Another Olicity fan fiction piece for you. This takes place following the events from the end of season 2. Please review and enjoy!
Thank you all for coming today.
No, thought Oliver, that sounds like he was officiating a wedding.
Thank you, Board members, for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here today.
Better, he thought, adjusting his tie in the mirror.
Oliver had never been nervous about a Queen Consolidated Board Meeting before, but there had never been so much at stake before. He had spent the last four months rebuilding the Queen family reputation as well as pursuing all legal actions to nullify Isabel Rochev's hostile takeover. He had followed all directives and suggestions from his legal counsel and the last step was presenting to the Board why they should hand back the keys to the castle, so to speak, and reinstate him as CEO of the company. It had been exhausting and tedious given the fact that he had also been working full time as the Arrow, helping restore order to the city following the reign of terror Slade had inflicted upon Starling City.
Too bad I can't present my work as the vigilante to the Board, he thought to himself, putting the finishing touches on the Windsor knot of his tie.
He exited the bathroom of his bedroom, grabbing his suit coat off the large four-poster bed before making his way down the majestic staircase of the Queen mansion. Despite the majority of the house being empty, it still felt like home to him, and he was glad the trust set up by his mother allowed him to keep it upon her death despite the fact that he was not currently at the head of their company.
Oliver glanced at his watch, trying to ignore the nerves that were poking at his psyche. Right on cue, the front door opened, Diggle, Felicity and Roy pouring into the large foyer.
Felicity, who was rummaging through her purse upon entering, started to call for him. "OLI…" She stopped, jumping back a step as she finally noticed that he was standing right in front of her. "Sorry, I'm still not used to the whole 'on-time' thing with you these days. Thought we'd have to yank you out of your shower all naked and soaking wet when we got here."
Oliver, amazed that he could still be caught speechless at Felicity's non-filtered comments, gave a soft chuckle, not sure how to respond. Diggle cleared his throat, not able to be as successful as Oliver at stifling his laughter. Roy just rolled his eyes before making an abrupt 180 degree turn to head out the way they had just come in.
"I mean," Felicity stuttered," I wasn't thinking of you naked, just that you would probably be in your shower naked, I mean…" she scrunched her eyes shut, shaking her head in the hopes that if she wished for it hard enough, she could go back in time about 60 seconds and start over.
Oliver quirked his head slightly, waiting to hear how she finished her statement, amusement in his eyes.
"I mean, I just thought you would still be getting ready for the meeting, but I wasn't dwelling on what part of getting ready you would be at….Let's just go," she finally finished, turning around and marching past Roy to lead the group out to the Town Car parked on the front drive. She immediately got into the car, sliding all the way to the other side of the back seat in her usual spot, eyes locked on the unseen horizon out the window, hoping the upholstery would swallow her up into oblivion.
After hearing the other doors close signaling they were all in the vehicle, she felt a large, warm hand engulf her knee. She glanced over at Oliver, a slight smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, assuring her he was not offended by her comments.
"Hey, we're all nervous," he offered, giving her knee a slight squeeze. She smiled then, the tension she had been feeling slipping away like it always did when he was there. She could be the most awkward, self-conscious, bumbling idiot in the world at times, but as soon as she had his support, this infinite amount of confidence would seize her, like it was doing now. In that moment she knew, for a fact, that all of the work they had done would finally get Oliver back the company that belonged to him and his family.
As Diggle pulled away from the mansion she pulled her tablet out of her bag, going over the changes she made to the presentation Oliver was giving based on the final decisions they had made the day before. She may not be good with people, but when it came to technology, there was no one better than Felicity Smoak.
"Felicity, I don't know what to say. This is perfect," Oliver finally said, scrolling through the materials she had just shown him. He beamed at her with that same pride he always showed her when she had accomplished something difficult or complex with her technology.
She blushed, pleased at his praise. "It's what I do," she chirped, trying to shuffle the papers in her bag to look busy to avoid eye contact with him and show him just how much his words affected her. He had made it perfectly clear when they had taken down Slade that the words he had spoken to her in the foyer of the Queen mansion were just that, words, a means to an end, namely bringing down Slade, and nothing more. She respected him too much to ask for more, regardless of how she felt about him.
Within minutes they were in front of the QC headquarters, the media waiting for them. Diggle escorted Felicity and Oliver into the building with the help of security while Roy pulled the car around to park in the underground garage.
You could have heard a pin drop in the familiar elevator as they made their way up to the top floor to the executive conference room where the Board waited. Just as they reached the top Felicity reached over and gave Oliver's forearm a squeeze. He looked down at her questioningly, his full on her.
"Good luck," she whispered. He simply smiled at her, giving her a quick wink, then strode forward, chin up and oozing with all the confidence in the world, Diggle giving him a genuine smile after witnessing the exchange.
Felicity stepped out, following close behind, whispering, "Oliver Queen is back, ladies and gentlemen…"
