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Chapter Text

It won't go away so I guess this qualifies as a self prompt? I apologize ahead of time for the horrible thing I'm about to do. Does it qualify as crack if the situation is serious? 

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Felicity took a deep preparatory breath to confront, by far, the worst part of her job and knocked on the door. 

"Ms. Rochev, I have contracts for you to sign. I know it's the end of the day. But I think it's probably better to give these to you now, so you can have them ready first thing in the morning. If you want to have them ready in the morning...that's totally up to you." Felicity managed to finish without resorting to counting.

Since Isabel Rochev was sitting down, Felicity just walked in and handed her the stack of contracts that's been weighing her down for the last two floors. She turns to walk out when she hears Isabel's voice. 

"Ms. Smoak? A word." 

Felicity rolled her eyes out of eyesight, thinking Oh, so close to freedom, braced herself and turned around to walk back to Isabel's desk. Isabel surprisingly enough, got up from behind her desk and walked over and sat down in one of the two chairs in front of where she normally holds court. She gestured for Felicity to sit next to her and actually moved the two chairs closer together. 

"First, I'd like to point out that it's well after business hours, so what I'm saying now, I consider on my and by extension, your own personal time, Ms. Smoak. " Isabel quietly cleared her throat. "As you are aware, I misjudged Mr. Queen when I set out to purchase Queen Consolidated." 

Felicity gave a brief chuckle. "I am indeed aware." 

"I've been researching the major players in this company in an endeavor to not make the same mistake twice when I found out I already had." Isabel leaned closer and spoke in a lower tone. " I erroneously believed that Oliver hired you for less than professional reasons." 

"Again, Ms. Rochev, you made that very clear on our business trip in Moscow." Felicity stated in a chilly tone of voice. 

"Honestly, I don't understand why Oliver Queen put someone of your skills in an administrative position," Isabel let her clasped hands fall gently against Felicity's arm as she leaned closer. "I've been watching you and I have to say, I think he's taking you for granted. Even though, you're excelling as an Executive Assistant, Oliver doesn't make your job any easier. I guess I'm just trying to go to the source to understand this arrangement. Solely for my own benefit." 

Felicity straightened in her seat and stared a Isabel a bit like she's grown an extra head. "You've already shared your opinion on my arrangement with Mr. Queen and your opinion on the length of my skirts. Do you really need to discuss it with me?" 

Isabel crossed her legs and rested her arms on top of her knees and leaned forward again. "Well, in Russia, I was able to correct my mistaken impressions of Oliver. I was hoping to do the same with you. Start with a fresh slate."  Isabel slyly ran her fingers underneath the hem of Felicity's skirt, grazing her thighs with the back of her hands while using the gap between her fingers and her thumbs as a pretense of snapping the hem's edge straight. She brushed her hands over the top of the Felicity's midthigh skirt as if she were dusting it clean. "And the length of your skirt will always be a relevant topic of discussion." 

After Felicity finally extricated herself from the situation, she returned to the CEO floor in a daze. 

"I think Isabel Rochev just propositioned me." 

Oliver's eyebrows quirked up. "Was there vodka?" 

Chapter Text

After Russia, Felicity though that seeing Oliver with someone he had feelings for, someone she knew he cared for  would break her. She thought it would be a thing she couldn’t forgive him for. But no matter how much it hurt in a place she could never show him, she also realized in the same mixed-up place was a heart that loved Oliver Queen not just romantically, but period. A heart that couldn’t lash out at anything that gave her friend, her family, any measure of peace. 

Felicity wanted to be angry. She wanted to be the kind of person that could draw blood with her words. She wanted to hurt Oliver like she hurt. She wanted to cut and wound and punish Oliver until he was just as marred as she, but she couldn’t. It just wasn’t in her. 

Sara, who had watched Ollie love Laurel, Sara who had lashed out at her sister’s supposed happiness and paid in blood, understood better that she would have liked and saw Felicity much like Oliver did. Not only as a light in the darkness, but as a flame that gathered everyone closer together just by being what it was without shame or the least bit understanding of its power. Sara who came home and found her family, but lost her sister. Sara who one day sat alone in a lair with a flame that cheerfully spoke to her like she didn’t have blood coating (not only) her hands. 

Sara who asked, “Felicity, can I talk to you?’

"Uh-huh. What’s up?"  

And she tried to speak, maybe offer an explanation or an apology. She tried to ask about how to find her way back to normal or how exactly did Felicity, of all people, become a career criminal. Sara tried to form words, but nothing came out. And Felicity sat and waited. After a half an hour, Felicity just moved her hand closer to Sara’s, so close that only a sheet of paper could have enter the space between and Sara- she took the gesture as it was and moved just slightly to closethe distance between them. When Felicity was sure that she had permission, she threaded her fingers through Sara’s, soft talented digits against slightly calloused but much more dangerous ones. Felicity showed Sara her own brand of strength, letting Sara lean on her in silence with a hand laced through her own. 

The next day, Sara appeared at Felicity’s apartment when she came home to change before heading to the Arrowcave. 

"Hello, Sara." She motioned her into her apartment after she finally got the door open, juggling her belongings from hand to hand the entire time. Sara gave Felicity plenty of space and entered gingerly, scoping out the entire apartment. She turned back to Felicity who was smiling to herself and shaking her head. 

"What?" Sara asked, a mild look of confusion on her face.

"You reminded me of Digg. He always scopes out the room before he’ll let you enter. Oliver does the same, he’s just better at hiding it, making it less obvious." She dropped her bag by the door, since she was just getting clothes and leaving again. "I’m changing; You can come in the back with me. You can stay up here if you want to, too. I don’t mind either way… unless it will make you uncomfortable to visit my bedroom the first time you’re here. It’s just you came by and it would be really boring for you if you just stay in my living room while I’m in my bedroom closet." Felicity paused, shook her head and kept going. " So I am indeed inviting you into my bedroom while I change clothes. Normally, I would have stopped myself by now, but that is the least embarrassing version of what I want to say so I’m going to stick with it. This time. Okay?" 

Sara laughed a bit under her breath. “I’ve spent a lot of time with my family and with Oliver since I’ve been home. Officially. I’ve also been with Mr. Diggle and Roy in the …Arrowcave …and I think I’m more comfortable in your bedroom than I am with my own family,” Sara finished ruefully. 

Felicity turned the light on in her room and headed to her walk-in closet. Working with Oliver Queen had perks. “Really? Cause that was the worst welcome I’ve given anyone to my apartment and I am the poster child for awkward.” She took off her heels and looked underneath her bed for her flats, while Sara sat at its foot.

"Really." Sara answered shifting around to sit on Felicity’s bed Indian-style."Felicity?" 

"Yep?" She answered from the closet. 

"Why aren’t you at least shocked I’m here? Or surprised I know where you live?" Or bothered, she thought to herself.

"Eh, I’ve just started stockpiling my shock and awe for when you or Oliver or Digg end up ninjaing behind me or we find out someone innocent, innocuous person we know has broken a billion laws or comes back from the dead." She paused and popped her head out of the closet. "Present company excluded…or included. I don’t know. People surprising me at my apartment ranks low on the list of things I should be shocked about ." She grabbed her flats and awkwardly balanced herself against her closet door. "Did you wanna look in there? You’ve been traveling light lately.  I know we’re not the same size, you’re a bit curvier than me, but most of my stuff stretches and you might find something you like…”

Sara stared at Felicity in silence for a bit before she unfolded herself from the bed and walked over to her. She looked at her again for another moment in guarded awe…and then wrapped her arms around her. 

"Oh. Of course, you’re an excellent hugger." Felicity said quietly. "Jeez, is there anything you’re bad at?

Chapter Text

The first time Team Arrow went on vacation, it went very, very badly. They all went different places because Felicity made the mistake of thinking John and Oliver would have the common sense not to disappear off the face of the planet. Digg had actually just left his phone on airplane mode instead of the airplane mode re-route that Felicity had designed for them, despite the big "Your Actual AIrplane Mode" button she put on his phone. He only got her kind-of loud voice. Oliver got a homing beacon.

 "I'm wondering if I should take offense to the fact that you have me low-jacked." Oliver asked after Digg placed the subdermal tracker.

"Be glad I didn't have time to make modifications." Felicity replied.

The next time they tried taking time off, they all went together. This was also a mistake.

“Mediating between the two of you is my day job.” Digg groaned as he put a stitch in Felicity’s forehead. “Having to do it on vacation means it’s not actually a vacation.”

“Excuse me for not realizing that I had weaponry stashed in my purse.” Felicity said rubbing her raw wrists. “Oh, right. I didn't put it in there!”

“If it hadn't been there, then that whole mess would have gone a lot worse, Felicity.” Oliver replied, leaning over to sew up a shallow cut in his thigh.

“If I had known it was there, we all would have gotten free six hours sooner, Oliver!” Felicity yelled back.

Digg shook his head, kissed Felicity's forehead and gently taped over his work. “And on that note, I am going home.” 

The last time, Felicity just gave up.

“Three days, Oliver. It was only three days.”

“And you didn't answer your phone for thirteen hours. What else was I supposed to do?”

Felicity looked at him in incredulity. “Pay attention when I give you twenty-four hours notice before actually turning off my phone? Call the front desk of the yoga compound whose number I left you in six different places just for emergencies? Literally, you could have done anything, anything but storming the camp in a helicopter!”

“At least I brought ice cream.”

Digg’s eyebrow went up.

“At least Digg sent me with ice cream.” Oliver corrected. 

Chapter Text

The first time Felicity realize how tall Oliver Queen was, he was trying to use his size to intimidate her. It didn’t work. It went so badly that Felicity ended up quitting. From then on, he was carefully to only hover over her when she was sitting and any sort of disparity could be explained by the fact that she was lower than everyone at that particular point in time.

So when Felicity stood up from her desk to find that Oliver hadn’t moved from where he had stood to observe what she had been working on, Felicity was overwhelmed by the sheer presence of Oliver Queen, an unfamiliar sensation coming from a very familiar source. She could feel the heat coming off of his skin, she was surrounded by his scent and when she tried to move past him, he just gently angled his body so that it covered her own, slowly laying his hands on her computer station bracing her body with his own, forcing her to finally look up into his eyes. With her leaning back again the desk, his body is sort of curved against hers and Felicity can’t even breathe without inhaling the breath from his lungs.

Oliver is shocked himself. Felicity Smoak has always had such a large presence, usually, when she’s that close to him she’s mad as a hornet and her energy makes her seem like so much more than the lithe, petite beauty that she is. This close to her Oliver feels dominant, possessive. He almost wants to lock her away from the world. All he wants is to get closer, closer, closer. Crawl inside of her if he could, but he can’t - so he draws her tiny body up his instead. He drops his head into that sweet spot where her neck meets her shoulder and he breathes in the essence of Felicity Smoak. He hides his face away and pulls her legs up around his waist. Gathers her beautiful body around his own. And once, he has her locked around him, then he draws their faces closer so that they’re equal. Seals his mouth on hers and worships her smile, with her wrapped around him. She’s as light as breathe of fresh air and he carried her over to the training mats in the corner where he shields her from the rest of the room with his body so all she can see or hear or feel is Oliver. And this is where he wants to spend the rest of his life, between Felicity Smoak and the rest of the world like he can keep her safe with his body.

He keeps her small fists in one large hand and cradles her face with the other. He runs that same hand down her delicate, beautiful body touching every bit of her and driving her mad mad mad that she can’t do the same. And since she can’t move him with her body she uses her words. Stretched out underneath Oliver, Felicity whispers about how badly she wants to touch each scar, bite and mark and scratch so that the only thing he ever feels on his skin is her. She tells him about how wet she is and all she wants to do is just touch herself, just slip her hands down and so she can show him just how much she wants him, what she did to herself in the dark all those nights she imagined him but couldn’t have him. She tells him all the spots on his body she’s going to claim for her own once she’s free, how she’s going to get all of the footage from everything he’s doing to her right now in the dark in their lair, and when he least expects it, pay him back in kind step by step with each kiss, each touch he’s laid on her skin drawn into his own. She talks until she doesn’t even know what she’s saying with Oliver’s voice in her ear begging his sweet precious, delicate strong, wet, hot, beautiful girl, to talk to him, talk to him, Felicity, until he’s so spent, the only way he can protect her is to let his heavy body simply rest exhausted and content on top of her own.

Chapter Text

"Talk to me, Felicity." 

Oliver was in bed, combing his hands through Felicity's hair, when he said four of her favorite words. Second only to the way he said her name, Felicity loved to hear him say that more than almost anything in the world. It was both a reminder and a promise. The first time he said it, it had come through a haze of fear, Oliver trying to keep her calm while she had a bomb strapped around her neck.

Over the course of their lives together, it became sort of a talisman for her, reminding her she had a place in their insane life that no one could fill but her - trusted with Oliver's secrets and his safety. Every time he spoke those words, Felicity was reminded that she was just as much Starling City's vigilante and protector as he was. It brought her back to the night when Oliver told her how important she was to Team Arrow, the night she felt a little lost and out of place, wondering if she really belonged in this world of heroes. 

"Felicity, what are you talking about?" 

"Oliver, come on. We both know no matter how much I train or how hard I work, I'm never going to be like you or Digg or even Roy or Sara." She looked up at him, frustration painted in every line on her face, written in every curve of her body. She looked past him into the night focusing the rooftops just beyond her vision. She'd come up here to get out of the Foundry to think, but looking out into the night where Oliver was so adept she was reminded of just how out of place she was.  "As much as I want to be out there on the front line, no matter what happens you are always going to have to worry about me being a liability on this team." 

Oliver looked back at her in amazement and no small bit of anger, "Felicity, what did you think I meant when I said I rely on you? Do you think I admitted that for my health?" 

"Oliver, I understand that I have a place on the team-"

He grabbed her and yanked her forward. "This-" he gestured around her "-this just doesn't work without you, Felicity. We don't work without you, Felicity." He looked up to the sky as if he were silently praying for strength and took a deep breath and began again slowly. "Apparently, I didn't make myself clear when I told you that you were my partner-"

Felicity couldn't stand the look of disappointment on his face. What's worse is that it wasn't directed at her. "Oliver-" 

"No, Felicity, you need to listen," he said clearly, leaving Felicity with the impression that he was barely keeping himself in check, almost desperate in his need for her to hear him. "Do you know why I was so... distant when you came to Lian Yu?" 

Felicity was a bit stunned by the subject change. "You knew we came to bring you home. You didn't want to come back here, to being the vigilante,"  she answered, a bit unsure in the face of his vehemence.

Oliver took another deep, bracing breath. "That's...that's part of it, but Felicity, seeing you there in that place? It was like a nightmare come to life, for a lot of reasons. It still is." He laughed bitterly. "Knowing that you were there on that island, where so many had died-, where there were so many ways to die. I thought I would never be able to deal with that.

"And then you were there, and it was a nightmare for a whole different reason, because I knew, as soon as I saw you that I was coming home." 

Felicity shook her head in confusion "Digg's the one who got you-"

"Felicity, Digg would have left me there." he said bluntly. He let go of her hands and brushed her hair out of her face. "Digg had been where I was. He understood why I ran. If it had come down to it, he would have left me there on Lian Yu to deal with my demons alone, because he had demons, too." 

Felicity's face fell. "I didn't mean to make you do something you weren't ready for, Oliver." 

"I never would have been ready, Felicity. I need you to push me. I need you to remind me that there is a world full of normal, good people out there. That I- we live in the darkness so that they can live their lives in the comfort of the light. And that's just what you do for me, Felicity." He turned her around on the roof so that she looked out into a panorama of the city, its lights blazing out into the darkness.

"The team, who we are, what we do? It would be impossible without you. It was one thing when I had the list. Then all I had to do was research the name and figure out a weakness, a point of egress for me to drop in, but now? We need to know about crime before it happens." He stepped forward to speak in her ear. "You're the one who connected with Lance. You're the one who researches, who finds the answer in a world of technology that I'm still a little lost in. You're in my ear telling me what I need to know before I even know that I need to know it. How can you not know how important you are?" He rested his head cheek to cheek against her own. "When I called you my partner, I thought I was just admitting something that you already knew..." 

"Why aren't you talking to me, Felicity?" Oliver whispered in her ear. He leveraged his body over her own and leaned down to kiss her shoulder and she smiled at the feeling of such a gentle touch in contrast to the weight of his body was resting on her. 

"I was thinking." She said as she stroked his back with her fingertips. Oliver laid down and propped his head just beneath her collarbone, tracing the dips and valleys from shoulder to shoulder. 

"About what?" He whispered into her skin, softly nipping his way along the same gently curved line.

"How you say you love me."

Oliver paused briefly in his ministrations and then began to kiss her collarbone in earnest. He's never said- 

"Oliver," she said gently pulling his head up from her skin. "Hey, it's okay. You say it so many ways without using the words. The way you touch me, God, how you touch me. You tell me how you need me and how important I am. You never let me feel like there's something wrong with me, like I'm less. You ask me to talk to you when you're hurting and every time you say my name it's like you're speaking your own personal prayer." She brought his head forward with the hands that she had resting on his cheeks and kissed him softly once, twice, three times. 

"I love the way you love me, Oliver Queen, and I love you. And I am okay with being the one who says the words first because you've told me so many times without them." 

Chapter Text

When Cassie and Nick crashed into Starling City, Cassie's Division-based visions just stopped all together. It was so abrupt that it took both of them to catch on to the fact that while Cassie was having plenty of visions and they were getting into plenty of trouble, (seriously? That dude had claws!) none of it was heat from Division. After ten years of Division on their trails, they were just happy to get a break. In fact, Cassie's visions had been seriously...frequent, as of late, but very random, like they were dancing around something they just couldn't touch.

It took them months to figure out why. 

Nick and Cassie had been pinned down in the middle of a shoot-out in the Glades when out of nowhere, a guy in green leather pulled a "Come with me if you want to live." and led them into an underground bunker that rested beneath a huge club in the worst part of town. It was pretty much home for the likes of Gant and Holmes. 

"Yeah, Division doesn't really come here anymore," Felicity said with a grin, bouncing in exuberance. "After their eighth agent mysteriously  vanished off of the face of the earth only to reappear in a different country with no memory of Division, completely new and legal papers, a different personality and without even a digital trail to prove he'd ever even been here in the first place, they took a hint and stopped sending people our way, I don't think they could afford to lose the manpower for such a small city...that's not even taking into account the agents they just haven't found yet. " 

"Did you even breath that entire sentence?" Cassie asked. This girl made no sense. Cassie couldn't See her or her friends at all and the lack of visions were making her a bit edgy. If it weren't for Nick's hand against her back, she would be bouncing around this underground lair with a quickness. Nerves made her reckless, hell, he'd actually had to hold her back when she saw the arrows. A decade of traveling together hadn't dulled her brashness a bit. Now Nick was completely in her corner in more ways than one, Cassie was practically fearless. "P.S. Can you tell me why it seems like you don't exist?" 

Felicity grinned at Oliver Queen, a Mover, and John Diggle. "Most of that's Digg. He's the strangest shadow we have ever met. Also the most powerful." She ran back over her own words in her mind, flushed in embarrassment and began speaking again to cover. "Wait, I didn't mean... Not that it's a bad strange, it's not. It's actually really useful and none of this would work without him." 

Digg gave her an light indulgent smirk and Oliver interrupted her with a well practiced ease. "Digg is a bit unusual. We like to call it targeted Shadowing. He can pretty much cover us constantly and remotely as long as we stay in the city. Division can't Watch us, but you can't either. He can hide whoever he wants from whomever he wants."

Felicity reached a hand out to John before she spoke quietly. "His brother could do the same thing. Division killed him for it." 

Nick gave a long telling look to Cassie before shook his head, he tightened his fists and spoke for both of them. "That really doesn't explain how you wiped Division clear off the map. They're not known for their non-interference policy." 

The same sort of silent communication happened between Oliver, Digg and Felicity, who gave the final silent nod. Oliver held her hand in support before he started to speak. "We just did the same thing as you, only less mobile. Felicity said that you've been picking up strays and forming groups to fight Division. She's been looking for you for awhile." 

Before Oliver could explain further, Felicity cut in. "Oliver's family used to be Division. Malcolm Merlyn was a Pusher who wanted to create a Division asylum in Starling City after his wife was killed in a gang shootout. First, he planned to get rid of the crime by destroying this district, The Glades. Needless to say, not even Division backed families were keen on killing that many people, so he basically blackmailed all of them into complying." Felicity moved closer to Oliver moving their clasped hands around her shoulders and started again. "He wanted to create a sort of mecca for all of the wealthy families who kept Division running financially. Oliver ended up being the linchpin to stopping Division in Starling City. Malcolm killed his father and tried to kill him."

"The Queen's Gambit? He sank it, right? " Cassie inserted. 

Felicity nodded, "Your mother was the one who made sure Oliver was on the boat." Oliver came back to stop Malcolm, hidden as a vigilante instead of a Mover-" 

"And Felicity was the one who told me it was so much bigger than that. Instead of just stopping Malcolm, she helped us find everything he was using to blackmail all of the other families like mine and were able to push Division out of Starling. I-, we, never could have done this without her." Oliver finished for her with pride in his voice. "Both of my parents had different...gifts-" 

"Gifts are something you can actually give back, Oliver." Felicity relayed in a tone that spoke of frequent arguments. 

"Amen." Cassie inserted.

"-and between myself and my sister, who's a very adept Pusher-" 

"His sister's boyfriend..." Felicity sang out with a disturbed glee that also spoke of long held arguments.

"And my ex-wife." Digg finally spoke from his perch.

"who is also his current girlfriend," Felicity clarified. "Wiper, very useful." 

Digg cleared his throat.

"And a delightful woman." Felicity added quickly. "Oliver's Sniff ex-girlfriend and her sister -" 

"Also his Sniff ex-girlfriend." Digg said wryly.

"We have enough people to make it look like Starling City's crime infestation and subsequent vigilante crime fighting team are basically power-free and completely unrelated to any kind of anti-Division agenda." Oliver finished in fond exhausted frustration.

"Wow. I thought dealing with him was a handful." Cassie said to Felicity, bumping Nick with a hip. Felicity chuckled in response. 

Nick;s eyes was fixated on Felicity and what Oliver had said at the beginning of his explanation. It was an itch on the back of his neck that he couldn't quite scratch, a feeling of not quite the entire story. "So you're a Watcher?"

"And a technical genius." Oliver said, his arm wrapped around Felicity, eyes looking down on her like she built each star in the sky. Felicity was almost vibrating with a sense of triumph as Oliver gently brushed her hair behind her ear.

"And not only did you see that Malcolm Merlyn, his blackmail, and Oliver would lead to all this," Nick said suspiciously gesturing around their base. "But you also Saw us?"

If Nick hadn't been watching the two of them very closely, he would have missed it - Oliver's attention refocused on the look on Felicity's face, the silent urging he gave her, a motion familiar to Nick from when he would push Cassie. Not many other people would recognize that combination of absolute faith, unflagging support and quiet insistence. 

"You're hiding something." he said, subtly positioning himself in front of Cassie.

"What is it, Ms. Smoak?" he asked again, bitterly.  Whatever it was, it was big - he could tell from the tension ratcheting up between Oliver and Digg. After what happened when Kira found her way back to him and Cassie, Nick always  look gift horses in the mouth. He'd become a veritable equine periodontist. 

Felicity took a deep breath before she spoke. "I had to help build a place like this. Division's been hunting me most of my life and I've been looking for Cassie just as long. Her mother and mine..." She moved her hand back and forth between them.  Felicity stood a bit taller and held out her hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Cassie Holmes. I hope you'll stay. " Felicity hesitated before taking another huge breath.

"...in a world like ythis? Family's gotta stick together." she finished with a radiant smile. 

Chapter Text

Felicity honestly didn't know what to do with this new wrinkle in her very already very rumpled life. Isabel Rochev had slept with her boss even though she thought he had been involved with Felicity. Oliver was involved with Felicity, just not exactly how Isabel thought. What she did was still hurtful and it probably would have been more hurtful if Isabel's assumptions had been correct.

But Isabel had apologized. Or at least she admitted she was wrong. And she had researched Felicity…because she wanted her? Or was this just a new maneuver? Or both?

The next morning, Felicity asked Oliver what he thought. 

"Well, how exactly did she proposition you, Felicity?" 

"She said you took me for granted. And that she was mistaken about the reasons you hired me. And you made my job harder." Felicity said with a grin. She might as well have fun with the fact that Isabel still believed Oliver was more or less useless business-wise. Not that it really matter to him either way. 

Oliver raised an eyebrow in a mix of disbelief and yes, please elaborate, Felicity.

"And that she wanted to correct her mistaken impressions.” Felicity said in a huff. 

"Felicity." 

"Like she had…with you. In Russia." Felicity squirmed in her seat and crossed her legs. "And herhandsmayhavebeenunderneathmyskirt?"

Oliver smiled at Felicity's attempt at deflection, “I’m sorry, what was that?

"Her hands may have been underneath my skirt." Felicity said slowly. "Not in like… a grabby way."

Oliver tilted his head. “What kind of way, then?” 

"She sort of brushed against my thighs." 

"Huh. So did you like it, Felicity?"

She closed her mouth with a snap. “Well, it happened kind of fast.”  

"That wasn't what I asked, Felicity." Oliver said with a gleam in his eye. Before Felicity could even think of a response to that, Oliver’s phone rang and he grabbed it in a fit of frustration.

"Yes?" He paused to listen. "Mm-hmm."

He looked at Felicity with a sly smile on his face.

"I will see if she’s available."  He hung up. 

"Remember those contracts that you dropped off with Ms. Rochev? Apparently they need to be sent off and her E.A. is curiously absent. She has an investor in her office, so she asked, rather politely, in fact. If you wouldn’t mind dropping by her office to pick up said contracts." Oliver gave Felicity a small smile. "On the off chance that you did enjoy Ms. Rochev’s hands in your skirt for however long they were there, the only way you’re going to figure out exactly what you want and exactly what she wants would be to actually spend time with her. And the contracts need to be picked up, so...?" 

Felicity tilted her head at Oliver. “I’m sensing some less than altruistic motives here, Oliver Queen.” 

"Altruism’s overrated." 

Chapter Text

He never blamed her for telling him the truth that Moira Queen had hidden from Oliver and Thea, and she didn't regret confiding in him. Moira had been wrong when she said that Oliver would hate her. It was a bitter. cruel tactic from a woman who knew she had been rapidly losing control of desperate situation. Curiously enough, it was a turning point in their relationship and it actually made the two of them stronger. Oliver would seek Felicity out when he was puzzling over an issue, talk to her when he had doubts he didn't want to admit to Digg. Felicity was grateful that their friendship had held its footing. In fact, it was that growing friendship that cause the pain that she was feeling now.  They were fine, but Oliver wasn't.

Unlike the first time he had come back from his own personal purgatory, Oliver had truly returned home after his five month exile to Lian Yu. After his mother had sacrificed her freedom to warn the Glades despite failing to stop the Undertaking and losing Tommy, Oliver had gained his family, a loving mother, a sister who had finally found her rightful place in the world and it was Moira who had taken that family away again. Felicity was the one left to watch Oliver struggle with a burden that wasn't his own. Thea had no idea what had changed with her brother, but she could feel it. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was uneasy, reminded her of the first days when Oliver had come home, solemn and circumspect but trying to hide it. Felicity had to watch her friend put on a mask that was too much for him. Oliver had thought that it would just be the matter of one secret among many, but this was like a wall between him and the small bit of life before the island he had found in Thea. Now every time he looked into his sister's eyes, he was reminded of a lost best friend and his mother's betrayal. All he wanted to do was reach out talk to Thea without fear or shame, and he couldn't and he didn't understand why. Everyone's old wounds were opened again - Moira hiding the truth from her those she loved, Oliver reluctantly shutting out his sister. Thea trapped outside of her family because of secrets that no one would share.

All Felicity could do was be there for Oliver. Center him, comfort him, push him to spend time with Thea no matter how hard it was, so that Thea would have some sort of foundation. Sit with him as he exorcised memories of Tommy with alcohol and worked out frustrations from having to deal with a mother who wouldn't accept that their relationship was over. Felicity knew what it was like to have walls in a family; she knew how easy they were to build up and how hard they were to knock down. And she was there after every fraudulent family dinner, after every awkward encounter with Thea, every bitter whispered fight with Moira.

And she was there the first night he had ice cream with Thea and she bitched to him about Roy. Felicity was there when his little sister convinced him to ditch their family dinner to hit up Big Belly Burger. She was the one who got a lone sunflower the first time Oliver managed to visit Tommy's grave without diving into a bottle after he left the grounds. It was Felicity's words that finally helped stay Thea's pain over the death of a father she had never wanted and the realization about a brother she had always had in her heart. And to everyone's shock, Felicity was the one who took Thea to Tommy's grave when Thea was finally ready to say goodbye to a brother she had lost twice over. 

Moira Queen's empty threats carried even less than weight than she knew. Not only did Felicity not lose Oliver, the weird, undefinable apex of this new family she found but she gained a sister she never even knew she was missing. 

Chapter Text

After Felicity had a tiny mental breakdown on the roof of the Foundry and Oliver talked her down, any time she needed a minute to calm down and get her head on straight that's where she went. It also helped her with her completely justified acrophobia, because really, balancing on a six inch wide ledge twenty-four stories in the air would knock anyone for a loop. And somehow without realizing how she did it or what kind of bizarre unspoken mental signals she sent out, it quickly became aware to everyone that if she was up there, the only people who could follow her or even attempt to get her down were Oliver Queen and John Diggle. 

Which explains why exactly Oliver found her sitting Indian-style on the roof with a full bottle of Patrón, a couple of limes, a full salt shaker and the knife he gave her when he finally kinda, sorta accepted the fact that he couldn't really keep her locked in the Foundry as much as he wanted to. 

"Felicity? Something I should know?" he asked quietly as he slowly approached where she was sitting. 

"Why would you ask that?" She said softly as she delicately sucked the pulse point on her wrist. Oliver took a deep breath at the unintentionally erotic sight and covered by lowering himself next to her and nodding to her various accoutrements for drinking. 

"Ah." she answered just before she performed the rote action of taking a tequila shot. "Does the presence of alcohol necessarily mean that I am having a particular issue?" 

"Hmm." Oliver replied. He grabbed the bottle and took a small sip straight up. "Not the alcohol per se. The alcohol straight out of the bottle, on the roof..." 

"With the revolver?" Felicity finished. "Don't think I didn't notice you being a show off with the tequila, Mr. Queen." 

"How else am I suppose to impress you, Ms. Smoak?" He looked at her for a moment and then gently said, "Felicity."

"That's just not fair. You can't say my name like that while I'm drinking. Are you trying to incite a ramble?" 

Oliver laughed a bit and nudged her with his foot. Felicity tipped over to her side with her legs still perfectly crossed and used the motion to prop her legs on Oliver's outstretched ones. That won an actual chuckle from Oliver. 

"It's nothing, really." She said looking up into the sky. "My mother called and it's been a long week Arrow wise and I needed to remember terrible, terrible coping mechanisms. It's been awhile, plus I like it up here." She took another deep breath. "It's also congratulatory, I guess." She made grabby hands for the tequila that Oliver was waving over her head. He rested it on her stomach and handed her the salt and the lime. 

"What are we celebrating, Ms Smoak? Oliver watched her put down the salt and fiddle with her phone for a moment before she turned back to start preparing for the next shot. 

"Have you ever realized that somewhere along the line your instinctual response to certain stimuli has changed and you didn't even realize when it happened?" Oliver leveled her with a friendly glare that said Felicity, I love you, I do, and you really are adorable but where the hell have you been for the past three years?

"Right, look who I'm talking to. You are like, the poster child for instincts and bad choices and reactionary drama." She laughed to herself. "And no, I am not apologizing for any of the words that came out of my mouth, Oliver, 'cause it's true and I'm not sober, so there." 

"Girl's got a point, Queen." a voice said from the door.

"Digg!" Felicity yelled. "Come, have tequila. Make bad choices!" Digg walked over to Felicity and squatted down near her head. 

"Not that I have a problem with drinking, but why on the roof?" he asked. 

"The stars. And my mother. And the fact that my mother didn't send me into a tailspin of self-doubt and agony." She handed Digg the bottle. "All she really got out of me was 'Eh, meh.' " 

He shook his head at the tequila and brought a bottle from behind his back. "I prefer Jack." he said kindly tapping her head with the bottle as Felicity's face scrunched up in disgust.

"Was there some kind of memo I missed?" Oliver asked as he stroked the top of Felicity's legs.

Felicity brought up a text and held up her phone. I just can't do Wednesdays sober anymore. Felicity did a shot and laid her head on Digg's calf. Diggle placed the lime in her mouth because she was obviously too lazy to do it herself. 

"Ah." Oliver answered. "Enough said." 

Chapter Text

“So what are you going to do to woo Felicity, brother dear?”

Oliver choked a bit and gaped at his little sister. “Woo, Speedy? Really?”

Thea rolled her eyes at the nickname and the sentiment. Even if he never stopped calling her that he deserved to know that it still wasn’t okay. “Yes, woo, Ollie. It’s your first Valentine ’s Day together. She deserves something nice.” Truth be told, Thea loved Felicity, not only for her sunny personality and subsequent effect on her brother, but for the sheer entertainment value whenever she was flustered.

“She’s not really big on material gifts and holidays, Speedy.” Oliver said in a level tone.

Thea cocked her head at her brother, Yeah right, she thought. “Which means you went overboard when you were trying to get her to date you and she’s banned you from trite romantic gestures?”

Oliver took a deep breath to speak and  then just slumped over in defeat. “Yeah. After I surprised her with a flight to the U.K. for the Doctor Who premiere. She loved it, but I was banned from gift giving until her birthday or any occasion where gifts are ‘equally and universally exchanged.’ ” he said making air quotes.

Thea shook her head in dismay. “Could you be any more ridiculous, Ollie?” She waved her hand at him when she saw he was about to respond. “Let me answer that for you. No, no, you couldn’t. Just do something nice for your girlfriend, Oliver… that doesn’t involve an airplane.”

Oliver walked into the Foundry where Digg was working out on the wooden mu ren zhuang dummy.

“Hey, Digg? Are you and Lyla doing anything for Valentine’s Day?”

Digg stopped beating the dummy a moment and looked at Oliver. “No.”

Oliver’s eyes widen in confusion, “You aren’t doing anything?”

“No, I mean I’m not having this discussion with you.” He replied. “I told you when you and Felicity started dating, I wanted no part it in. None.”

“And she warned you not to get involved after England, didn’t she?”

“No, she ranted and raved while reorganizing her memorabilia. The threat was implied.” Digg responded with camaraderie. “Why don’t you just talk to her, Queen? May the odds be ever in your favor.”

“We really have been spending too much time with her, haven’t we?”

“Probably, yeah.” Digg answered. 

Felicity’s head was lying on Oliver’s lap when he finally decided to broach the subject. She was lost in a haze of alert verifications on her tablet when Oliver’s fingers began to trace from her collarbone to the dip at the center of her chest.  Even though he just wanted to get her attention, he couldn’t help but play with her sunlit hair with his other hand. He could tell his ministrations were getting to her even if she didn’t move because of the lovely flush that covered her skin. Despite his reasons for trying to get her attention in the first place, he couldn’t stop himself from dragging his hand underneath her soft jersey shirt to stroke her belly and edge his way underneath the waistband of her yoga pants. Instead of taking his actions to their more carnal conclusion, Oliver wrapped his arm around Felicity’s shoulders and drew her body against his chest, so he could bury his face in her neck as he rested his large hand right in the center of her chest, his fingers outstretched so they glance against the curve of her breasts in a sweetly proprietary manor.

“I feel as though you are trying to get my attention,” Felicity says wryly, circling Oliver’s shoulders with her arms, scratching her fingers against his scalp.

Oliver leaned into her touch like a highly contented cat. “I may have wanted to discuss something with you. I may have also gotten a little distracted.”

“I never would have guessed.”

Oliver kissed the spot on Felicity’s neck that made her knees weak. “With your permission, I would like to woo you.” He said with a hefty bit of gravitas.

“Woo? Oliver, really. Have you been reading Regency romance novels again? What did I tell you about the difference between fiction and real life? I know the bow and arrow screws up your mental timeline, but no, you are not a dashing scoundrel, no matter how much you brood.” Felicity giggled.

Oliver growled at Felicity “One time. And we agreed to never speak of it again.” Felicity made a zipping motion against her lips as Oliver continued. “And it was Thea’s word, not mine.” He moved Felicity’s hands from her mouth and held them in his own “But I do want to celebrate with you. It took us so long to get here, Felicity. And I never want to take what we have for granted.”

Felicity hid her face in Oliver’s neck, speechless at the strength and sincerity of his words. She brushed her eyes against Oliver’s collar and pulled back to look at him with glassy eyes partially hidden behind a colorful frame.

“I want to celebrate, too, Oliver. I love you and I never thought I’d get to say that and mean it.” She kissed their entwined hands. “But you don’t have to take me across an ocean or buy me diamonds or emeralds or fancy toys. We mean so much to each other and all of those things feel so small in comparison. I love that you want to spoil me, but…”

Oliver cradled her face in his large callused hands. “You don’t just want to celebrate, you want to celebrate us.” He finished for her.  She leaned against his hands and nodded in affirmation.

“I can do that.” He said quietly, shifting over her until his body covered hers. “Later, though.” He hummed against her skin. “Much, much later.”

“Hey, Digg, I know you said you didn’t want to get involved, but…circumstances changed.” Oliver said with a grin. “I need your help.”

Valentine’s Day came and Felicity and Oliver spent the entire day together, at work and then at the Foundry. Since Roy and Digg had significant others and significant plans with said others, Oliver had asked Felicity if she wouldn’t mind being on duty with him while the others enjoyed themselves. Before he left on patrol, Felicity gave Oliver his gift, a new wooden chest, the same size as the one he brought from the island. Felicity called it a place to put new memories, a fresh start away from the less happy nature of the first. Oliver came in from patrol early at exactly 12:01 to start his version of Valentine’s Day. He found Felicity in what Team Arrow had dubbed “the God chair”. Needless to say, it was off limits to everyone but Felicity. 

Oliver pulled Felicity up out of her seat. She had kicked her heels off long ago so Oliver towered above her. He gazed adoringly into her soft blue eyes, held her face in both of his hands and worked his tongue inside of her mouth, licking and exploring like it was their first kiss all over again. Felicity stood on the balls of her feet trying to get closer to Oliver when he finally moved his thigh between her legs and lifted her up with his hands just below her ass at that delightfully soft crease where her butt sloped down to meet the rest of her body. He nestled his thigh right at the vee between her legs so that Felicity had the perfect amount of friction against that sweet spot that was driving her mad. Felicity took a deep breath and shook her head, pulling away from Oliver.

“Felicity, please.” He said, gently kissing her forehead. “I want to make you fall apart right here, in the place where you’re in the most control. I want you to have the memory of me worshiping your body when you’re panicked and stressed and afraid everything’s going fall apart while we’re out in the field. I want you to remember that I was so intoxicated by how beautiful you are in your passion that I couldn’t wait to get home to put that look on your face. I want-“

Felicity launched herself at Oliver, “Shut up, Oliver and put your hands on me, please before I—“

Oliver finally got to silence Felicity Smoak with a kiss.

He reached underneath her skirt and pulled her underwear down until it was around her ankles. Felicity moved to step out of them but Oliver gently kept her feet on the floor with a quiet, “Leave them there.” Felicity blushed as Oliver moved her legs just a bit further apart and she could feel her panties stretched around her ankle. He dragged his hands all the way up her legs and inside her thighs before he gently spread her damp lips apart and sucked on her clit, holding her tightly with one arm banded around her waist to keep her upright. Oliver circled the opening to pussy with his fingers before he thrust two fingers inside of Felicity.

She was incoherent as she dragged her nails through his scalp and pressed his head towards her body as she undulated against his mouth. She gave a low keening moan as she struggled against the relentless pleasure. Oliver gave another long lick of her entire pussy before giving a firm suck of her clit. He looked up, meeting Felicity’s eyes with his own and commanded, “Felicity,” against her heat and she came hard against his mouth. Oliver laid gentle kisses against her clit as he coaxed the final spasms out of her body and lowered her to the floor, cradling her in his arms.

 She could taste herself in his kiss and gave over to his tender care as he pulled up her underwear and straighten out her clothes.

“Did it feel really good having me inside you?” Oliver said with a cheeky grin. Felicity blushed and buried her face in his neck.

“Just as good as having your voice inside my ear.” She said softly.

Oliver gently combed her hair out of her face and looked into her eyes. “You were right, you know. About celebrating us. That’s why I wanted to stay in the Foundry… in your Arrow Cave, tonight.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back into his chest. “Having your voice in my ear, you watching out for me, for all of us, makes me feel safe, Felicity.”

Felicity tangled her fingers with Oliver’s “So why did you wait until 12:01, Cupid?” Her face lit up. “Oh, we missed out on so many Valentine’s Day jokes. I can’t believe Digg or Roy didn’t point it out.”

Oliver bit her shoulder in warning. “It may have been pointed out to Roy that with his wardrobe, he would fit the hypothetical bill a bit better than I would. And I waited until 12:01 because we don’t need a particular holiday to be happy about being together. We should honor it more often.”

Felicity turned around to look at Oliver in the eyes. “How do you do that? If anyone else on the face of the planet said that I’d be laughing at the cheesiness of it all. Honestly, I probably would have made you say it again so I could record it. But when you say it, Oliver Queen, all I can think about is how much I love you. It’s just not fair.” she said as she brought him closer.

“Well, I’m not done yet.” Oliver got up and pulled Felicity to her feet, clasping her hand and walking her over to the medical table. “Remember just before you got shot, Digg, Sara and I were comparing scars?” At Felicity’s nod, he continued. “We talked later and you said you wanted to get a tattoo. That was something that we could share together that no one else on the team had.”

Felicity straightened her glasses and looked at Oliver with a resigned expression on her face. “I don’t want to get your name tattooed on me.” She said quickly. “Or initials. It’s not that I don’t like your name – or your initials. It’s the opposite. I love you but getting names tattooed anywhere is like begging fate to break you up and I don’t want to break up, Oliver. And Queen is a really nice name, and I’m sure I could figure something out to fix a wrecked tattoo with the word Queen in it, but that’s not where I want your name—, not that I’d want your name anywhere…3,2,1.”

Oliver just grinned at his girl.

“You don’t want me to get your name anywhere, do you?”

Oliver shook his head, pulled out a piece of paper from under the medical table and unrolled it. “It took me a while to figure out exactly what it should be. Digg did the design. If you like it we can make it smaller or larger, however you like.”

Felicity looked at the paper. It was a picture of a quiver strewn with arrows. The quiver was a deep fuchsia with accents of baby pink, deep blue and sky blue. Inside of the quiver, there were two arrows, one gunmetal gray, and another, a deep hunter green. Lying next to the quiver were two more arrows, a beaten metallic gold one and a stylized black arrow with a sash of bright yellow connected to the base and matching yellow fletching. On the base of the quiver were three flechettes, one in red, a gray fletchette with red and green fletching, and a black flechette with a chrome metallic head and yellow fletching.

“It’s beautiful, Oliver, I love it.” Felicity replied, stunned by the exquisite detail of each projectile. “But I have a feeling I’m not seeing the whole picture.”

“I kept asking myself what you truly needed.” Oliver spoke with hesitation tracing the lines of the picture with Felicity’s hand inside of his own. “And ultimately what I came up with is simple. You need to know you are loved and cared for and not just by me.” He brushed her hair to one side so he could kiss along her neck, not to tease or reignite passion, but out of pure affection. “You take such good care of all of us. “he murmured against her skin. “You’re our family, you made us into a family, Felicity.”

Felicity looked at the tattoo design again, “The quiver?”

Oliver nodded. “Where we go to rest, to be safe.”

“You and Digg.” She said tracing her hand over the green and gray arrows inside of the quiver. The gray flechette was the color of Thea’s eyes, and Sin’s was a miniature version of Sara’s canary yellow accented arrow.  Her team had given her a family tree.

“Who’s the gold?” Felicity asked.

“Did you know every time Sara visits her father, he checks up on you, Felicity?” Oliver asked. “If he could be seen with you in public, Lance would treat you like one of his daughters. You treat my sister like she’s yours, Sin and Roy too. Once they got over being offended that they were ‘baby’ arrows, they loved it.”

Oliver pressed her hand over the design. “No matter what happens to any of us, this is something that can’t be taken away from you. “

Felicity understood what Oliver wasn’t saying. The lives they led held no guarantees and no promises, but this moment could be frozen for her to take with her wherever she went for the rest of her life, a secret that gave her strength.

Oliver had given her family. 

Chapter Text

First and foremost, Felicity was a good person and a good student. No matter what those unfounded rumors at M.I.T said, she was an excellent human being. Was it her fault that one of her professors ticked off every box on the “I’m a skeezy perv” checklist? No. Was it her responsibility to find out more before she reported it to the Dean of Faculty Affairs or the authorities? Yes, of course, she didn’t want to ruin the man’s career over the fact that he put every attractive co-ed he saw in his spank bank

So like any good hacker with a hat so almost-white-it-was-more-like-a-cloudy-heather-gray, she investigated, starting with his resume. A very well padded resume that was actually completely fictional. It had plenty of digital footprints to back it up, but for someone who built digital footprints, Felicity could tell they went nowhere. So Felicity dug deeper and deeper until she found bodies. Let’s be clear, Felicity found actual bodies, not metaphorical skeleton in closet bodies, but real missing college girls from all over the country, in all the places that Dr. Skeevy Perv pretended to be a fine upstanding member of the academic community under different alias in different departments. It seemed like M.I.T was his largest hunting ground yet, which presented Felicity with a serious problem.

She couldn’t not say anything, it just wasn’t in her to let something this evil happen. However, every solid bit of information that she found was part of a law enforcement network that she had subsequently hacked into effortlessly, without leaving a trace of her existence. Best case scenario: They caught the guy and his defense attorney brought up the fac that all their evidence and information came from another anonymous uncharacteristically helpful cyber criminal who for all they know, could be a terrorist.

Worst case scenario: She did nothing, which hello was not happening.

More realistic worst case scenario: She turned everything in, lost her scholarship, went to jail and was legally stripped of her babies for the rest of her life, thereby destroying any sort of career plans or a happy life she could have dreamed of.

And then things just got worse.

M’SBBGIRL:  I know what you did. I know what you found.

Oh my God, now she was being stalked on the net on top of knowing she was taking a class from a serial killer.

M’SBBGIRL: Sorry, sorry, sorry. That came out wrong. And creepy which probably isn’t helping your state of mind any. Lemme try again: Hi. I can help you.

JOKER2THIEF: Help me how? With what?

M’SBBGIRL:  Really, sweetheart? I get it, you’re scared. I…may have been following your trail a bit. I don’t know who this guy is you’ve found or where he is now, but I know people. I AM people who can stop him.

JOKER2THIEF: Not to sound selfish, cause I’m not really. I didn’t even keep all of my Halloween candy, I gave most of it away. Off topic, sorry, but if you stop these kinds of people, that means you probably stop my kinds of people too. Like computer-y hacker-y people. Not that I make a habit of this, I don’t… but I wouldn’t do well in jail.

M’SBBGIRL:   I work for the man. I live by the code. Hackers unite. I’ve traced your stuff as much as I can and you’re good. You’re also good. You don’t deserve to go to jail for trying to stop an UNSUB.

JOKER2THIEF: ????

M’SBBGIRL:   Work habit – bad guy. Send me what you have and you’re free and clear, Harley.

JOKER2THIEF:  Harley?

M’SBBGIRL:   Joker to thief?

JOKER2THIEF:  Wrong Joker, but it’ll work, PG.

M’SBBGIRL:   Now, it’s my turn to be shocked and amazed.

JOKER2THIEF:  You work for the man, you hunt down these guys, but you follow the hacker’s code. A lot of it was wishful thinking, I need you to be a woman I could look up to. Us snow grey hats gotta stick together. 

Felicity’s text message scared the crap out of Oliver. 

Felicity: Enter like a ninja, keep the gear and the voice modulator on. Mask too. Trust me.  Please.

P.S.  Keep everyone else out

P.P.S. I’m safe. Don’t shoot my babies.

When he got to the Foundry there was some sort of sheet, between Felicity’s computer area and the rest of the lair. The way she had it set up, you couldn’t really see anything going on in her station, but the reverse was also true. The entire foundry was protected from her area.

"It’s okay, Arrow, you can come out now." he heard her say. Only it wasn’t quite her voice. If Oliver hadn’t know Felicity so well he would have thought someone else was in her place. From what he could tell from behind the sheet, she was using some kind of voice modulator herself. He didn’t know what was going on, but Felicity deserved the same faith she had shown him over the years they’d been fighting together

He could hear a high pitched, panicked tone coming from her computers. 

"My sweet baby girl, Harley, what on earth were you thinking?" 

Oliver walked around the partition that Felicity placed around her terminal and saw the shock of his life. Felicity had on a long dark wig with electric blue and hunter green highlights, wisps of hair falling haphazardly into her face. Her glasses were missing, her bright blue eyes were coated in kohl and a black shimmery shadow and her lips were slicked with a dark iridescent rainbow color giving her a mysterious, seductive punk look that was in direct contrast to the expression on her face. The entire effect stirred something deep within Oliver, especially the traces of his color in her hair. He refocused on the scene before him. She was talking into a computer he’d never seen before. 

"It’s different here, PG. Starling City’s being overrun with criminals and the police can’t keep it all straight." She looked at the woman on the screen that looked reminded Oliver of a much curvier version of the normally bright and colorful Felicity."The prisons here in Iron Heights has let out two serial killers and one murderer for hire and that’s just in the last two months. Did you hear about any of that in Washington, Pen? 

"No, but still working with a guy who shoots bows and arrows? I’ve seen the police reports, Harley. He was a shoot first, ask questions, shoot some more kind of man!" 

Oliver took this as his cue to step forward, making sure that his modulator was intact. Just before he was stepped into view of the camera his phone vibrated silently with another text message: Felicity: She has access to face recognition software, don’t look directly at the screen.

Oliver stepped into the woman’s field of vision but kept his eyes on this strange new, beautiful version of Felicity. “I made mistakes when I started this mission. I was trying to prevent the collapse of the Glades, but I didn’t have all the information. People died. I can’t take that back,” he said gruffly. “But your friend, Harley,” he said hesitating over the name. “She pushed me to do better. Be better, help people, and not just fight for myself but others.”

"He’s not a killer, G. The people he’s gone after were seriously bad. They were planning the largest act of domestic terrorism in history and we still failed stopping them." Felicity said vehemently. "You know I wouldn’t help him if he was, I believe in what we’re doing. I swear, I swear I do. I’ve been keeping an eye on him digitally since the earthquake. The only person he’s fatally wounded since was a drug lord holding a secretary hostage. I even spoke to her and she said there wasn’t any other way he could have stopped him. She would have died in agony. P.G." Felicity said, her voice breaking. 

Oliver watched Felicity weft and weave the truth into something that this woman, who was apparently a dear friend of hers could accept.

"Penny, I thought that I could be that girl, that girl who could just give the good guys the information they needed and that would be enough. I tried, I swear I did." Felicity sniffed a bit, dabbing her eyes before the thick make up around them started to run. "But I can’t. I can’t watch these people steal, and cheat and torture good people and just be the girl who gives out information." She looked over at Oliver, as the Arrow, a mask he created for all the darkness in himself he had to face. "It’s not his fault. He gave me a way out. He tried to send me away. But it’s not just his fight anymore. I’ve seen the people in this city suffer. I’ve seen buildings fall and I’ve watched people ignore it all like not seeing it would make it go away." 

"And you found your way to fight it, Penny. It just took me a bit longer to find mine, but I promise, no matter what they say on the news or in the police reports, I am doing the right thing. He is doing the right thing. We’re fighting the darkness together. I swear to you.” 

The blonde woman on the screen sniffed at Felicity’s words and wiped away her tears. "I believe in the code, Harley. And I believe in you. if you ever need a way out there isn’t a person in this world I won’t take down or a system I won’t crash to find you. Do you understand me?" 

She looked over at Oliver and narrowed her eyes at Oliver, giving him a long up and down stare before she began speaking. "Hey Arrow guy, I have to admit you are a cutie patootie and you look like you can handle yourself. Me? I have my own chocolaty goodness to ogle, but I swear to God and all his tiny little electronical angels that if anything happens to my Tech Sister from another Mister, I will have the FBI, the CIA, ARGUS, Homeland Security and PETA so far up your ass that leather in uncomfortable places will be the least of your worries. So you take care of my girl? Got it? Genius Tech Supreme Being out." 

Oliver looked at an almost unrecognizable Felicity. “You wanna explain to me what just happened?” 

Felicity pulled out her phone and texted Diggle, “I only want to do this once, Oliver.” She moved away to take the wig and the thick makeup off her face. “But you don’t have to worry about your mission being compromised. Penny found me from something I did before I knew you were the Arrow.” She scrubbed her face making sure all of the dark makeup was off, before gently drying her face, pulling her slightly damp hair back into her trademark ponytail. Oliver moved closer to her, touching her reddened eyes and slightly blotchy cheeks from all of the scubbing. He laid a large hand against the side of her face, When she didn’t move toward it like she normally did, he cradled her entire face with both of her hands. “I trust you and your skills, Felicity. What worries me is having to watch you lie to someone who seems like a really good friend, like someone who cares about you.” He looked down at her intensely. “I know you don’t have many people in your life like that, so doing that, lying to her, couldn’t have been easy.” He raised her face up so he could look deep into her eyes. “Are you okay?”

Felicity buried her face into his chest. She could smell the soft cloth of his hood and the leather it was sown into. It reminded her of all the sacrifices, she and Oliver had to make. 

"I didn’t really lie, Oliver, I just shaded the truth." Oliver looked down at her, a solemn gaze he had never really seen Felicity wear, not like this. He took Penny’s words to heart and laid his lips against Felicity’s. "I made her a promise I intend on keeping." He said as he heard the Foundry’s doors open. 

Dig walked in silently taking into account their proximity to each other. “Sara took off to visit her dad before she headed out for her annual Central City trip to see her mom.” He walked all the way down the stairs observing the strange setup of the Foundry, while Oliver change into civilian clothes. “Someone wanna explain the new look we have going on here and the almost panicked text message I got saying, do not enter the Foundry under any circumstances?” 

Felicity shook her head and walked over to Digg, pulling Oliver with her, sitting down in the chair in front of her the computer she’d used to talk to her friend. As she unplug it and began taking it apart, she began to talk. “When I was in M.I.T., I had this professor that crept me out a bit. You guys know how I get about mysteries, so…I investigated.” Felicity ran her fingers through her hair as she disabled the throwaway computer. “It turns out he was a very bad man who had hurt…killed a lot of young women. I found all this information I couldn’t take to the police because I had gotten it illegally.” 

"But you being you, you couldn’t just do nothing." Digg said quietly. 

"Exactly." Felicity answered. "Lucky for me, there’s a department in the F.B.I that specializes in that kind of a thing. Even luckier, their tech analyst is a "former" hacker," Felicity said putting the former in quotes. "So we made a deal. I gave her the info, she pretended she had found it on her own and she kind of became the little tech angel on my shoulder. She never found out who I really was, because I’m good. She’s brilliant too, but she gave away some clues about who she worked with that helped me find her." 

"How did this lead to her finding out about us?" Digg asked, "Which is what I’m assuming happened, right?" 

"She knows about me and the Arrow, but she doesn’t know who either one of us is. The only reason she even got close is because of a stray line of code I used before I knew why Oliver Queen was having me research insane quirky favors.” Felicity said, deflating a bit. “And whenever we talked after I found out her job, I dropped hints that weren’t necessarily true, two parent family, sisters, stuff like that. 

Oliver pulled her into his arms. He could get used to being able to touch Felicity whenever he wanted. “When Lance picked me up the first time, after you left, I scrubbed any trace of my hacks from the Queen Consolidated mainframe and Merlyn Global. I must have missed a tiny line of code that she set a bot searching for.” Felicity said lying against Oliver’s chest. “When I realized that she was looking into the Arrow, I set up a dummy system and computer she could use to contact me. Hence all the theatrics.” 

"You should have seen her, Digg. All dark hair and seductive make-up. You never would have recognized her." Oliver said comfortingly. "I almost didn’t." 

"Should we be worried?" Digg said, pulling Felicity out of Oliver’s arms to give her a hug of his own. 

"Penny hunts serial killers all over the country, or at least her team at the F.B.I does." Felicity said quietly. "I barely use any of the code I learned at M.I.T even less after the Undertaking and Lance arresting me. Besides, we’re both white hat hackers for the most part, although mine’s a bit gray." Felicity said a bit solemnly. As long as we’re working for the greater good. I don’t think she’s really gonna be interested in Starling City." 

Digg looked down at Felicity’s face, reading her expression before he gave her a huge bear hug, before heading out. Digg hugs always made the worst problems go away, Felicity thought to herself. And the best part was, he could always tell when she needed one. 

Oliver gathered her in his arms as well. “She doesn’t care about the facts of your life, Felicity. She just cares about you. She wasn’t afraid of me, the Arrow. She just wanted to know you were safe.” He said petting her hair. 

"I know, but I’ve come so far from that person who was scared to death of her professor, who found a savior in a computer screen. I’m so different." Felicity said. "Does that mean I’ve lost myself?" 

Oliver kissed her deeply, surprised that the first time his lips were on hers were in a moment of her doubt. “No, you found yourself. A strong beautiful woman who helps save others. Someone who helped me drag myself out of the darkness. A heroine.” he said, lifting her up onto her terminal, spreading her legs and dragging her to the edge of the table, addicted to her taste. “My heroine.” He spoke, before sealing his lips to hers, vowing to never let her go.

Chapter Text

This last week had John Diggle utterly and absolutely shocked. It was a rare occurrence that both Felicity and Oliver were surly and short tempered. To be fair, Oliver was hot-headed because of the lack of Felicity's calming influence. He prided himself on being an observant man, but he hadn't realized just how much of an effect her mood had on his and for the life of him he couldn’t work out what was driving both Felicity and Oliver to take out whatever frustrations they were experiencing on each other. Sara was one of Oliver’s closest friends, despite how things had fallen out after Slade and Digg prided himself on being Felicity Smoak’s rock, but for the life of him, he could not figure out why the heart and the strength of their team weren’t giving each other an inch.

“Oliver, I don’t care how fast you can zip line off of the fiftieth floor, the motion sensors on the windows will trigger and the cops will be in the neighborhood on your ass before you will be able to make it five steps to your damn death mobile.” She shouted, less than an inch away from his face.

“Well, Felicity, instead of finding a damn flaw in every single plan we come up with how about you contribute something more than how we’re all failing?” he roared back. “You know how awful these people are. They’re kidnapping children and putting them up for adoption with couples who have no idea they’ve taken someone else’s children away from their families, away from their mothers.” Oliver bellowed.

“Well, if those kids had been so easy to take, then they are better off where they end up!” Felicity shot back, yelling at the top of her lungs.

She covered her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. “Oh God, oh God, Oliver, I didn’t mean that. I didn’t mean to say that.”

Oliver spoke in a severe voice, “Everybody out now.”

“Oliver-“Digg began.

“Digg, now.” He said sharply. “I’ve got this.”

Oliver never broke eye contact with Felicity as Roy, Sara and Diggle left the Foundry. Abruptly, Felicity turned around and moved to her station, trying to put distance between herself and Oliver.

“I am so sorry.” Felicity began. “I’ll figure out a plan to make this work, I’m just stressed out and I haven’t been sleeping well, but that’s no excuse for what just happened-, “

He grabbed her hand and jerked her into his arms. “Stop it, Felicity. I know what Sunday is. And I’ve been a little wrapped up in what it means for me and Moira but don’t think I’ve forgotten what it means to you. I know that we never talk about her or what happened. You know I understand better than most that some stories are impossible to tell, but I will not let this tear you apart. Not after you survived. Do you understand me?”

“Oliver-“

“Felicity,” he gritted back. “The past doesn’t get to keep you. You taught me that.” He braced both hands on her face. “You belong here, now.” He paused and took a deep breath. “With me,’ he said before kissing her fiercely.

He dragged his teeth along her neck, suck a deep bruise into her skin. “What are you doing? We’re not… Oliver, people will know…”

“Fuck them, I don’t care,” he responded, unbuttoning her dress and kissing down each bit of skin he revealed. “They’ll be thinking about the fucking rumors and lies, so fuck them because we know the truth. I’m tired of looking at you and aching to touch you, Felicity.  I want you to look at your skin and remember that you’re loved and beautiful and irresistible and I couldn’t keep my hands and my mouth off of you, off of your skin and you lips and your body. I don’t want you to ever look and yourself and remember however she hurt you, I want you to remember me and my hands and my mouth. I’m not going to say that I don’t care what she did to you because I do, I do so much,” he said, picking her up and putting her on the bed in the back of the foundry. “But I’m not going to let those memories make you bitter, like mine made me.”

“Oliver. God, Oliver, what are you doing? What are we doing?”  Felicity started breathlessly

“I’m doing what I should have a long time ago. And I know that this isn’t going to make all the bad things disappear.” He whispered stripping of her panties, easing his fingers inside of her. “You gave me so many happy stories to replace the bad,” he whispered in her ear as he thrust his fingers inside of her, biting on her earlobe. “It’s about damn time I did the same.”

Felicity gripped his neck scratching along his dragon tattoo. “Well when you put it like that who am I to argue?”

Oliver finally grinned at her, feeling her mood lift from the sadness she had been carrying for days. “The one who argues about everything- my motorcycle,” he said sucking her nipple.

“Death mobile,” she said as her breath hitched.

“Liar, you love that thing,“ he whispered. “And the new arrows,” he breathed adding a finger inside of her, testing her slick wet heat.

“They’re untested.” She groaned, grinding her body hard and fast against his fingers aching for some point he just wouldn’t let her reach.

“Since we’re discussing such important issues, maybe we should stop.” He teased, slowing the glide of his fingers, circling his thumb around her aching clit.

“I swear to God if you don’t fuck me right now, I will empty all of your accounts and fly to Aruba where I will meet a young boy toy, who doesn’t speak English but meets all of my sexual needs.” She blurted out.

“Oh, well then, if my fortune at stake…“ He thrust his hard cock into waiting without pause or warning.

“Oliver,” she moaned. “Please, I need you to move, I need to feel you, I want you to touch me, I want, I want, please, God, Oliver.” she begged incoherently

He brushed her hair back from her face and sucked at her mouth, laving her lips with whispered words and biting kisses, breathing into her mouth. “I have you, I’m with you. God, you’re beautiful like this.” He groaned “Felicity, I love you, just let go and I’ll catch you. I take care of you, don’t I? Always, always," he spoke against her lips. 

Determined, Felicity managed to nod before her internal sheath began to quiver and she came hard and deep around him dragging him into a brutal, breathless orgasm with her.

Oliver gathered Felicity’s legs around him and wrapped his arms around her body, cradling her with his weight and heat. He combed his fingers through her hair and dropped kisses on her forehead before asking the question that had been weighting down on him since their release. “Better?”

Felicity hid her face in Oliver’s chest, “I can’t believe that I said about those kids, Oliver. How could I even…” she whispered into his Bratva star.

“I know this may sound harsh, but that wasn’t about them, Felicity.” He took a bracing breath before he said what he knew might destroy the new found closeness they had. “It was what you wished someone had thought about you. That someone found you and took you away from all that.” He ran his fingers through her hair, tightening imperceptibly thinking of how bad things must have been that she wish someone had stolen her away. “And as much as I hate that anything that horrible could have happened to you, as much as I wish I could go back in time and change everything, it would mean that you wouldn’t be in my arms right now and I don’t know if I’d be strong enough to do that.” He said sadly.

Felicity raised her head and looked down at his scars and into his eyes. “It’s what I think every time I see your scars.” She kissed his tattoo and the scars she could reach from where she laid on top of his body. “So, I say we thank whatever God or Fate or whatever we believe in, that we survived, that we thrived. That whatever else happened we found each other, because that was worth it."

Chapter Text

Felicity had asked Digg to Big Belly Burger in their time honored tradition about bitching about Oliver Queen, but this time she seemed a bit more preoccupied with her food than normal.

“Felicity? Felicity? Felicity, I’m switching all of the computers in the foundry to Internet Explorer.” Digg said wryly.

“Don’t you dare touch my babies or I will cut you.” Felicity said out of habit. “Oh, I wasn’t really paying attention, was I?”

“No, you really were not.” John answered. “What’s up? Normally when we have these little outings you’re bellyaching about Oliver before we can even get into the door. Today…nothing. Except you look like someone’s either given you the newest system update two days earlier or stolen your favorite tablet. And I didn’t think a face could make that expression simultaneously, but you’ve managed, girl.”

“I have a thing. And I thought if I ever had this thing, I wouldn’t involve you in it because it would be awkward.” Felicity began fiddling with her French fries. “But it turns out that I have like three friends and one of them is a ‘roid rage twenty year old with no concept of serious or conversation…unless it involves Thea Queen or beating someone up.”

“Felicity…” Digg said with a smile.

“Right, so this thing I thought I’d never talk to about, it’s you or Sara and with Sara it’s even more awkward that talking about it with you and you’re you, so it’s not really awkward, it’s just you’re going to give me that look.” Felicity continued. “There! Right there. That look, that I know exactly what this is about and I’m just patronizing you by listening look! Do you know how aggravating that look it for a grown woman? Especially your best friend? I get the look with Oliver because a lot of the time Oliver is an idiot.” Felicity said waving her fry around. “But I am an MIT graduate who is the main intelligence proponent of a super secret vigilante team,” she whispered. “I do not deserve the look from you, John Diggle.”

“And yet still…”

Felicity looked down at her French fries  and fiddled with her hands in her lap. “Oliver, he, he asked me out. Like out out. Like not on a stake out out or with you as friends out for a team lunch out. Which honestly is what I thought he meant the first time around and I had almost texted you before he stopped me. Which was slightly embarrassing when a guy asks you on a date and you assume he means a team meeting?”

“Felicity.”

“Yes, John?” She answered solemnly.

“Why are you here with me if Oliver asked you on a date?”

“…because Oliver asked me on a date. Have you not been paying attention? You are the all seeing Diggle!” Felicity said finally eating the fry that she was waving around. “Has he had a head injury? Poison? Taking his herbs for no good reason? Does he realize that I’m the Felicity he’s known for four years and not Sara or Laurel or McKenna or Helena or Isabel or…wow, that is a long list of ladies, like leggy hot ladies. Do you see my issue, bossman?” Felicity finished.

“I can’t believe you are forcing me to say this…you are a leggy hot lady… with glasses, mind you, but still. And don’t repeat that to Oliver because I have to spar with him.” Digg took a sip of his milkshake. “And do you not see the way he’s looked at you for the past three years? How could you not know that he maybe felt a little bit more than friendship? Honestly I’m surprised it took him this long,” he said taking a bite out of his cheeseburger.

“In all the years we’ve worked together you haven’t noticed one thing? You are the line he won’t cross. If it puts you in danger, if you’re threatened, if someone comes after you.” He left the consequences unstated. “…the only person he protects like that is Thea and she’s related to him.” John cleaned up his tray and gathered his trash.

“So what do I do?”

“Go out on a date with the village idiot and put him out of his misery.” He said walking out of Big Belly. “Jesus, you two are hopeless.” 

Chapter Text

“You know there’s no way we’re making it to the Foundry tonight right?” Felicity said with a smirk.

“Yes, I know, for once, I have to actually be an actual CEO versus playing one for our night life, Felicity,” Oliver replied. “You get such glee out of these nights.”

“Hey, try being your Executive Assistant, organizing your insanity, making sure you actually know where things that you don’t even understand half the time are. Dealing with Isabel." Felicity shuddered.

“Hey, I gave you a pay bump specifically for dealing with the Wicked Witch of Russia when I realize how big of a not very nice person she was,” Oliver answered back. Felicity had forbidden him from using the word bitch for someone he had previously slept with.

“Yes, but I actually have to do my job, whereas, you only have to look like you’re doing your job, Mr. Queen.”

“Felicity, you run circles around the rest of the E.A’s, you do half of my job for me and you still have time to dance at your cubicle,” Oliver commented.

Felicity blushed. “I do not dance. I merely enjoy melodious tunes while boring things happen in your area of the workplace.”

“Felicity.”

“Okay, I dance, but it’s not fair using the name thing like that. Didn’t we have an agreement when we started this arrangement?” Felicity whined a bit.

Oliver pulled her closed to where he was sitting in his chair so she was standing in between in legs and rested his chin on her torso. “That I wouldn’t use your name for questionable resources?”

“Exactly. It’s not fair how you say my name when you want something, Oliver Queen,” she replied in earnest as he rubbed his hands against her back and massaging her waist. 

“Okay, well how about how you say “Mr. Queen” Ms. Smoak?” Oliver shot back.

Felicity looked down at his grinning face and kissed his lips gently and backed away “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m being perfectly professional in our workplace.”

“You are such a liar, Felicity Meghan Smoak,” he fired at her back as she began to walk out.

“As much as I love you, only my mother gets to use my middle name, Oliver.” Felicity said without thinking.”What I mean is, only people who love me can use my middle name. Not that I love you. Because I do love you, like my best friend, whom I occasionally have sexual relations with. And work with. And I’m going to walk away now before this gets worse.”

“Felicity.”

“See, that’s what started this in the first place,” she said stopping at the entrance in capitulation, resting her head against the glass door.

Oliver walked up behind her so that she could feel the furnace of his body pressed against the cool glass of his office door, placing kisses along the nape of her neck, biting the joint of her neck, leaving a mark of his own, like she had just left on his heart. "Hey," he whispered in her ear. "Guess what?" 

“I love you back, Felicity Meghan Codebreaker Smoak.” 

Chapter Text

While Slade’s murder of Starling City’s other Bratva Captain was attributed to Oliver and he received his territory, his underlings were definitely not pleased with the change in leadership. That’s who Oliver and Felicity ended up in the middle of a frozen forest with Felicity, shivering with hypothermia after falling into a river while they were making their escape. Thankfully Oliver had dealt with the rogue Bratva members and there was a cabin on the horizon that would provide him with a place to warm Felicity.

Oliver had never been so panicked in his life as he carried Felicity’s cold almost lifeless body towards the salvation he saw before him. He kicked the door in, not taking the time to bother picking the lock, laying Felicity down on the couch he saw in the empty, abandoned living room, blocking the door so that the cold couldn’t get in, making the job of warming Felicity harder.

He picked Felicity up, gently hitting her face. “Oliver? …wanna sleep?  Why won’t you lemme sleep a lil’ longer?” her voice said, slurred almost beyond recognition.

“No, Felicity,” he said sternly, trying his best to use what she called his Arrow voice on her. “You can’t sleep, you have to stay with me, okay?

Her delirious eyes attempted to focus on his and she spoke, “Always stay wi’ you Oliver, I’m your girl,” she slurred out.

“That’s right. You’re my girl and you have to stay awake,” he said, stripping her of her outerwear, her shirt, her pants and her thermal underwear. Thank god for her practicality and need to be prepared, Oliver prayed to himself. Thankfully, her actual underwear wasn’t damp and he left that on her, ignoring her beautiful body in his frantic motions to get himself undressed so that they could share body heat.

He rummaged through the abandoned cabin and found a blanket in the closet and stripped down to his underwear, taking off what he’d been wearing to prepare for the cold outside and gathered Felicity’s body to his her skin painfully freezing against his own.

“Too hot,” she managed to get out.

“I know it feels too hot, Felicity, I’m sorry, but you’re freezing right now and I’ve got to get you warmed up okay?”

“’Kay, Oliver, trust you lik ‘lways. Like you holding me…can I be you’ real girl?” Felicity said drowsily.”Sara’s ‘er own. Can I be yours?”

Oliver brushed Felicity’s hair out of her face, kissing her forehead, stroking her cold body “As long as you survived this, you will be my girl in every way that counts, I swear to God.” He said as he kissed her cold lips.

Finally she started shivering and Oliver held on to her with everything in him, rubbing his hands down her smooth skin, her arms, her back, just feeling pure joy that her body was finally heating itself along with what warmth he could provide.

Felicity’s eyes cleared up as she looked at Oliver and said “This is not how I imagined this going. Ever.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get to your imagination soon enough,” he said kissing her now heated lips. “I promise every accidental innuendo that has every crossed your mind will happen in my bed.”

“Oh, well in that case, then.” Felicity snuggled into Oliver’s warmth.”Maybe the stupid Bratva aren’t so bad.”

Chapter Text

Oliver Queen was not ashamed to say that he was the big man on campus, because he was. It’s not like he was a bully. He was friends with the geeks and the jocks, because honestly cool people are cool people. (Plus his best friend Digg would kick his ass if he messed with his little brother Andy, who happened to be a chess and mathalete wizard.)

He’d had his fair share of girlfriends, including a long term on again, off again, thing with the gorgeous cheerleader Laurel Lance. It became off again when he had drunk makeouts with her rebel without a cause sister, Sara. Along with Nyssa al-Gul, she was the queen of the “Patriarchy is my bitch, I’m too cool for high school” leather rebel crowd. Not only did she believe in the cause, but also, it was a great way to annoy her “High school Is the best time of our lives” sister, Laurel. Oliver may have been a leetle part of that annoyance plan. He had no problem being used if it meant laying lips on Sara of the tight leather pants, because damn, that girl was fine. (God, that mouth and that ass had pretty much been worth how hard he got chewed out for the entire debacle.)

So when the new girl, Felicity Smoak, recent transfer from Central City High dropped into his lap, he was pleased to see that she was gorgeous and smart. She answered Mr. Merlyn   ("Yes, kids, you can call me Tommy, let’s be adults here.") questions without blinking an eye or knowing anything about the previous coursework. She was rocking the “Nerd girl who’s only truly beautiful if you take off her glasses and take down her hair” vibe, but Oliver was a true gentleman who could see past all of that.

So of course, like a gentleman, he needed to welcome her to their fine Starling City High School establishment. He walked up to her locker (whose number he may have gotten from that cute girl working in the office. It was nice to be nice to beautiful women. Gentleman, remember?)

“Hi, Felicity Smoak? I’m Oliver Queen.”

“Oliver? Hi, I’ve heard so much about you. I mean not that I listen to rumors, it’s just that people talk about the head jock guy, archery star. Who knew that was a sport here? It looks utterly ridiculous to me. Wow, I didn't mean that they way it sounded,  it just your body's all weird when you shoot an arrow. And every time you pass by girls just start whispering. Not that the whispers are bad. I think they’re probably good,” Felicity said. “It’s just I’ve heard a lot about you. So I know who you are, Oliver, and I’m going to stop talking now because I sound like a spazz.”

Oliver was dumb struck. When she opened her mouth, it was an accumulation of the most random things he had ever heard, but they were true. No one ever told the truth around him.  They wanted to be him or be with him, but not actually talk to him, much less tell him the truth. God forbid, no one ever criticized  anything he did. (Except Digg, if it weren’t for Digg dope slapping him every time he was an asshole, he would be such a douche bag, but really? There was only so much Digg could do. )

“No, you don’t sound like a spazz, you sound like an angel.” Oliver said, trying one of his tried and true lines on her.

Felicity looked at him and cocked her head like Really? That’s what you’re going to go with?  And Oliver was officially in love.

“Okay, maybe not an angel, but  not a spazz, somewhere in between? I just, you seem like a great girl and I’d love to get to know you better.” Huh, the truth, Oliver thought, That’s a new one. 

Felicity looked at him again with new eyes. “Like I said, I don’t believe in everything that people say, because rumors are like, ridiculous ways to get information, but after talking to you, I’d say you’re a bit of a ladies’ man.” Felicity looked him up and down while unpacking her books from her locker. “Say that again in a month, Oliver Queen and I may reconsider. Actually get to know me. Like me as a real, actual person and then maaaaaaybe we’ll go on a date.” Felicity gave him a look and then closed her locker and walked away. 

"She is remarkable." Oliver said to himself quietly.

Digg, who had been watching the entire exchange silently from across the hall shook his head and patted Oliver on the shoulder. “Queen, you are so screwed.”