile that’s threatening to spill out of her. Isabel was far from a saint but Thea’s right, no one deserves this. Squeezing her eyes shut, she takes a deep breath and forces herself to look away. She tries to reach out towards Thea but something bites into her wrists where they’re clasped behind her back and she cranes her neck to see a zip tie holding them together.

“No, they don’t. Hey, it’s okay Thea, just… don’t look at it, okay. Look at me, are you hurt?” Felicity questions, using her legs to scoot closer to the girl seeing as she can’t reach out to her and Thea heaves a long sigh, her eyes lingering on the corpse for a moment before she lifts her eyes to Felicity’s. Her eyes are red and she’s obviously been crying a lot but it doesn’t look as if she’s been hurt any further than the video transmission a few days ago indicated.

“I… I don’t think so. My head hurts and I think I’m past the point of hungry…” The teenager scoffs brokenly and Felicity sighs, tilting her head as she looks at her friend.

“It’s okay, this will all be over soon.” She tries to reassure her but Thea just scoffs again.

“If we don’t all end up like that.” She states, her voice devoid of any emotion as she looks back over at Isabel.

“Thea… your mother, Laurel…” Felicity asks and Thea looks at her, swallowing heavily before she inclines her head over to the side. Felicity freezes for a moment, wondering for a moment if it’s something she actually does want to look at but she takes a deep breath and turns her head. She lets out a sigh of relief at the sight that greets her eyes. Moira is sat up against a tree nearby, similarly tied and looking as rough as Thea but she’s clearly okay as she’s speaking to an equally messy looking Laurel. The younger woman is crying and it looks as if Moira is doing her best to comfort her.

“What do you think he’s going to do?” Thea questions and Felicity looks back at her friend, her face softening as she takes in the terror written across Thea’s face.

“I don’t know Thea, but I know it’s going to be okay, alright?” She promises, trying another small smile but all she gets is another long sigh.

“Ladies, ladies, such long faces. Come on, we should get you ready. Our special guest is on his way.”

Slade’s voice, deep and calm, cuts through the woodland air like a knife and Felicity screams immediately as strong arms tug her up. It’s one of Slade’s men and she kicks against his hold as best she can but she’s no match for his mirakuru-improved strength. Similar cries come from the others around her as they’re forced to their knees in a line in front of the tree line. Thea and Laurel are sobbing loudly and Felicity swallows, looking over at Moira next to her who is breathing slowly, a steely determination covering her face.

“Are you alright?” Felicity questions, taking in the matriarch, who manages a small smile and a nod.

“Is Oliver…?” She asks and Felicity takes a deep breath, her mind instantly conjuring the image of her love walking away from her. She has no idea how long it’s been since that moment in the mansion but darkness has descended, telling her it’s at least been a few hours since that early evening conversation.

“He’s alive,” Felicity tells her and watches as the mother’s shoulders slump in relief.

Felicity takes a deep breath herself and starts to think how she might be able to get this zip tie off her hands so that she can actually execute the plan they have in mind.

Oliver moves purely on instinct. The arrows loaded with the cure fly soundly through the air, piercing themselves with accuracy into non-fatal areas of Slade’s army’s bodies. The tunnel is carnage and everywhere he turns there’s either a mirakuru soldier or one of their allies.

Roy, recently awake and dressed in his trademark red hoodie, catches his eye as he flips off a nearby car and drives a cure loaded arrow into the arm of an assailant. At the sound of movement, Oliver spins and sends an arrow of his own into the approaching soldier. Nyssa and her league move with practiced ease, lithely administering the cure as they take down those around them. The initial argument seems to have hit home as they are now avoiding fatal areas.

Just as it seems like they may have taken down those in the tunnel, Oliver feels the vibration of his phone against his chest and he climbs onto the roof of a car as he pulls it out.

“You’ve been busy, kid.” Slade’s cold voice speaks in his ear and Oliver heaves a long sigh.

“It’s over, Slade!” He shouts over the noise around him. “Your army is broken!”

“And I pity them, but once again, you’ve missed the point and fallen right into my trap,” Slade tells him, his glee obvious in his voice and it makes Oliver feel a little sick. He forces himself to remember that he’s unaware of their plan.

“I’m sick of your games, Slade, I’m done.” He calls back with a bite to his voice but all it gains him is a sick sadistic laugh.

“You’re done when I say you’re done! You’re going to meet me where I say or they all die. The ones you love. Including your beloved. I was surprised to hear that you’d left her all alone in that glass house of yours but I do understand the appeal now that I’ve met her. She’s quite lovely… your Felicity.”

It’s what Oliver was expecting, what he should have been hoping for… they can’t win this if Slade doesn’t have Felicity. She needs to get close to him so that she can administer the cure but fear paralyzes Oliver as the reality of the situation sinks in. He has her… on top of his friend, his sister, and his mother, Slade has his love and it truly is difficult not to feel like Slade has already won.

“Let them go, Slade, you can’t win.” He tries one last time but Slade merely laughs again.

“I’ve already won, kid. I have the ones you love and if you don’t want them all to die, you better be at the woodland line east of the Queen mansion in the next half an hour. If you’re not, well my blade will certainly enjoy slicing through all of their pretty necks.”

The line goes dead with Slade’s declaration and Oliver starts running before he’s even aware of moving. Sara falls in line next to him as they rush back through the tunnel and he taps his comms on so that everyone else can hear him.

“Slade has them at the mansion. It needs to appear as if I’m there alone.” He tells them all and there’s a series of confirmations and reactions to his statement but Oliver can’t focus on anything other than reaching his bike at the end of the tunnel.

He drives more recklessly than he ever has before, darting through the chaos and the carnage that Slade and his army have turned Starling City into tonight, and before he knows it, he’s at the mansion. Drawing his bow, he notches an arrow and makes his way to the east of the property as per Slade’s instructions, staying light on his feet.

His plan was to attempt to gain the element of surprise but he freezes at the sight in front of him as he reaches the tree line. There, lined up on their knees, are the women he loves. He heaves a sigh of relief at the fact that none of them appear fatally harmed but they’re all in obvious distress. Laurel and Thea are sobbing loudly and even his mother has tears silently running down her face. Felicity is crying, obviously scared, but her jaw is also locked, a telltale sign of her determination.

It’s her who notices him first, because of course it is, and the turn of her head and the, what he guesses is involuntary, sound of her sigh of relief is what draws the others’ attention to him.

Slade is stood close to Thea and a smirk crosses his face as he takes in the sight of Oliver. In a quick motion, he whips a gun out of his belt and Oliver sees red as he pushes it against Thea’s temple.

“Drop the bow, kid, or we start spilling blood sooner than expected.” The man growls and Oliver winces as Thea whimpers loudly at the feeling of the cold metal against her skin.

Oliver moves slowly, placing his bow on the ground, and in an instant, one of Slade’s men who are lining the area, scoops it up.

“Excellent. Why don’t you take a seat, kid?” Slade smirks and Oliver cries out in pain as one of Slade’s men kicks him in the knees from behind and he falls onto them.

He feels his already injured one crack painfully and the urge to vomit rises in him quickly. He manages to swallow it down as his hands are pulled behind his back and tied with something so that he cannot move them.

“I’ve spent years planning this, kid, wondering how I might exact my revenge on the man who killed the woman I love,” Slade tells him as he steps towards him and Oliver sighs, trying to get control of his breath again.

“I didn’t… kill her…” He spits out but as soon as the words get out, Slade punches him hard in the stomach and knocks the wind right back out of them.

“Be quiet! You as good as killed her! You picked that blonde little nothing over a woman you claimed to care for, that we both cared for!” Slade yells and Oliver frowns, sitting back up and looking the monster in front of him dead in the eye.

“And now you’re going to kill someone I love…”

Slade smirks and steps back, rounding back to the line he’s set up.

“Oh see that’s the thing… you always were weak, kid, you let yourself be guided by emotion. Relationships, they make you vulnerable, and luckily for me, you have so many of them for me to exploit.”

Oliver catches his mother’s eye and tries to convey to her how sorry he is through his eyes but she just smiles sadly, shaking her head as the tears roll down her cheeks silently.

“Your sister, the one who you always swore to protect…”

Slade’s voice draws Oliver back to his frame and Oliver fights against the bonds as he drags his slimy hands over Thea’s hair, only causing his poor baby sister to shake as her sobs grow louder and she tries to flinch away from him.

“Your first love, the girl whose spirit got you through those years on the island…”

Slade doesn’t linger and moves to stand behind Laurel. She looks him dead in the eye and Oliver’s heart breaks at the look of terror within her eyes. He feels awful that she’s caught up in all of this, that any of them are.

“Your mother, the woman who gave you life, who has sacrificed so much for you…”

His mother, always so strong, remains so and she squares her shoulders as Slade steps behind her. He goes to lay his hand on her shoulder but Moira shakes him off, her brow furrowed in a deep glare.

“And the one who has your heart, the one who gave you life again…”

It takes a gargantuan effort for Oliver to look at Felicity. There’s a fresh-looking wound on her temple and the blood and dirt on her face are mixing with the tears that are silently streaming down. Despite this, however, he can see the strength sparking in her eyes that’s keeping her upright, her jaw locked in determination.

“Tell me, Oliver, which one do you think it would hurt the most to watch me kill? There’s an argument to be made for them all really. But it’s not my choice to make. It’s up to you. Just like you sentenced Shado to death, took her life from her. You’re going to pick Oliver, or I’m going to kill them all.”

“Ollie! Ollie! Please…”

“No, no, please, please,” Oliver screams, his voice straining as he can’t yell loud enough to express how much this is a decision that he cannot make. He won’t. He can’t.

“Oliver, sweetheart, it’s okay.” His mother’s voice only makes him sob harder as it mixes with Thea and Laurel’s screams.

“Oliver…”

That’s her voice. Sweet, calm, resigned, and Oliver shakes his head as the sobs start to cause his body to shake.

“Oliver… it’s okay…” Felicity speaks again and he screams at the acceptance in her voice.

“No, no, NO!” He calls, straining against the ties and the pain in his knee that’s keeping him still as Slade smirks and moves behind her.

“Well look at that. Someone’s made the decision for you.” Slade snarls and Oliver screams at the sight of Slade’s hands on Felicity as he hauls her to her feet.

“NO! NO! FELICITY!”

“Felicity, please!” Thea screams, her sobs adding into the cacophony of noise that bursts through the usually peaceful grounds.

“No, take me instead, please!” Moira adds, straining against her own bonds but Oliver cannot hear anything as a dull ringing takes over his ears. All he can see is her, her jaw still locked in determination even as the tears stream heavily down her beautiful… so, so beautiful… face.

“PLEASE! Please, just kill me…” Oliver sobs. He’s sure that the bonds have cut into his skin at this point but he can’t concentrate on anything else right now other than the sight of her in Slade’s arms. His thick arm holding her in place around her slim waist and his sword held to her throat.

“No! Oliver, it’s okay… look at me.” Felicity calls out and he breathes heavily, blinking through his tears to look at her face. “I love you. So much. You’re the very best part of me too.”

“How sweet,” Slade smirks, his arm tightening around her and Oliver’s heart, which already feels like it’s been surrounded by a thousand rubber bands, constricts just that little bit tighter as she splutters against the movement.

“At least… untie my hands, please…” She chokes out and Oliver frowns before he freezes, the plan coming back to the forefront of his cloudy brain. How she even managed to remember that whilst in the arms of an insane murderer, he’ll never know, but his heart soars for his brave girl.

“You’re brave, I give you that,” Slade smirks and his blade inches closer.

“You think I’m going to be able to get away from your arms? Even if I did, this place is lined with your soldiers. Please, give me some dignity as I die.” Felicity asks and Oliver’s heart breaks as her voice catches on the last word.

“Noble. It’s a shame you fell in love with him.” Slade spits out but Oliver lets the insult soar over his head as he watches Slade use a small blade in his belt to cut Felicity’s hands-free. He catches her before she can stumble away but Oliver keeps his eyes focused on her as she very slowly reaches into her pocket.

Slade’s eyes focus on something behind Oliver but when he turns his head, the archer can’t see anything. An idea sparks in his head and he takes a deep breath, trying to get control over his breathing so that he can speak.

“You’re going to kill the woman I love, Slade, like you loved Shado,” Oliver calls, drawing Slade’s attention back to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches as Sara deftly takes out a few of Slade’s men, catching their bodies before they crash to the floor and make a noise. She places them carefully down and walks towards where Thea is still sobbing on her knees.

“Yes.”

“You see her. Don’t you?” Oliver calls and by the way, Slade’s eyes dart back to the spot behind him, he can tell that he’s struck the right nerve. “What does she look like in your madness, Slade? I remember her being beautiful, young, kind. She’d be horrified by what you’ve done in her name.”

On the other side, he watches as Diggle takes down the men on the other side, following the same technique as Sara so as to not alert Slade to their presence. He moves towards Moira and Oliver watches as he cuts her bonds first and then Laurel’s. He holds his fingers to his lips as Laurel goes to move and gestures for her to stay where she is. Catching Oliver’s eye, he nods and Oliver maintains his passivity as he looks back towards Slade.

“I fought for her! I’ve given her what you took away! And when her body lies cold at your feet, her blood wet against your skin, then you will know how I feel!”

As Slade screams, his hand tightening around Felicity’s arm and his blade closing back in on her throat, Oliver concentrates on the movement of her hand in her pocket and the way it clearly fists around something. He allows himself to breathe easy knowing that she at least has her hand on the cure and he looks back to Slade, his lips curling up in a small smile.

“You don’t think I know how you feel? You think I don’t know what it’s like to what revenge, to love someone so wholly that you would kill or be killed for them? You know what else I’ve learned, Slade? What you’ve taught me? I now know what it’s like to see my enemy so distracted that they don’t realize the real danger is right in front of them.” 

Slade may be one step ahead, but he didn’t count for Felicity Smoak.

Felicity takes the cue and drives the syringe straight into Slade’s neck, stumbling away as his arms fall away from her surprise. Oliver expects her to run but his eyes widen in fear as she darts back close to the man, grabbing the small blade off his belt. Slade swings the katana still in his hand and Oliver cannot stop his cry as it narrowly misses her.

“Felicity!” He screams but she’s running towards him. Falling to her knees, she cuts the bonds on his hands and Oliver’s eyes widen as Digg only just gets to one of Slade’s soldiers in time as they come up behind her. “Get her out of here!”

Digg listens to his words, his hands clasping around Felicity’s shoulders as he pulls her away, and he watches as Sara leads Thea, his mother, and Laurel away as well. He darts for his bow, forcing his legs to comply as he stands. His knee is practically excruciating by this point but he knows that he has to power on, he has to end it.

Everyone else has done their part, it’s up to him now.

He moves on instinct alone, drowning everything else out as he focuses on Slade’s still stumbling body.

“It’s over, Slade!” He calls and the man turns to look at him as he notches an arrow.

“You think one of those is going to kill me?” The other man yells out, laughing in delusion as he tugs the syringe out of his neck.

“Kill you?” Oliver asks, stepping closer to him. Slade stumbles back again and Oliver knows that he’s got him cornered. He’s too distracted by the cure pumping itself into his veins and he freezes as his back hits a tree. Oliver sees his opportunity and lets his arrow fly, watching in satisfaction as the trick arrow loops it’s rope around his enemy and holds him tight to the tree. Slade tries to reach for a weapon to cut himself free but a figure in black and red darts towards him first, jamming another syringe into his neck with practiced ease.

“Tibetan pit viper venom,” Nyssa smirks as she turns to him, Slade struggling for a moment longer before his body goes limp.

“Thank you.” He tells the assassin, biting through his teeth as his knee starts to throb. His bow falls to the ground and as relief and disbelief that it’s finally over starts to set into his body, he feels himself begin to fall to the floor. An arm binds around his waist and stops him from falling and he looks to his side to see Roy there. Another arm bands around him and he turns his head again to see Sara on his other side. He has no idea when they all arrived but Nyssa’s assassins are assembling behind her as well. He leans on his team as he turns to look at Nyssa who nods at him in respect.

“You saved my beloved and her family. For that, I owe you. The League shall take his body to a safe place so that you may deal with the fallout here for now. Ta-er al-Sahfer can contact us when you are ready.” The assassin tells him and Oliver takes a deep breath, nodding his head.

“Thank you.” He tells her honestly and a small smirk quirks at the assassin’s lips.

“We shan’t speak of it again.” She tells him and Oliver snorts, nodding his head in agreement.

“Ollie, you need to change,” Sara tells him as the sound of sirens whirl in the background and Oliver frowns, trying to crane his neck to see his family and Felicity. “They’re okay, Ollie, but they won’t be if the police decide to arrest the Arrow whilst they’ve got the chance.”

Oliver sighs, closing his eyes as he takes a deep breath and forces himself to actually think Sara’s words through. He knows that she’s right but he would like to lay eyes on his family and his love before.

“Sara! Your sister said you were over here! Sara!”

They all freeze at the sound of Lance’s voice and the detective freezes too as he jogs into the clearing, his eyes widening as he takes in the sight in front of him.

“Lance…” Oliver starts, wincing as he unhooks his arms from his team and stands despite the screaming from his knee.

The detective looks him up and down, looking from him to Sara to Nyssa and then to Slade knocked out and tied up to the tree. His eyes fall onto something else and Oliver follows his gaze to see the body of a very distinct woman…

Isabel… she must have been another of Slade’s casualties.

“Listen, kid, I didn’t see anything, and hopefully after a good night’s sleep, I won’t remember this.” The policeman winces and Oliver’s shoulders slump in relief despite the way he initially flinched at the other man’s choice of nickname.

“You still need to change, Ollie.” Sara prompts, throwing a bag he didn’t even realize she was holding towards him and he frowns, taking in the sight of her in her Canary get up as well.

“So do you.” He tells her and she nods.

“Alright, I can handle a distraction. You all… do what you gotta.” Lance frowns, looking between them and Oliver sighs heavily, sending what he hopes is a grateful smile his way before he scoops up the bag and heads deeper into the trees to ditch his suit and pull on the jeans, sweater, and coat in the bag.

As soon as he’s ready, he moves as quickly as his now extremely painful knee will allow away from the tree line and back towards the house. It seems the group made it to the driveway before they decided they were far enough away and Oliver sweeps his eyes over them, sighing heavily when he sees everyone he’s looking for.

“Ollie!” Thea calls and he turns to face her, relief flooding him at the mere sound of her voice after the days of her missing, but there’s a scared tone to her voice. His eyes widen when he sees that she’s crouched next to their mother, panic written on her face.

“Mom! Mom! What happened?” Oliver asks as he sinks down next to her, taking in the sight of blood gushing out of her leg.

“One of his men, they weren’t out… he got her as we were running away…” Thea sobs, clinging to him and Oliver frowns, looking down at his mother in shock. He scrambles to pull off his jacket and he presses it down into her leg where it’s gushing with blood.

“Mom…” He frowns, looking over her face, but she merely smiles at him.

“It’s okay, darling. I love you so much. I’m so proud of the person you’ve become. You’re a real hero.” She tells him, reaching out towards him and Oliver frowns at what her words sound like. He knows that she’s probably a little loopy from the loss of blood but still… this isn’t goodbye, he won’t let it be.

“Mom, no! Please!” Thea cries, throwing her body over Moira’s and

“It’s alright, Thea. It’s okay, baby.”

“Mom, just hold on, please. Look they’re here, the paramedics, they’re going to help you.” Oliver tells her, waving a hand in the air to call one of the teams over to her.

“Okay, my boy. My brave boy. Your father would be so proud of you.” Moira comments drowsily and Oliver frowns, shaking his head.

“Mom, no, Mom, you have to stay awake, okay? Talk to me, tell me about… tell me about when Thea was born, you always loved that story.” He recalls, scrambling to find something to get her to talk about. Her lips quirk and she moves, combing her fingers through Thea’s matted hair loosely.

“You were so excited to meet her. Your baby sister. And you were so disappointed that she couldn’t talk to you and that you couldn’t play with her immediately. But I knew… I knew the minute you held her in your arms so tenderly, so carefully… I knew you were going to be the best big brother.” She tells him, her eyes shining with tears as she looks over at him and Oliver feels himself tear up too. When he thinks about how close he came to losing her, to losing Thea, Laurel… Felicity…

It’s too much.

The paramedics arrive at her side and Oliver has to physically pull Thea off of her body so that they can lift Moira’s body up to the gurney.

“Mrs. Queen? Look at me, alright, I need you to keep looking at me.” One of them calls as her eyes start to droop again.

“What happened?” The other asks, turning to look at them and Oliver squeezes the arm he has around Thea to prompt her to speak because he doesn’t know what happened.

“A blade, it cut through her. She’s already vomited once.” Thea stutters out and the paramedic nods, sending Thea a small smile before he frowns, raising an eyebrow.

“The same blade that cut the girl over there?”

“What?” Oliver asks, his blood running cold at the comment, as the paramedic frowns.

“The blonde girl over there. Your friend said that she was cut by a blade.” He explains, gesturing behind him to where, to Oliver’s complete surprise, there’s another set of paramedics loading Felicity onto a gurney. He looks between the sight and his mother who just smiles at him, reaching up to cup his cheek.

“Go, I’ll be fine.” She tells him and Oliver lingers on her for just a moment, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, my beautiful boy.”

“Felicity? Felicity!” He’s moving before he even really realizes and his knee screams out in pain but he focuses on vaulting across the space between him and where they’re loading her into the ambulance.

“Oh no, shouty Oliver…” She groans as he appears next to his side and Oliver raises an incredulous eyebrow as he looks between Diggle and the paramedic before looking back down at Felicity. Her eyes are wide, spacey even. Her coat has been opened and her sweater ripped to reveal a deep laceration down the side of her body.

“What… when…?”

“He caught her as she ran towards you,” Diggle explains, his hand gently urging Felicity back down onto the gurney as she tries to sit up.

He didn’t narrowly miss her.

He slashed down her side.

“I already got a scar, Ol-ver. I don’t think I want another one.” Felicity frowns and Oliver immediately melts.

“It’s alright, you’re going to be fine, baby.” He tells her, leaning over her as he brushes her hair back from her face. Her ponytail is all but useless at this point, clinging to the smallest portion of her hair. “Why is she so loopy?”

“I gave her an oxycodone from the van when she first started talking about it hurting. Figured they could stitch it up faster. I was one my way to give your mother one as well when the paramedics arrived.” Diggle explains and Oliver nods, sighing in relief that it’s not because of the blood loss.

“We do need to get her into the ambulance, Sir.” The paramedic tells them and Oliver nods, looking between Digg and where his sister is still standing over his mother. Roy has appeared at her side, wrapping an arm around her and Oliver sends a look towards his friend who nods.

“I got it, you look after our girl,” Digg tells him with a smile. He then turns his attention to Felicity, bending down to softly kiss her forehead. “Do what they tell you, Miss Badass.”

“You got it, Digg.” She grins and then giggles at something, no doubt a connotation that her mind has somehow made the connection to. Digg chuckles, tapping Oliver comfortingly on the shoulder as he passes him.

“Alright Miss Smoak, is this someone you know?” The paramedic asks, gesturing to Oliver as he and his partner start to wheel her towards the ambulance.

“Yeeessss, that’s my Ol-i-ver.” She tells him loopily and Oliver chuckles. He also has to admit that there’s a slight pride that rises in him at her referring to him as hers. “Ol-i-ver, you’re coming, right?”

Her lips push out in a pout and Oliver grasps her hand, nodding his head.

“Of course, baby. I promise I’ll be with you, I just need to go and check on the others, alright?” He tells her, stroking his hand over her hair again and he watches as she obviously struggles to compute his words. Finally, she nods, catching his hand with a frown.

“Hmm, you’ll come back?” She asks and Oliver knows that the drugs must have entered her system for her to be looking up at him with such fear and vulnerability in her eyes.

“Cross my heart.” He winks and she smiles, nodding her head.

“’Kay.”

“I won’t be two minutes.” He promises, bending down to softly kiss her forehead before he pulls back.

“We’re going to start treating her in the ambulance since she’s had the painkillers.” The paramedic tells him and Oliver nods, thanking him before he heads back over to where his sister is stood with Roy.

“Ollie…” Thea sighs as she crashes into his arms and Oliver pulls her tightly to him. He’s been so terrified for days and it feels so wonderful to finally be able to wrap his arms around his baby sister and feel her heart beating against his chest.

“Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?” He questions into her hair and Thea shakes her head, clinging to him tightly. “Roy, are you alright? You feel okay?”

The boy nods, heaving a long sigh. He keeps glancing to the side and Oliver follows his gaze to see where they’re loading Moira into the ambulance, Diggle at her side.

“Alright. Speedy, can you look at me?” He asks, pulling back to frame her face in his hands. She frowns but looks at him, confusion and exhaustion written on her face. “I need to go in the ambulance with Felicity. Can you go with Roy to the hospital and I promise I’ll meet you there?”

“Is Felicity okay?” She asks, her brow furrowing and Oliver smiles gently.

“She will be, but I need to go be with her. Are you going to be okay with Roy?” He questions and Thea takes a few deep breaths before she nods.

“Yeah, I… yes.” She finally tells him and Oliver smiles, pulling her back into a tight hug and kissing her hair.

“I love you so much, Speedy.”

“I love you too, Ollie.”

Oliver pulls back and nods at Roy as he wraps his arm around Thea. The girl curls into his side, her hand fisting in his hoodie and Oliver wishes that he could split himself into three right now.

Stepping back, he turns to try and spot Laurel, sighing in relief when he sees her wrapped up in a hug with Lance and Sara. The smaller blonde catches his eye and nods, letting Oliver know that she’s got her and Oliver smiles at Sara. He nods at her appreciatively and then heads back to the ambulance, wincing at the pain in his knee as he climbs into the vehicle.

Felicity is still laying on the gurney and the paramedic is cleaning around the wound.

“Are you alright, Sir?” The paramedic asks and Felicity gasps dramatically.

“Your knee! Oliver, you need to let them look at it.” She calls and Oliver shakes his head, sitting down in the seat the paramedic gestures to. He takes her hand when she stretches it out towards him, clasping it tightly. He revels in the feeling of her warm skin on his, reminding himself how close he came to losing her.

“In a minute, okay? We need to get you sorted out first.” He promises, lifting her hand to gently kiss the back of it.

“Sir, what happened to your knee?” The paramedic questions nonetheless and Oliver groans as Felicity begins to prop herself up on her other arm.

“He took a super-powered stiletto to the bone.” She tells him, her eyes wide and the paramedic frowns, looking over to him with a raised eyebrow. He snorts and shakes his head.

“Surprisingly, she’s telling the truth.” He shrugs and the paramedic heaves a long sigh.

“I knew transferring to Starling was always going to interesting.” He mutters under his breath and Oliver snorts. He can’t deny that it’s true.

“You have to help him!” Felicity insists, however, obviously very concerned that the paramedic hasn’t immediately abandoned what he’s doing to help Oliver.

“We will, ma’am, please lie back and stay calm.” He reassures her and Felicity huffs but does as she’s told, lying back and allowing the paramedic to continue his work.

“Oliver?” Felicity asks after a beat of silence, her voice quiet and sweet.

“Yeah, sweetheart?” He answers, turning so that he’s facing her as the ambulance starts to move.

“We did it.” She tells him as she turns her head to the side, a smile lighting up his face. Her happiness is infectious and Oliver finds himself smiling as well, reaching out to brush her hair away from her face as it falls in her eyes again.

“You did it. You were so brave. I’m so proud of you.” He tells her honestly, cupping her cheek in his hand. She groans and nuzzles into it adorably, her nose brushing against his fingers.

“Did I get my badass badge?” She questions, opening her eyes to look at him. The question makes him chuckle but there’s a seriousness in her expression.

“You’ve always had that.” He tells her honestly, winking at her and smiling as she relaxes into an easy smile again. She lets out a small sigh and looks down at what the paramedic is doing.

“Doctor, are you going to stick something in me?” She questions after another beat of silence and the poor man freezes, looking up at her curiously. It takes Felicity a moment but she groans, moving her free hand to hide her face behind. “Ugh, why am I like this?”

“This is normal behaviour?” The paramedic questions, looking over at Oliver, and he nods with a chuckle.

“Yeah. Totally normal.” He confirms with an amused shake of his head.

Totally normal.

He likes the sound of that.

It’s a whirlwind from the moment they arrive at the hospital.

Felicity insists that she’s fine and that she will be very happy to go with ‘that handsome looking doctor’ so that he can been seen for his knee. It takes a little more convincing than that but after numerous kisses and reassurances that she’ll be okay, he relents to dealing with the throbbing pain in his knee.

Oliver knows that he annoys the medical professionals at his resistance of a lot of their ideas of repair but he truly does not think he could handle being put under right now. He allows them to do what they can with a local anesthetic and thanks them profusely for their help but the doctor still tries to insist that he books in for a proper restorative surgery at some point soon.

“Ollie!”

“Oof! Hi Speedy.”

Oliver chuckles as he’s hit by 110 pounds of body weight crashing into him and he wraps his arms tightly around his baby sister, still in slight disbelief that he managed to do it and she’s stood in front of him.

“Sorry, are you alright? We asked after you and the doctors said you were in surgery!” She frowns as she pulls back, looking over him in panic as if she’s searching for an injury.

“Yeah, for my knee. It’s alright, I’m fine now.” He explains, waving her off.

“Shouldn’t you still be under observation? Didn’t they use anesthetic?” Roy questions as he steps up next to Thea, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“I refused the general. They did it with local. It’s fine. I’m fine.” He tells them both and Thea huffs, shaking her head.

“Of course you did.”

“I’m so happy to see you, Speedy. Did he hurt you? Are you okay?” He questions, placing his hands on her shoulders as he takes his turn to check her over for injuries.

“He didn’t hurt me. He did tell me a few things.” She states gently, looking at him with a softer look than she was before. He takes a deep breath and nods, his lips quirking up in a small smile.

“I figured you’d probably worked a few things out.” He tells her and she purses her lips as she nods.

“I’ll admit, I was mad at first, but then I thought about it… Ollie, you’ve saved so many people and changed so many lives for the better. How could I be mad about that?”

Oliver is floored.

The look on his sister’s face, this display of such maturity from her. She’s smiling at him, tears swimming in her eyes and he frowns, shaking his head. He pulls her back into his arms, swaying side to side when she loses and then re-catches her balance.

“I love you so much, Speedy.” He whispers into her hair and he feels her arms tighten around him for a moment.

“I love you too Ollie. Do you think you can teach me to shoot a bow?”

Oliver chuckles before he freezes at the question she speaks into his chest and he shakes his head, pulling back with a laugh.

“We’ll see about that.” He tells her and Thea pouts but it quickly morphs into a smile. Lingering his gaze on her for another long moment, reminding himself that she’s here and she’s okay, he turns to Roy.

“Thank you, for being here for her and all your help last night. Looks like you didn’t need the mirakuru to be a hero.” He tells him, extending his hand and Roy smiles, returning his handshake.

“Does that mean I’m in properly?” The boy questions and Oliver chuckles.

“Well, with Sara leaving, it’d be a shame to go from a team of five all the way back down to three but I think we’re all going to take a long break before we even think about getting back out there.” He explains and Roy nods, a smile on his face.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Is Mom okay?” Oliver questions, looking back at Thea and the small girl nods, her expression growing serious.

“They stitched her up. Apparently, they’re waiting for the results of a test to check there isn’t an infection.” She explains and Oliver nods, that makes sense.

“Okay.”

“Um, I called Walter. I thought maybe she’d appreciate that?” Thea frowns, raising an eyebrow and Oliver smiles, laying a hand on her shoulder.

“I think she really will, Speedy.” He confirms and she takes a deep breath before she smiles. Oliver chuckles and leans forward, pressing his lips to her forehead.

As he pulls back, he spots Sara over Thea’s shoulder, holding her hand up to catch his attention and Oliver smiles, excusing himself from Thea to walk over to her.

“Hi.”

“Hey.” She replies, breathing in nervously and Oliver frowns.

“Is Laurel alright?” He questions and she nods.

“She’s okay, a bit shaken up, understandably but she’s not hurt.” She explains and Oliver releases a sigh of relief before he remembers what she would have seen tonight.

“Has she said anything about…?” He asks and Sara shakes her head as she purses her lips.

“I don’t know whether she’s even really processed it if I’m being honest.” The blonde tells him and Oliver chuckles, nodding his head.

“Well, I look forward to that conversation.” He huffs and Sara laughs a little, smiling affectionately at him.

“Your mom’s in that room, Felicity’s in the next one down.” She explains, gesturing to two rooms just down from the waiting room and he nods, eyes lingering on the doors for a moment before he turns back to his friend and ally.

“Thank you, Sara. For everything. You’re going to be missed.” He tells her honestly, opening his arms to her and she smiles, stepping into his embrace.

“I’m going to miss you all.” She whispers into his chest and he squeezes her tightly for a long moment before he pulls back, smiling at her with a nod. She grins up at him before she nods to Thea over his shoulder, squeezing his hand for a second before she goes over to join his baby sister and her boyfriend.

Oliver heaves a long breath, looking towards the two doors Sara pointed out. He hates the idea that he has to pick between the two women he loves so much but he knows he should check on his mom first, especially because he’s unsure if he will be able to pull himself away from Felicity’s side once he sees her again.

“Hey, Mom.” He comments quietly, rapping gently on the door frame and a smile spreads across her face as she looks over at him.

“Oliver. Are you alright?” She asks, stretching her arms out towards him and he smiles, happily stepping into her offered hug. He lingers for a long moment, breathing her in.

“They sorted my knee out. I’m good. How are you?” He asks as they pulls back and he holds onto her hand, wanting to affirm that she’s here and she’s okay.

“Oh, it’s a nasty cut but I’ll be fine. They’re going to release me when they get the results back about the infection as long as there’s nothing there.” She explains, waving it off and Oliver looks down to see that her wound has been dressed.

“Glad to hear it.” He tells her honestly, squeezing her hand tightly. Moira looks at him, tilting her head as she reaches her free hand out to cup his cheek. He leans into the motherly affection, blanching momentarily at the idea that a few mere hours ago there was a very real possibility that he might have never seen her again.

“You were so brave out there. My beautiful, brave boy. I am so proud of you.” She tells him, tears collecting in her eyes and Oliver smiles, leaning into her touch.

“I’m just so glad that you’re all okay.” He smiles gently as he takes a deep breath, the emotion catching in his throat.

“We are thanks to you and your team. That’s quite the brave girl you’ve got.” She tells him and Oliver smiles at the reminder of just how brave Felicity was tonight. She stood wrapped up in the arms of the devil and barely showed a flicker of fear. He’s so incredibly proud of her.

“She’s the bravest of us all.” He confirms, unable to stop the way his eyes flick over to the wall he knows that she’s behind. His mother chuckles and drops her hand from his face, squeezing his hand tightly.

“Go on. Go see her, I know you’re dying to. Your poor old mom can sit by herself for a bit.” She chuckles and Oliver smiles, it only growing as he notices a figure appearing in the door.

“Actually, I think Thea called you some company in.” He tells her, nodding to the entranceway. He can’t help but smile as surprise covers his mother’s face.

“Oh! Walter.” She calls and the tall Brit smiles as he enters the room.

“Moira. How are you?” He questions and Oliver smirks at the blush that covers his mother’s face. Squeezing her hand one last time, he withdraws from the room, leaving the two of them alone.

It’s only a few steps to the next room and he freezes in the doorway at the sight within it.

Felicity’s sat up in the bed, color returned to her cheeks and a frown on her face as she addresses Diggle, who’s stood at the foot of the bed. Even in a hospital gown, she looks beautiful, so alive, and his heart soars with affection for her.

“You’re serious that I can’t shower?” She’s asking with a frown and Diggle chuckles, shaking his head.

“You can’t get it wet whilst it still has the stitches in it. And no strenuous activity either, I mean it.” He explains, leveling her with a look. Felicity huffs, pouting at him with a deep frown.

“But we just saved the city, Diggle. I think I deserve some celebratory…”

“Those drugs still working well, huh?” Oliver interrupts with a smile before Felicity finishes her sentence and embarrasses both herself and Diggle. Her eyes light up as she looks over at him, smiling that dazzling smile at him that always makes Oliver wonder if she truly has some starlight within her. 

“Nothing new in her system. That’s just pure bonafide Smoak charm.” Diggle tells him with an easy affectionate smile of his own and Felicity frowns, a small pout crossing her face as she looks between the two of them.

“Wouldn’t have you any other way,” Oliver promises as he crosses over to her. He perches on the bed next to her, pressing a long kiss to her temple that has that smile back on her face in seconds.

“I’ll give you two the room,” Diggle tells them, a smile still playing on his lips as he looks between the two of them.

“Oh Digg, Lyla’s outside,” Oliver tells him, suddenly remembering having spotted his friend’s ex-wife lingering worriedly in the waiting room.

“Oooo!” Felicity sings with a giggle and Oliver snorts as Diggle looks a little uncomfortable.

“She did look rather worried.” He tells him and Digg nods, leaning down to affectionately rub Felicity’s leg before he nods at Oliver and heads out the door. Oliver sighs as the two of them are left alone. He turns back towards Felicity and reaches up, cupping her cheek in his hand. He examines the wound on her far temple that’s had a few steri-strips on it but it looks clean. “How are you feeling?”

Felicity smiles, nodding her head. “I’m good. How are you? Your knee?”

“They sorted it as much as they can. I’ll need to build my strength back up again though.” He explains and she nods, taking a deep breath before she chuckles. Oliver frowns and raises an eyebrow at her, not entirely convinced that the drugs are out of her system yet.

“We’re quite the pair, you and me.” She explains and Oliver chuckles, nodding his head.

“So we are.” He stares into her eyes, finding himself drowning in her eyes as usual. The bright spark in them reassures him that she’s okay, that they made it. The reminder that this is over sparks something else in his mind and he cannot stop the wide grin that spreads over his face at the mere thought of it becoming a reality. “So, I mentioned something yesterday about what I wanted to do when this was all over.”

“You did.” She confirms, swallowing as she nods her head. He can feel her nervousness and he rubs his thumb over her soft cheek in an attempt to release some of her tension.

“Are you still up for that?” He asks softly, raising a nervous eyebrow. The butterflies dance in his stomach but this is a nervousness he welcomes. This is excitement for the future, the start of a life with the woman he loves.

“If this is your way of asking me to move in with you, it’s a very poor attempt, Queen,” Felicity comments after a moment, a cheeky smile spreading crossing her face. Oliver freezes for a moment before he guffaws, shaking his head with a chuckle.

“I apologize Miss Smoak.” He tells her in a fake bad accent before he stands from the bed.

“Oliver!” She calls as he steps away from her but he merely smiles at her, shaking his head.

“Oh no, you want this done properly, I will do it properly.” He tells her, rounding the bed to where a bunch of flowers sits on the small table there.

He supposes one of the others must have bought them because he spotted a similar bouquet in his mother’s room. He snaps the stem of the bright pink flower he’s holding so there’s just a small amount left as he steps up to her.

He smiles widely at her, his heart fluttering as she smiles confusedly at him. Oliver reaches out, combing her now loose hair with his fingers and he tucks it behind her left ear before he reaches forward, worming the stem of the flower into her hair so that it sits above her hair.

“Felicity Megan Smoak, would you move in with me?” He finally questions as his hands drop to grasp hers and she looks up at him, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. She grins as she takes a deep breath and Oliver holds his breath as she opens her mouth to respond.

“I would love to.”

Oliver sighs in relief at her response and surges forward to kiss her, his hands cupping her face gently. It’s tender and soft and Oliver pours everything he can into it. The idea that hours ago she was in the arms of an insane man with his blade pressed to her neck only makes him cling tighter to her.

He loves her so much, more than he could ever put into words, and even though Slade is someone he doesn’t think he ever wants to agree with, he can’t deny the fact that she truly is the one who’s brought him back to life. She makes him feel alive and she makes him want to be the man she sees in him. She truly holds his heart in her hands and he gives it to her willingly because he knows that he’s lucky enough to hold hers.

“Can you believe we actually did it? We stopped him.” Felicity grins as they pull apart and Oliver smiles, pulling her into a gentle hug, being careful not to disturb her side.

“We did. I am so proud of you. I love you so much.” He tells her, whispering softly into her hair and he feels her smile against the skin of his neck.

“I love you too.”

He feels her jump at the sound of a knock at the door and he moves in front of her as they turn to see who it is. His shoulders slump at the sight of a nurse carrying a clipboard. She smiles at the two of them and Oliver moves back to Felicity’s side, taking her hand when she holds it out to him.

“Sorry to interrupt.” The nurse blushes and Felicity does as well.

“No, come in. Sorry.” She apologizes with a small smile and Oliver smiles at her too but he doesn’t apologize, he truly doesn’t feel the need to.

“Your results came back clear, Miss Smoak. There’s no infection. You’ll need to come back for us to check on the wound but you are free to go as long as you’re happy to maintain the changing routine we explained to you and your other friend?” She smiles, speaking to Felicity and the blonde smiles, nodding her head.

“Yes. All good. Changing dressings, great.” She replies and Oliver chuckles, unable to resist leaning in to kiss her temple just below the steri-stripped wound.

“Okay, we just need you to sign these and then you’re free to go.” The nurse explains, handing over the clipboard and Oliver releases her hand so that she can sign the release documents.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you.” Oliver also adds, nodding at the nurse, truly thankful for the way that they’ve helped his mother and his love.

“Oh, also, we’re going to set up the staff entrance for your car? There’s quite the crowd of press outside the main entrance of the hospital.” The nurse frowns, gesturing to the door as she takes the clipboard back from Felicity who sighs heavily.

“Of course there is.” She sighs and Oliver chuckles, taking her hand back in his.

“Thank you.” He tells the nurse and she shakes her head with a small smile.

“Of course. Just let the receptionists know when you’re ready to go.” She tells them with a nod before she leaves the room and leaves them alone once more.

“We’re going home?” Felicity questions as she turns to look at him, eyebrow raised and a small smile pulling at her lips. Oliver takes a deep breath and takes in the sight of her, unable to stop the grin that spreads across his face.

“We’re getting there, angel.”

Chapter Text

Starling Stars Online Exclusive

Putting the ‘It Girl’ into ‘I.T.’: A Conversation with Felicity Smoak

By Jessica Lorraine

Felicity Smoak is not long established as a member of Starling City elite. First bursting into the public in the months following Oliver Queen’s return from the dead (well, desert island), she sent the eagle-eyed gossipers of the city into a spin at the idea that Queen could separate from his on-again, off-again romance with long-time friend and girlfriend, Laurel Lance. But sure enough, it seemed that Queen was leaving his relationship with Lance at the bottom of the ocean and now, his attention was fixed on the blonde, babbling, and (as Starling City would come to learn) brilliant, Felicity Smoak.

When the two announced their relationship back in November in a statement following press speculation, it didn’t take long for our readers and the city at large to fall in love with the IT girl turned executive. Now well established within the public eye both as her own independent woman and as half of one of our favorite couples, I was excited to sit down with her to get the scoop on everything from her new promotion to her morning routine.

I meet the young, newly promoted executive in a coffee shop of her choice just down the road from the high rise of Queen Consolidated. I was expecting a demographic of suits and fast moving business people but the small shop is actually full of the young people who I assume fill the lower floor offices of the business quarter and the tables hold laptops and papers as students and executives alike work. It’s a place thrumming with activity and life and I happily order my cappuccino and settle into a booth whilst I wait for my guest.

Felicity Smoak bursts into the cafe a few minutes later. She moves with a pace that would indicate lateness but she’s actually five minutes early and she uses those moments to her advantage as she deliberates over what to order. It’s obvious she’s a regular here from the way the barista greets her and begins to explain the new flavors they’ve apparently recently ordered in. The blonde finally settles on a flavored Frappuccino which was certainly not my expectation. In my experience with executives and business people, they tend to be the kind to bang on about the ‘sanctity’ of coffee and the purity of an americano.

Apparently not Felicity Smoak.

The barista points me out to her and she smiles brightly when she spots me. That’s the thing about Felicity Smoak, she seems to exude light. Her smile is the kind that lights up her entire face and her eyes sparkle along with it.

What immediately strikes me after her clearly bright spirit, is how stylish she is. The gossip magazines have been following Miss Smoak for months now, their eyes peeled on her somehow effortless blend of brightly colored workwear, sky high heels, and a signature ponytail and glasses. Her look today is no different. Although the gorgeous white a-line dress with the black tie on the neckline is subtler than some of her looks, the bright pink trench coat she’s carrying over her arm and the teal colored heels (that match the color of her nails) on her feet play more into her usual bright fashion sense. It’s somehow simultaneously business quarter appropriate and fun.

She smiles brightly as she sits down, fumbling a little with her drink before she eights herself, the smile never budging from her face. As she greets me, I feel as if I’m her old friend from college who can immediately return to the easy back and forth we shared in dorm rooms and lecture halls.

J: Thank you so much for meeting me.

FS: Of course! Honestly, it’s a little odd that people actually want to interview me still so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m a little unaware of the etiquette.

J: Of course, it’s certainly been a year for you, hasn’t it?

FS: Oh yeah! Honestly, if you had told me a year ago that I’d be sat here being interviewed for a magazine as an executive at QC, I’d have laughed in your face. But it seems a lot can change in twelve months, even six!

J: How did all of this start? A year ago, you were working in the IT department of QC.

FS: I was! I first met Oliver in the October of 2012, just after he returned from the island. His stepfather, Walter, who was CEO of the company at the time, recommended that Oliver come to me with his questions about the technological developments whilst he’d been away. I’d worked closely with Walter on a few projects in the past and it seems that I had impressed him in some way.

J: So, you’d been experiencing the executive floor before you even met Oliver? Sorry, I’m sure you’re aware of some of the rumors circulating.

FS: It’s hard to miss them, but the truth is that even in the months following, I did a lot of work with Walter whilst my friendship with Oliver was developing completely separately.

J: And that’s how you first got your name in the board room?

FS: I guess so. Then after the Undertaking, Oliver asked if I would do him a favor and help him adapt to life as CEO. He has a great mind for business but he sometimes struggles with the technical language and he wanted my help with that but didn’t want to detract from my work time or take advantage of my free time. So he hired me as his EA.

J: And the move to Head of Technological Development?

FS: EA work, whilst time consuming and very important, didn’t completely fill my need for intellectual stimulation. During the months I was working as Oliver’s EA, I spent my free time developing. When the board told us they needed a new project to launch soon, I put forward my ideas. They were very impressed and asked if I would consider the position which I, of course, jumped at.

J: Do you ever miss EA work?

FS: Getting to work and play with the people that make your heart happy is an irreplaceable feeling but in my new position, I feel like I’m on the front line in really having a difference. If there’s something this new age has proven, it’s that technology really does have the power to change the world and we’re working to morph that power into something positive. Plus, you know, I am still working with those same people, just in a different capacity now.

J: Wow, sorry, that was… I was expecting you to say something about not missing fetching coffee.

(She laughs at this and blushes rather red which makes me realize she’s been nervous about saying the wrong thing this whole time. Rather odd, considering the incredible answer she gave just seconds ago).

FS: Well, that was one of my stipulations actually when I took the EA job. I wouldn’t fetch Oliver coffee and I still stand by that. So, never really a concern for me…

J: I love that! It must be strange, to be thrust under the spotlight like this.

FS: It’s certainly odd, especially because it’s really all tied back to who I’m dating which is such an archaic way of viewing women in the world. You know, I’m a human with a job of my own and thoughts and an incentive to attempt to make the world a better place and as important to me as my relationship with Oliver is, it would be nice to be able to do anything without people wondering which man helped me do it.

J: You’re completely right and I hope we continue to see a shift towards that kind of mindset moving forward.

FS: It’s something that’s so important to me.

J: Now, you’ve not only made a splash in the business quarter but the tabloids cannot keep their eyes off your fashion sense either. You have a really unique style and it’s refreshing to see someone intelligent and successful who is obviously also interested in fashion. Do you have a certain style you like or a shop you frequent particularly often?

FS: I’ve always been a bargain hunter. Growing up with a mother who loves clothes and shoes but never really had the budget to shop where she wanted to, I learned a lot about how to put together an outfit that looks expensive but isn’t particularly. My mother and I have very different styles, don’t get me wrong, but she taught me that you can never go wrong with a bright color and a pair of heels.

J: And what does a typical morning look like for you?

FS: My alarm normally goes off just before seven. Oliver’s normally up way before that and if I’m lucky, he’ll be back from his run and already brewing coffee. I try to drink a cup of coffee and a glass of water before I get in the shower and get ready. Then I eat breakfast, drink another cup of coffee and check any important emails. It’s probably about time to leave for the office then so I get another cup of coffee ready for on the go and head out the door.

J: So coffee is the secret to your success?

FS: I don’t think it’s much of a secret! But yes, I cannot function without it.

J: What would an ideal weekend look like for you?

FS: Ooo, ideal weekend… well, I’d hope that I’d wrapped everything up at the office so that I didn’t need to do any work over the weekend. A lazy morning in bed with Oliver, his incredible pancakes for brunch, and maybe having a movie night and meal with our friends. Just being surrounded by the ones that I love and enjoying some time with them all.

J: That sounds wonderful. Well, thank you so much for meeting me.

FS: Thank you for wanting to. Like I said, all still a bit of a whirlwind for me!

We continue to chat for a while until her phone rings with an emergency from the office and she apologizes profusely before rushing back towards the high rise of QC. I’m left sitting with a smile I cannot wipe off my face and that’s not just because the barista comes over to inform me that Felicity left enough money behind the till if I wanted to order one of their baked goods.

My colleagues who have met Felicity Smoak before have spoken of her candor and light spirit and I cannot deny that. She does appear to exude light and she has an authenticity to her character that is so often missing in the high flying elite of the business world. It’s obvious that she’s aware that she’s generally the smartest person in the room but that confidence somehow manages to not come across as cockiness. She’s undeniably humble and she speaks of where she comes from with pride. It’s easy to see how Oliver Queen fell so quickly for the beautiful genius and I for one, am very excited to see what comes next for Felicity Smoak.

Oliver smiles as he adds the box to the growing pile against the back wall of the apartment, his grin only growing at the sight in front of him.

Felicity’s stood in front of the glass that lines one wall of the apartment, looking out over the city. She’s dressed in yoga pants and a tank top, one of the blankets from her old apartment draped over her shoulders. He walks over to her, wrapping his arms around her and she hums, leaning back into his embrace.

“That’s the last of the boxes.” He whispers in her ear, placing a gentle kiss on the spot just above her ear.

“Hmm, thank you.” She smiles, leaning her head back on his chest and he chuckles as she pouts her lips, silently asking for a kiss. Not willing to deny her, he smirks and kisses her softly, closing his eyes as he revels in the peaceful feeling sinking into his bones.

The idea that they’d be here a month ago, as their city began to fall apart in the clasp of Oliver’s old friend turned enemy, would have been a pure delusion.

“I still can’t get over how incredible this place is.” Felicity grins as she steps away from him, looking around the impressive apartment. Oliver can’t help but grin as well. They spent a long time trying to find a place that was perfect and he’d known instantly when they walked in here that this was it. Felicity’s eyes had just lit up and he adored everything about it as well. The kitchen is fully equipped with an island large enough to fully supersede his needs. There’s a spare room for their friends to crash in and the perfect nook in the corner of the open plan space for Felicity’s computer station. The shower the size of most bathrooms is also a huge plus.

“And with the best security in the city.” He comments his last thought aloud, making Felicity chuckle as she turns back to look at him. Her hair flies around her head as she does so, the blonde locks catching in the evening light streaming in through the windows. She’s never looked more like the angel he sees her as.

“Yes, you worrier.” She teases, her eyes dancing with mirth in the light and Oliver chuckles, shaking his head.

“Can you blame me? After everything this year, I honestly don’t think I could cope if you were hurt under my watch again.” He questions, holding his hand out towards her and she smirks, stepping into his embrace.

“I’m fine. Thea’s fine, your mom, even Laurel… we’re all okay, Oliver, and you did it, you brought him down without breaking your promise to Tommy. Have I told you how proud I am of you?” Felicity questions, her hands cupping his chin as she smiles at him. He smiles as well, shaking his head.

“Only about a million times. Promise I’m not tired of hearing it, though. You were pretty incredible yourself.” He reminds her and she smirks, bashfully tucking her chin into her shoulder.

“Well you know me and danger, we’re basically best friends at this point.” She jokes, the light-hearted tone of her words helping him to alleviate the tension he immediately feels upon hearing them.

“Yeah, gotta say I’m not a fan of that particular friendship.” He responds, frowning as he shakes his head and Felicity snorts adorably before she grins up at him.

“Well luckily for you, this apartment will basically be a stronghold once I finish adding my own security.” She states with a smile as she stands on her toes and wraps her arms around his neck. His hands drop down to her waist, rubbing his thumb under her tank top on her side that isn’t scarred. He’s still a little tentative with her other side, despite it being practically fully healed. He doesn’t want to hurt her. In fact, that’s the last thing he wants.

“And that’s why they pay you the big bucks.” He tells her and her nose scrunches up adorably.

“Yeah, still not quite used to that.”

Oliver smirks. He does sometimes miss the closeness of their old working relationship but he couldn’t be prouder of her for the work she’s done at QC since they returned to the company. The board had made it clear that as happy as they were for him to continue as CEO, they desperately needed to announce a release so that their investors didn’t pull their backing. The issue had been that with Oliver having been gone, the upcoming projects were nowhere near completion and that’s when Felicity had stepped in to save the day. She’d collated some of the enhancements she made to their tech for the Foundry and designed a whole range of smart home security that had stabilized the company’s place in the market.

The board basically begged for her promotion after that and Oliver has been very happy to watch her soar as she assumes her position at the head of their technology development department. It still means that they both operate out of the executive floor but he does miss being able to see her beautiful face just by looking up.

“Get used to it. You’re going places, Smoak, and I am so proud of you. So proud.” He tells her, emphasizing his last two words with a kiss to each of her cheeks and she giggles adorably, squirming away from him.

“Stop. Oliver.” She laughs bashfully but Oliver merely catches her around her waist gently, tugging her back towards him.

“I. Love. You. So. Much.” He continues, pressing kisses to where his lips can reach as she squirms in his arms. Her laughs reverberate around the empty apartment and Oliver cannot keep the grin off his face as she finally escapes his arms.

“You’re such a dork.” She sighs as she gets her breath back but the massive grin on her face lessens the blow. She raises her arms in surrender as she steps up to him again, rising onto her toes to kiss him gently. “I love you too.”

 They’re interrupted by a loud banging on the door and Oliver frowns as he steps away from Felicity.

“Hey lovebirds! Quit making out and let us in!” Thea’s voice sounds through the thick door and Oliver sends a giggling Felicity a look as he moves to open it. His sister is grinning cheekily, holding a bottle of wine in her hands, with Roy and their mother stood behind her with amused expressions on their faces.

“Speedy.” He comments with a sigh and she smirks, stepping up to him to press a quick kiss to his cheek before pushing past him.

“Ollie.” She greets back in a bad impression of his voice before she turns to Felicity, squealing as she flies across the floor to pull her into a hug. “Hi, Felicity!”

“Hi, Thea.” Felicity chuckles as she’s swayed back and forth in the hug by the excitable teenager. Oliver snorts and turns back to the door, greeting his mother with a kiss to her cheek and Roy with a handshake.

“Your article just went up! It’s so good! I read it on the way here. You were very eloquent.” Thea exclaims to Felicity, her grin practically the size of her face and Felicity flushes, making Oliver smile. She’d been incredibly nervous about the interview she did for Starling Stars last week, worried that she was going to put her foot in her mouth the entire time, and when she arrived back at the office and he’d dropped in to ask her about it, she told him that blacked out and couldn’t remember a thing. Oliver’s sure that she was just as wonderful as she always is and even if she did let one of her classic double entendres slip, it would come across as endearing to the interviewer as it does to all of them.

“Ooo, fancy.” She smirks as she pulls back from Thea and Moira swoops in to kiss her cheek in greeting.

“Thea read me some of the highlights, you handled yourself very well.” His mother comments and Felicity blushes, ducking her head bashfully.

“Thank you, I was so worried I was just going to word vomit all over the shot.” She chuckles and Oliver does as well, leading them all over to the area where they’ve at least managed to get the couches in place. He fetches some glasses for Thea to pour the wine into and relaxes into the couch next to Felicity, smiling as she curls into his side.

His mother’s leg is fully healed now as well and Oliver is happy to see her skin devoid of any bandages or gauze. There’s still a rather nasty scar and it still sends a stab of guilt through him but he can see the improvement the wound has made in the weeks since their confrontation with Slade, just like Felicity’s.

The emotional scars are taking a lot longer to heal, however, as those kinds of scars are wont to do. It’s rare that a night goes by without he or Felicity waking up from a nightmare. Oliver’s range from being placed back in the position of having to choose one of them to die to arriving at the treeline and them all already having been killed. Felicity’s resigned agreement to offer herself to be the one to die haunts nearly all of them. Oliver knows that how she looked in that moment, tears streaming down her face with her jaw locked in determination, will stay tattooed in his brain forever. He knows that they managed to end it with possibly the best outcome it could’ve, but the idea that they came so close to one of them dying still eats at Oliver every night he closes his eyes.

“How’s Diggle’s wi… sorry, partner getting along?”

His mother’s question draws Oliver’s mind away and he blinks as the room comes into focus around him once more. He looks down next to him at Felicity who’s grinning at the mention of Lyla and more specifically, the implication of the baby growing inside her.

The news was a bit of a bombshell but Oliver could not be more excited for his friend. He knows that his reconnection with his ex-wife has been one of his biggest accomplishments of the past year and to hear that they’re expecting such a happy arrival made Oliver so incredibly happy for Diggle, who of course deserves all the happiness in the world.

“She’s okay. She’s having the worst bout of morning sickness but other than that, I think they’re both just so excited.” Felicity explains, her smile only growing as she speaks about it. Truthfully, Oliver doesn’t know if Digg’s more excited than Felicity who had practically started squealing at the mere mention of a baby.

She’s dragged him to about nine separate baby stores already to find the perfect present for them but she hasn’t found ‘the right one’ yet. Oliver’s indulged her because honestly, she’s far too adorable when she’s that excited to refuse.

God, he loves her.

“Poor girl, I had the worst morning sickness when I was pregnant with Oliver. I couldn’t keep anything down. It was awful.” His mother comments, scrunching up her nose before smiling when she catches Oliver looking at her.

“Digg said those ginger candy things were working, didn’t he?” Oliver questions, looking down at Felicity who nods with a small smile.

“Thankfully. I don’t know whether either of them could’ve coped with another week of it going the way it was.” She explains and they all frown.

“So what’s going where?” Thea asks and Oliver is grateful for the move away from bodily functions in the conversation. He perks up, squeezing Felicity’s arm before he stands and starts explaining what they want to do with the space now that all their stuff is in.

This is the sort of thing he never imagined would’ve excited him but the idea of making this apartment an expression of the both of them and their love fills him with such a childlike excitement. He wants to pick out tile and towels and debate whether they should replace the glass panels on the doors of their kitchen cabinets. He wants a life with Felicity and the fact that he has a chance to do that here makes him so incredibly happy and excited for what the future might hold.

He speaks his family through what they want to do with the space and Felicity interjects her comments here and there, smiling affectionately at him from her place on the couch. He tells them about the corner he wants to set up for Felicity’s computers and the pull out they found online the other night that, along with some cushions, will turn the dead space under the stairs into a perfect little nook. He explains that they’re considering a different light fitting above the dining table and that they’ve got their eyes on a few rugs to warm up the floors from the expanse of hardwood.

“Wow.” Thea blinks when he finishes, looking at him as if he’s grown another head and he frowns. “Who knew you were so domesticated?”

“I think it’s wonderful,” Moira interjects, sending Thea a reproachful look but the teenager merely shrugs her shoulders with a smile.

“Just wait, Thea. One day you’ll get excited about rugs too.” Felicity laughs, looking up at Oliver with that same affection still shining in her eyes and he smiles down at her. He can feel his world narrow until all he can see is her and the light surrounding her, drawing him in.

He jumps at the sound of a throat clearing and turns to see his sister smirking at them. Felicity blushes and ducks her head down to his shoulder but Oliver merely smiles back at Thea, unfazed.

“Come on, let's leave the lovebirds to their newfound peace.” His mother prompts as she stands and Oliver frowns at that.

“Oh, you don’t have to go,” Felicity tells them, pulling her head out as she sits up as she too frowns at Moira but the matriarch just waves them off.

“Don’t be silly, it’s your first night in your own home. You don’t want us invading on that. We just wanted to stop by and say hello and give you the wine as a housewarming present.” Moira shakes her head and gestures Roy and Thea off their seats as well.

“You already got us the bespoke wardrobes in the bedrooms. Thank you again for that, by the way.” Felicity frowns as she moves across the floor to hug Moira and the affectionate smile that spreads across his mother’s face makes Oliver glow with happiness. They have such a bond and he loves seeing it.

“Don’t be silly. It’s what family’s for.” His mother tells her as she squeezes the blonde tightly before pulling back and heading towards the door.

“Bye Ollie!” Thea grins as she wraps her arms around him and Oliver chuckles, hugging her tight to him before he leads her towards the door to meet the others.

“Bye Speedy.” He tells her affectionately, bending to kiss her cheek before he turns to Roy.

“I’ll see you guys next week? Back in the bunker?” He questions, looking between the two of them and Oliver smiles as Felicity wraps herself around his arm.

“We’ll be there.” He confirms to him and Roy smiles, nodding his head.

Oliver’s honestly looking forward to getting back onto the streets properly. They’ve been responding to emergencies the best they can over the past few weeks but they have taken a bit of a break, allowing SCPD to deal with more of the petty crime than they normally would.

Sara’s dropped back once in the time since they took Slade down, having headed back to Nanda Parbat after accompanying them to Lian Yu to place him in the prison there. She’s been keeping Felicity updated with the phone they gave her but Oliver is glad to know that she’s happy, even if he can’t quite understand her wish to return to the League.

Laurel has happily settled back into life in the DA’s office and she reacted considerably well to the revelation of Oliver’s secret identity. ‘You catch ‘em, I cook ‘em’, she told him a week or so ago and it made Oliver chuckle. He’s glad to see her doing so well and not regressing back into the tendencies that gave her so many obstacles to overcome in the last year.

Lance is a bit of a different story. He hasn’t spoken of Oliver’s hood wearing counterpart since the night they took Slade down but he seems to be happy to keep the secret. For now.

That’s a bridge Oliver’s happy to cross when they come to it honestly though.

There’s a lot more hugs and farewells before Oliver shuts the door behind his family but when he turns around, it’s to see Felicity smiling at him. Her eyes are shining with something and he steps up to her, his hands lifting to cup her soft face.

“Are you alright?” He asks with a small frown but her smile just widens as she nuzzles into his hands.

“Hmm. Just happy.” She confirms and Oliver hums, bending to press his lips against hers in a soft kiss.

“I believe, Miss Smoak, that we have a ridiculously enormous bed to christen.” He tells her with a smirk as they pull apart and Felicity giggles, rising onto her toes as she runs her hands up underneath his t-shirt.

“I think you might be right there, Mr. Queen.” She states coyly and Oliver waits until she settles her heels back on the floor before he bands an arm around her waist and under her knees to scoop her into his arms. “Oliver!”

“What? It’s a tradition.” He tells her as he walks towards the stairs and holds her tightly as he starts the ascent towards their bedroom.

“We’re not married! And you already carried me across the actual threshold earlier.” Felicity tells him, exasperation evident in her tone but Oliver just chuckles as they reach the top of the stairs and he rounds into the large open space of the master bedroom.