Chapter Text
Tommy Merlyn had never been much of one for conspiracies. He always took things at face value, believed in what could be seen and little else. But ever since his best friend went missing over two years ago, things had changed. Because Oliver Queen wasn’t just his best friend-- the two had grown up together, they were practically brothers. And that made Oliver’s disappearance and alleged death a little harder to accept.
Tommy didn’t talk about it much, but he always wondered if Oliver was alive. He always had that gnawing in the back of his mind telling him he should be looking for Oliver, telling him that he had to have proof- one way or the other- before he could accept that his best friend was gone for good.
If he were being honest with himself, Tommy was never really good at letting things go. His father called it having a soft heart, making it sound like a weakness to destroy, but he always kept a strong hold on it. It was why he so seldom got attached to women, terrified that he’d lose someone the same way he lost his mother and Oliver. So it was better to keep the girls he dated at arms length. An infamous billionaire playboy to the core, he spent his time enjoying women whose names he would never learn and phone numbers he would never acquire. Tommy Merlyn protected himself first and foremost.
Life after Oliver disappeared got complicated, and not just because Tommy lost his wingman. Too many feelings resurfaced over losing his mother and Tommy couldn’t let the unknown of it all go on any longer. So he started searching for his friend. It was just a hobby at first-- something he did on the off-chance that he didn’t go out and bring a nameless woman home with him. The obsession took hold of him when something popped up in Hong Kong-- an alert from Oliver’s email account. Tommy had been stupid enough to go looking into it, flying all the way to Hong Kong just to get shut down by way of being kidnapped. And now Tommy had been sitting on that damn recording of his own kidnapping for three months as curiosity scratched away at his brain more and more every day.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Tommy rubbed his temples, trying to concentrate on the check he was writing out to the Glades Free Clinic. Not that thinking about his mother's clinic was helping get his mind off Oliver at all. More like making it worse.
Tommy dropped his pen back on the desk, slipping the side drawer open. He pushed papers to the side, popping off the false bottom. There, in the secret spot, he kept the last momentos of the two people he missed the most. His mother’s wedding band, and a couple journals she had kept in her life. Of Ollie, Tommy had a few concert tickets and an empty bottle of whiskey- the first one they had ever nicked from his father’s stash. Tommy pulled the bottle from the drawer, uncapped it, and let the usb drive tumble into his hand.
It was paranoia, he knew, hiding the thing so far away from prying eyes. But he could still feel the bindings cutting into his wrists like it had happened yesterday. It was a miracle his kidnapper hadn’t found the recording device on him; if he had, Tommy would probably still be there-- or worse.
But he had somehow made it out with the recording and his life, and more questions than he knew what to do with. Like why the Hong Kong police showed up to save him that night. He’d been taken from his hotel room, and when he’d returned nothing had been amiss. So why were the police looking for him? It was something a rational person would have checked up on, but the chilling voice of his kidnapper had played over and over in his head. He knew that if he wanted answers, he couldn’t find them on his own in China.
Not that he’d had any luck since he’d returned. It was no secret that computer sciences weren’t his forte, and the audio on the recording was terrible. It was like trying to listen to a song with one’s head submerged underwater. He needed help if he was ever going to make sense of the thing. But there wasn’t anyone he could trust with this. And Tommy was still unsure if he wanted to pursue this course any further. He’d nearly been killed last time. Was discovering the truth worth the emotional-- and quite possibly physical-- pain he would have to go through to get it?
His phone buzzed, relieving him momentarily from the decision weighing heavy on his mind. A text message from Thea about his party later on that night. A party that she had given him a pouty face over not being invited to. Damn if it wasn’t hard looking out for Ollie’s little sister sometimes. She had a wild streak in her to rival her big brother and Tommy wished she wasn’t in such a hurry to be Ollie 2.0. There was something to be said about growing up too soon, and Thea was fast tracking that route like no other.
With a sigh, Tommy dropped the drive back in it’s bottle, which he sealed up and returned to it’s hiding place. Maybe he could do nothing for Oliver right now, but one thing he could do for his best friend was try and and keep Thea from turning into the delinquent teenagers they had been. Tommy typed up a reply text to her, reminding her again, that she was not invited to the party. He just hoped the younger Queen listened.
---
Tommy’s party had been broken up by the cops. And not in the good way. If there was a good way? But certainly dead guys falling from the second floor balcony was the worst possible way. The whole thing happened so fast that Tommy thought maybe he was just imagining it. It was probably just that Oliver had been on his mind a lot lately. He couldn’t have actually seen Ollie at the party.
Needing to clear his head once everyone finally left of the mansion, Tommy took his Porsche downtown, a place where anonymity could be found in the cool air and mostly abandoned streets of the business district of Starling. But walking past Queen Consolidated, Tommy was unable to find himself clear minded. In fact, he was more confused than ever, wondering if there was any way Ollie had been there. Even knowing it was crazy, it didn’t stop him from pulling a QC keycard from his wallet. He hadn’t used it in two years, and to be honest he wasn’t sure it would work, but the light turned green and the door clicked open when Tommy pressed the card to the electronic lock pad. He found himself smirking at the memory of the time he and Ollie convinced a couple of drunk and flirty college girls to come back with them for an impromptu ‘board meeting’.
There was a security guard at the front who nodded to him as Tommy moved through the lobby toward the elevators because even though he hadn’t been there after hours in years, Tommy still visited Moira semi-regularly. He wasn’t even sure why he was doing this, why he was here. But one insane thought in his mind was constant-- if he had actually seen Oliver at his party, would he possibly show up here too?
Tommy pressed the elevator button for the 40th floor where Moira’s office was. Oliver or not, Tommy needed to be somewhere quiet to sort out the events of the evening. It was a lot; everything these days felt so heavy, even Laurel showing back up.
Tommy had asked her out earlier that evening and the more he thought about it, the worse he felt about doing it. After all, Ollie and Laurel had been through a lot together, and presumed dead or not, it still felt a bit like he was somehow violating the bro-code by moving in on her.
The elevator dinged, signaling the stop at a floor and he looked up, confused that he wasn’t anywhere close to the top of the building yet.
A blonde entered, seemingly distracted by the papers in her arms. She didn’t even look at him as she pushed the button for the top floor.
“‘Oh Miss Smoak you can stay late and finish those reports for Mrs. Queen can’t you?’,” the girl said her voice deep and mocking. “Sure Mr. Collins, it’s not like I’m young and have a life. I mean I’m only 20 what could I possibly have to do on a Friday night that doesn’t involve work.”
Tommy couldn’t help the smile that crept across his face. The girl clearly had no idea she wasn’t alone, so to avoid giving her a heart attack, he cleared his throat.
He had clearly misjudged that idea because not only did she jump while letting out a yelp, but the stack of papers in her arms went flying, cascading to the floor of the elevator.
“Please tell me that did not just happen?” she groaned, her face contorting into a pout. “I mean I spent the last two hours neatly organizing that pile. So just tell me I’m hallucinating.”
“I am so sorry.” Tommy bent down trying to help gather the papers together. “I didn’t want to scare you.”
“Bang up job,” she muttered, taking the pages from his hands. She stopped when she looked at him, gulping. “You’re Tommy Merlyn.”
“Guilty,” he said with a smile.
“Great I just got angry and used my loud voice at my boss’ dead son’s best friend,” she shook her head groaning. “I’m sorry that was not how I meant it. However accurate it is. Sorry, again.”
“I should be the one who’s sorry.” Tommy frowned, looking at the jumbled pile in her hands. “I really didn’t mean to startle you. I didn’t think anyone would be here this late.”
“What, were you planning a heist? Not that you look like you would break into a family friend’s company to steal things… or that you need the money. Though I mean that’s as good a cover for thievery as anything else. I don’t usually talk this much.”
“Something tells me that isn’t exactly true.” Tommy laughed, before sighing. “Truth be told, I just needed a place to be alone with some thoughts.”
“I can understand that, but,” she replied, leaning against the back wall and gesturing to the single light illuminated on the elevator wall. “Moira Queen’s office? I mean don’t you have like a whole mansion you could hide in?”
“You’d be surprised how little you can hide in a place like that,” he looked down, seeking her name on the badge around her neck. “Felicity Smoak?”
“Yep she is I, or well I’m her. That’s me,” she winced knocking her head into the paneled wall. “Please ignore me and go about your evening.”
“You’re actually improving it greatly,” he replied, leaning next to her. “So thank you.”
“For being a jumpy klutz? Or for not being able to tell my douche of a supervisor that I was not hired for my filing skills,” she joked, before her face fell. “Not that I should be bad mouthing my superiors to you or anyone who is close with the Queen family. I mean, I really love my job, I do. I’m just cranky because I was suppose to go to a party with a friend of mine. I say friend, she’s a girl who lives in my building, not that we couldn’t be friends. She’s nice enough. But of course, new girl gets stuck late at the office. That way if anything happens they don’t have to blame someone with seniority.”
“Felicity,” Tommy cut her off with a grin. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell anyone that you called your supervisor a douche.”
Felicity cleared her throat and he caught her eyeing the numbers going up on the elevator wall. “So, do you come here often?” she said, and then wrinkled her nose. “Wow that sounded like a line… I didn’t mean…”
“I haven’t been here in a while,” he interjected, trying to hide his smile. The elevator dinged at the top floor and the doors slid open. Tommy held out a hand, letting Felicity exit first. They walked side by side down the hallway and toward Moira’s office. “You should probably let me help you with those,” he said, gesturing to the papers in her arms.
Felicity shook her head furiously. “No, I have this whole system and…”
Tommy rested a hand on her arm, causing her voice to trail off. “It’s my fault you dropped them. It’s only fair that you let me help you.”
“I thought you wanted to think? By yourself?” She questioned meekly as they entered Moira’s office.
“I think some company might do me some good,” he answered. And Tommy actually meant it. He wasn’t sure why, since he’d come to this place seeking solace or hoping for some confirmation that Oliver was alive. But now, he was grateful for Felicity being a friendly face. Somehow her chatter didn’t hurt either. In fact, it helped him get out of his mind a little. It seemed to be exactly what he needed.
---
Watching Starling City fade into the horizon was the worst part of the whole trip. Although killing the guy at Tommy’s party hadn’t been high on the list either. To be fair, the trip on the whole had been full of more pain than it was worth. Seeing Tommy and Thea at his grave and knowing the pain they were in because of him, knowing that he could have fixed it all just by stepping out from his hiding place that day, it hurt and angered and frustrated him more than he'd expected. But somehow, watching his city grow ever smaller as the plane took off and headed back to Hong Kong, Oliver had a sinking feeling in his gut that told him getting back there again was never going to happen.
If the last two years had taught him anything, it was that trusting someone, especially before he knew their motives, usually only ended one way. And Oliver couldn’t hope again. Every time he even let a small sliver of hope into his heart it was broken and twisted into something dark and cold. Trusting Shrieve was not going to happen as quickly as the General might like it to. In fact, Oliver wasn’t sure it would happen at all.
He wasn’t the same person who’d left on that boat. Oliver Queen had died the day his father had. That bullet had had both of their names on it, damning their souls to the ocean below. He knew his father wanted him to survive, to claw his way back home, and right the wrongs he’d done to their city. But Oliver couldn’t guarantee that would happen. At least not if Amanda Waller had anything to say about it.
The flight back to Hong Kong felt longer than the trip out, partially because he knew what he was leaving behind and partially because he had no idea what he was heading back to. He glanced over to Maseo and found the man’s eyes trained on him like he was trying to decipher Oliver’s mood. Anyone else in his position would be ecstatic at the prospect of finally getting out from under Waller’s control and returning from the dead to their friends and family, but he knew his face was probably set in a hard line, no emotion slipping past his mask.
“Are you alright?” Maseo asked in a hushed voice. No one had told them they couldn’t talk, but still Oliver’s shoulders tensed, ready for an attack.
“I’m fine,” he replied, watching General Shrieve out of the corner of his eye. Nothing felt like it was adding up and he’d spent enough time in hell to know that sometimes the devil you know is the only thing you can count on. And Oliver didn’t know a damn thing about this guy.
He wondered if he was being paranoid; that maybe he was letting everything that happened to him since he’d left on the Gambit taint his perception of people. But he couldn’t help it-- Fryers, Ivo, Waller, they’d all done terrible things in the name of what they believed in. They had all forced Oliver to do things in the name of what they each believed in. He was left wondering just what Shrieve would have him do; what scrap of Oliver Queen did he have to relinquish this time?
Maseo’s eyes were hard on him, but his friend didn’t say anything more. Friend. Oliver almost smiled at the thought. It had been a long time since he’d been able to count on anyone enough to consider them a friend. Not since Slade-- and he couldn’t bring himself to dwell on how that friendship ended. Sooner or later something had to give, right?
Oliver leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes and pushing out a long breath. He hadn’t expected Thea to look so different. She’d grown up so much over the last couple of years. His stomach tightened at the thought of his baby sister buying drugs. Even if his solution earlier that night hadn’t been the best long term, he felt slightly better about leaving Starling with one less drug dealer on the streets.
He must have drifted off at some point, because he woke with a start and on high alert to Maseo’s hand on his shoulder. It wasn’t like Oliver to lose control of his faculties like that in public. He’d learned better than that since his first night on Lian Yu.
Maseo gave him a small nod and Oliver realized the plane had landed. They were escorted from the tarmac to awaiting humvees where Oliver assumed they’d be debriefed on their mission. The air stilled around them, and without reason, Oliver knew something bad was about to happen.
From the darkness, men came from around the caravan of vehicles, out numbering Shrieve’s men three to one. Stone faces, with machine guns trained forward. Trained on him, Maseo, and the General.
Amanda Waller appeared among them, stepping out from behind the larger of her agents. She kept her arms crossed, wearing the look of someone who could see at least six moves ahead in chess. He’d seen that look on her several times, but none of them chilled him more than it did right then.
“There’s no need for this Amanda,” Shrieve said, moving to address the group as a whole. “These men have done a service to your organization, but it’s time to cut your loses.”
“That’s why you are still heading a known branch of the US government, General,” Waller replied, her smile growing. “I don’t cut loose people who are still of use to me. I just find different ways to motivate them.”
Two of her men moved behind her, their grips tight on something. Oliver tensed, his gaze sliding to Maeso. Both asking the same unspoken question. What would Waller deem as ‘motivation’?
The men finally came into view, and Oliver’s heart nearly stopped. One had Akio by the arm, so tight the boy had tears in his eyes. Oliver could also just make out the hand gun pressed to Akio’s shoulder. Maseo moved immediately, but Oliver reached over, grounding the boy’s father in his spot. Rash moves wouldn’t help the kid; it would only start a blood bath.
After a long moment when the world around them seemed to slow, Oliver finally focused on the other man, whose arms were wrapped around a limp Tatsu. No wonder Waller looked so smug.
“Tatsu,” Maseo cried out and Oliver hand to pull him back to his spot next to him.
“Don’t,” Oliver said harshly, thinking slightly more clearly than Maseo in that moment. Waller wasn’t stupid enough to kill Maseo’s family, Oliver was sure of it.
“She’s not dead,” Waller stated. She moved closer to Akio, ruffling his hair. “What kind of person would murder a child’s mother right in front of him?”
“Let them go, Amanda,” Oliver seethed, locking eyes with Akio for the briefest of seconds. He hated to see so much pain in the eyes of someone so young. “You don’t need them. I’ll stay. Okay? Let Maseo take his family and go. And I swear I’ll do whatever you want.”
“This isn’t a negotiation Mr. Queen,” she stepped across the space; Shrieve’s men tailed her with their weapons, but if it phased her she didn’t let on. “This is me, getting what I want. Now the two of you are going to walk over there, slowly. Mr. Yamashiro you can tend to your wife, and Mr. Queen can stand with the boy.”
He had hated Amanda Waller several times over the last few months. Had come to loathe the very thought of her. But he’d never once wished he could take the things she’d been instilling in him, and turn around and use them on her. Not until that moment.
Oliver flicked his gaze back to Maseo-- the only person he’d consider saying he trusted-- and he could see it. He knew what his friend needed of him, but he wasn’t sure he could do it. But he chanced another look at Tatsu, just starting to stir, and Akio, who stood petrified around strangers. And he gave Maseo a faint nod.
They moved forward, their steps in sync as though they had been partners for decades, rather than just a few short months. Once they passed Waller he could almost sense her grin at the both of them; but he blocked it out, he had to. Focus was the only thing he could rely on right then. And with every step he took, he zoned in on the men around Akio. The one with the gun had to go first. He was too close to the boy for Oliver’s liking.
Once Oliver stopped in front of Akio, he dropped to his knee. Looking him in the eye he whispered, “You okay?”
Akio’s lip trembled, but he nodded. “My mom, she’s… she’s…”
“You’re mom’s tough,” Oliver replied, trying to give him a reassuring smile. “And she’s gonna need you to be tough too. Alright?”
“Yeah.”
Oliver squeezed the boy’s shoulder when he stood, giving the guard a nod.
In a blink, Oliver pulled Akio behind him as he grabbed the man’s wrist, twisting until he heard the snaps and pops of his joints. He disarmed the guard quickly, using the gun to his advantage, shooting the closest three men in the chest.
Oliver wasn’t sure if Shrieve’s men had been stunned into inaction or were waiting for a command, but in an instant all of their weapons were drawn and bullets began raining down around them. Oliver had just enough time to pull Akio under the closet truck before the spray of bullets reached them.
Looking across the space, Oliver found Maseo and Tatsu joining in the fight against Waller’s men. But they were losing fast and soon Amanda would realize he and Akio were no longer in the middle of things. Oliver was left with only one choice.
“Akio,” he looked over at the boy. His eyes squeezed closed, crunching his small face. “Hey we gotta go. Now.”
“What about my parents?” he asked, sounding like tears would fall. Their eyes found each other and Oliver forced himself not to react emotionally. It was the only way they were going to get out alive.
“Right now I need to keep you safe,” he said taking a deep breath, and pointing to the grove a trees on their right. “We get there, and away from all this, then I can get you back to your parents.”
“Promise?”
He couldn’t. There was no way he could make such a commitment right now. All he could do was take Akio and keep him from Waller. “I promise I’ll keep you safe. Now run.”
And he did. Then Oliver did too. They ran until they could no longer hear the ring of bullets. And then they ran some more.
---
It was wrong to be staring, wasn’t it? Because this was Tommy Merlyn, heir to the Merlyn Global empire, not to mention billionaire playboy and complete and utter babe. But it had to be wrong to be staring at him as they sat across from each other at the coffee table in Moira Queen’s office. Felicity had been in that same office just a few hours ago, collecting the papers they were now sorting for the second time. It was pretty much the last place she had expected to be that late, and the last person she’d expected to be with, and the last thing she’d expected to be doing. But there they sat.
“Are you really only twenty?” Tommy asked, pulling her attention up from the expense reports she had nearly sorted by department and month.
Her brow furrowed and she tried to remember telling him how old she was. “What?” she asked, feeling a bit of a blush creep into her cheeks.
“It’s just that in the elevator-- you said you were twenty and this is kind of a big company for someone so young and pretty and I was just surprised.”
Yep, now she was definitely blushing. Hard. Because had Tommy Merlyn just called her pretty? She looked up at him through her lashes, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “Yeah, I graduated MIT last year and Starling was the only place I wanted to be. It was either work here or… well… your father’s company. I interviewed for both, but QC got back to me first with an offer. It’s an amazing start for a career in the IT field.”
Now it was Tommy’s brow that furrowed, his eyebrows knitting together. “You graduated MIT at 19?”
Felicity nodded, her eyes downcast at the paperwork.
“And they have you sorting paperwork at eleven o’clock at night on a Friday?” His voice was curious, but there was a hint of something else there too.
She shrugged. “The head of the IT department is a bit of a misogynist. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m an intern.”
“Do you want me to talk to--”
“No,” Felicity interjected quickly. “I’m not looking for any handouts.” She darted her eyes up to look at Tommy, finding him leaning slightly towards her, an amused expression on his face.
After a long moment of silence between them, Tommy smiled brightly enough that his eyes crinkled at the corners. “You are certainly not what I expected to find here tonight.”
She scrunched up her nose, giving him a quizzical look. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Better than I expected,” he replied as he leaned back again. His eyes seemed to focus on something behind her as he let out a sigh. “Well it’s official now.”
“What is?” she looked around, only eyeing the clock on Mrs. Queen’s desk. Wow, it really was after 11. How had she let herself get talked into working again?
“February 18th, 11:28 pm,” He replied, ticking off the facts, before meeting her eyes. “I’m officially one year older.”
“Tell me I did not just make you spend your birthday filing stuff for a company that doesn’t even have your name on the side of the building,” she groaned, rubbing circles into her temples. “Sorry again.”
“Felicity,” he said. “I promise you, this is a lot better than what I was planning on doing.”
“Which was?” she shook her head with a laugh. “Sorry you really don’t have to answer that, at all.”
He laughed again, which was bad. Felicity had to keep reminding herself this was Tommy Merlyn she was talking to. He wasn’t an anonymous face that she would forget about a few days later. In fact, this was probably heading to the top of her ten best nights list. And wow, did she really need to get out more.
“Have you ever gotten so used to having someone in your life... you’re so dependent on them always being there, that when they’re gone, it’s hard to really let go?”
She nodded, because boy could she relate. Her heart still ached when she thought of Cooper. She’d still grab her phone in a haze of excitement over some new gadget or coding breakthrough, only to remember that he wouldn’t pick up the other end of the line. That he couldn’t do anything anymore. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times, and it’s cliched and always sounds so hollow. I bet it’s not easy, losing your best friend.”
“Sometimes, I let myself believe he’s still around,” Tommy said, his eyes unfocused, like he was thinking about another place entirely. But he shook himself out of it, focusing back on her with a smile. “That probably sounds stupid.”
“No it doesn’t.” She understood. She’d pretend Cooper was still around too, that she would go home to her apartment, and he would be there waiting for her with a smile. And the reality would crash around her and her empty home.
Tommy cleared his throat, sitting up. “Sorry to bring the room down like that. I’m usually rather fun.”
“I bet you say that to all your girls.” Felicity stopped a blush crawling up her cheeks. “Not that I’m one of your girls, or would ever be. Sorry, I have this defective filter thing. And it apparently only gets worse the later at night it is.”
He just looked further amused by her. “So are we done here? With the papers I mean.”
She looked at the stacks, everything finally back the way it had been. “I think so. Granted, if something’s wrong I’m sure I’ll be the first to hear about it. Well, after Mrs. Queen yells at my boss.”
“Ah come on, Moira’s all bark and, okay yeah she’s got some bite too,” he joked, as he stood. He seemed to be waiting for something but what Felicity wasn’t sure. “You have like a bag or something you need to get?”
“Sorry what is happening right now?”
“Well seeing as how my mother would never forgive me if I let a young lady walk to her car this late at night without an escort,” Tommy shrugged. “I am walking you to the parking garage.”
“You really don’t have to do that,” she stood quickly, almost bashing her head into his chin, but his arms were there, steadying her. “Really, Tommy, the guards are good here. Carlos and Jesse know me by name.”
“I’m still walking you to your car,” he said with an intensity in his words that sparked a fragment of a memory. She recalled the story of what happened to Rebecca Merlyn- a mugging gone horribly wrong.
With a compassionate smile, she relented. “Thank you.”
He motioned for her to proceed and she couldn’t help but laugh. When she’d reluctantly agreed to work late, never in a million years would she have foreseen the evening playing out like this. Her mother would have a cow if Felicity told her she’d spent the evening with a billionaire and paperwork… On second thought maybe she didn’t need to tell her mom about this particular work related story.