Inspired by Estonian song "Tulitilgad" (The droplets of fire) made for the Estonian Dance Festival 2017. The rough translation is featured between the parts of the fic.
Night, dark as canvas, hiding the sun from us.
Night, dim and dark it is, casting the shadows everywhere,
how do we find light in light in there?
I only know to hold my breath and see if rather the ice breaks, or my heart.
Everybody had gone home.
Lyla had dragged Digg away from the scene, together with ARGUS agents and Slade's unconscious form in tow. They had promised Oliver to keep him in the safe locker for the night and he would be ready for transport as soon as possible.
He didn't know that ARGUS had a prison bunker in Lian Yu.
As soon as Waller had proposed to drop Slade off there, it felt weird but fair justice for all the destruction Slade had done to him and his city. Without thinking he offered himself to do it. From the smirk he could see on Waller's face, he knew that this outcome of this battle for Starling was exactly she had been playing for from the beginning.
For a second, it irritated him. The fact that she could still play him like a fiddle. But he really wanted to be the one who will put away Slade once and for all.
He was grateful that he didn't kill him.
He had wanted to.
Oh, he had wanted it so much. For the death of all the innocent people, for kidnapping Thea. For killing his mother.
He pressed his teeth together, suppressing the growl he could feel bubbling inside him. He wanted to scream but it was not the place to do that. All of the stuff that happened in the last 48 hours started to bubble to surface. Images flashed in his head and he forced himself away from the alleyway he had been standing, after watching Diggle and Slade's unconscious form disappearing from the view.
He was still in the Arrow gear.
He should go and change.
But before he would do that, he needed to know everybody was safe.
He glances around and sees Sara standing in the far end of the alley.
She nods to him and he starts walking towards her.
"Everything ok?" he asks, voice raw and raspy. He looks at her, his hood still on but he knows that Sara could spot his eyes underneath it.
"Yeah," Sara smiles, pointing towards the exit with her head "I am taking Laurel and dad home. It has been a long night."
Oliver glances where she is pointing at and sees Laurel and Detective Lance standing there, watching Sara.
"Okay," he sighs.
"You should get some rest too, before you fall asleep on your feet," Sara quips, before turning to walk towards her waiting family.
Suddenly a thought hits him, panic rising in his chest for a second.
Nobody had mentioned Felicity. He had not seen her after the battle. What happened to her?
Before Sara could take off he rasps, "What about Felicity?"
Sara stops and turns around to face him once more.
"I got her out with Laurel, but she didn't stay put. Last I saw her he was with Diggle and Lyla. I am guessing she hitched a ride with them."
Oliver nods, clenching his jaw.
"Is she safe?" he asks.
He needed to know.
"I damn well hope so, otherwise I wouldn't have left her."
Sara turns to walk off again when he whispers. "Thank you. For today."
Sara smiles. "No problem. The fight is what I live for these days. And my sister was in trouble. I will come for her every time."
With those words, she turns away from Oliver and walks away, leaving him standing there, alone.
He moves away from the alley. Silently slipping away in the darkness of the night.
His bike is just where he left it. He mounts the motorcycle but doesn't take off immediately. He sends Diggle a message, asking for Felicity.
In few short minutes his phone vibrates and he gets his answer.
He sighs and puts his phone away, starts his bike and drives off into the night.
But there is something in me, pulsing and warming,
in the heart, deep inside me, heat and pain.
Just as the fire droplet, it lets me know,
that between the shadows, there is a spirit,
and we will see if it breaks the ice or rather my heart.
Dig: I took Felicity home. She wanted to stay with you but she wasn't feeling too well. So I took her home to sleep.
The message from Diggle is playing in his head when he is driving towards the foundry. He needs a shower and a change of clothes. And some meds. He is quite sure that the dampness around his abdomen is not sweat. The foundry nears in a quite impressive speed and soon enough he is parking his motorbike against the side exit and makes his way in.
The foundry is a mess.
Of course.
But the showers are still attached, so he runs towards the lockers. He grabs his change of clothes and takes a quick shower. He feels so much better after he has washed away the stench of blood and destruction. There are some new wounds in his chest and abdomen but nothing seems to be too deep. The only ones that seem to be bad are on his face. He dons his clothes and walks in the middle of the destruction, searching for the remnants of the med bay. He grabs bandages and some liquids and drops them in his bag. Then he grabs his dirty Arrow gear and shoves it in the bag as well.
Everything else has to wait. They can clean it up in the coming days. Nobody will come to the foundry after half of the city was destroyed. It has to do for now.
He runs upstairs and punches in the code. The side door opens and he drops the bag to the wheel of the bike and hops on, putting the helmet on with one swift move. It's almost as dark as his whole getup - starting with dark jeans and black leather jacket that he had grabbed just before running out.
He starts the bike and hesitates for a moment.
He should go look for Thea. But from the message he got from her after the battle, let him know that she was with Roy and he didn't want to mess with their reunion. He would catch up with her tomorrow. Right now, he had more important things to do.
He needs to know that she is okay.
He revs the bike and takes off. Heading towards Felicity's home, trying to avoid the rubble on the streets.
Seems that the bike was the only way to move around the city at this moment of time.
A piece of flickering fire, I discover the power in me.
It's only a tiny piece, but it's stronger than the steel.
Standing behind her door, hesitates. He really doesn't know what to expect. He takes in a breath of air to calm himself, so he wouldn't burst into her apartment and make a fool out of himself. He knocks calmly at her door.
It takes her a minute after the first few knocks to come to answer the door. Oliver draws in a relieved breath when he sees her in the doorway, looking ragged and sleepy and completely adorable in her pink pajama pants and lavender top, her hair up in a messy bun.
"Oliver?" her sleepy voice queries, her eyes round and surprised. Before he could formulate a sentence in his head to offer an answer to her, she had taken off the doorway and ran into his embrace. He steps back a bit, feeling a bit unbalanced after the impact of Felicity's lithe body hitting his.
But he winds his hands around her and pulls her deeper into his embrace.
"Yeah," Oliver mumbles into her hair. "It's me."
"Oh thank god," Felicity whispers against his chest. "I was so worried about you. I wanted to wait for you but Diggle thought it was best for me to come home and try to sleep."
Oliver smiled at this.
He was honestly feeling so much better now, knowing that she was ok. "I am okay. Slade didn't get me. I am mostly unhurt."
Felicity nods against his chest and looks up. "I wanted to stay."
Oliver smiles down at her. "I heard. But I am happy that Diggle made you come home. There was nothing you could have done there, it was just the cleanup."
"But, I could have helped," Felicity tries to argue.
"Felicity," he breathes out her name as a whisper. "I am glad you got home. You are safe."
She nods against his chest and burrows her face into the front of his leather jacket again. They stay like this for a little while but when Oliver sees her shuddering in the cold wind he starts to walk them into her apartment. Felicity doesn't put up much of a struggle and soon he's closing the door behind them.
He walks Felicity into the couch of her living room and finally she lets his body go. They sit there for a second, looking at each other before Felicity furrows her brows and asks. "Are you really okay?"
Oliver's face softens and he nods. "Yeah. As fine as I can be."
"But your face…" she trails off when she is grabbing his head softly. She slides her fingers across his features, softly touching the gashes on his forehead and cheeks.
"I'm okay," He tries to convince her but the feel of Felicity's small fingers is distracting her, making the hair rise on his back. It feels intoxicating.
"This doesn't look okay," Felicity points out when she is suddenly jabbing one of the open wounds. Oliver winces in pain.
"Felicity," he tries to reason with her, but she is already standing up from the couch.
"Stay here," she orders him and he sighs in defeat.
She is back quickly, a box in her hands. She opens it and Oliver can see first aid stuff in there. She grabs a bottle and cotton pads and settles herself in front of him.
He doesn't move away.
"This is gonna hurt," she warns him softly and Oliver nods before Felicity squeezes antiseptic to his bruises. He doesn't move but winces when she starts to clean the wounds with the cotton pads.
"Why didn't you do anything about them?" Felicity asks. "They are gross."
"I took a shower," Oliver offers with a shrug.
"This doesn't really help when your face is all cut open and bloody," Felicity tries to reason with him but Oliver can see her smirking. Her face grows serious after she cleans the biggest of the wounds. "I think this one needs a bandage."
She grabs one from the box and starts ripping off the packaging. She suddenly stops, looking at the band aid and starts to giggle.
Oliver raises his eyebrow when Felicity finally sticks it in place and hisses softly when she pushes against the wound. She is still smiling widely and trying to suppress giggles. He hasn't seen her so relaxed and happy for days and it's a welcome sight for his sore eyes.
"What?" he asks softly.
Felicity tries to look at him but her her gaze is drawn to the band-aid she just stuck against his face.
"It's nothing really," she shakes her head, smiling softly. "It's just…" she hesitates and smiles. "The only band aid I had apparently, was Minion themed."
Oliver furrows his brows in confusion. He tries to understand what she is saying but fails. "Minion?"
"A children's cartoon. I grabbed the wrong box last time I bought bandages," she giggles softly.
He smiles at her, he cannot stop himself. She is so damn adorable. "Are you telling me that i have children's bandage on my face?"
Felicity nods, trying hard not to laugh. "It's adorable," she offers.
"Mh-mh," he murmurs and looks at her. Her eyes meet his and she stops giggling as the air of tension changes between them.
So much has happened in the last few days, hell, last few months, he hasn't't really had time to stop and think. He has been on the go ever since he found out Slade was behind everything in Starling City. He hasn't relaxed. He hasn't enjoyed the company of others. He had a mission, to protect everyone from Slade. And now he's sitting there and … he has nothing to do. Slade is going to be in ARGUS prison for the rest of his life. He is making sure of that.
But right now, sitting on Felicity's couch and looking into her bottomless blue eyes, he suddenly feels content.
It's the feeling that he really hasn't felt in a really long time.
He takes in a deep breath and shuffles closer to her. He needs human contact. He needs to feel alive again. He needs her touch. Her magic touch that makes everything better.
"Can I hug you?" he whispers.
Her eyes soften and she nods slightly and she's burrowing closer to him. She winds her arms around his neck as he grabs her by her waist. His nose finds a way to rest against her neck while his hands are holding her chest close to his.
He feels content. He really doesn't need anything else.
There is only fire droplets left in us.
But it feels like there are thousands of lives saved in them.
Their glow casts light on me and piece by piece, and I come alive.
In the breaking of the night, I find you again.
He doesn't know how long they had stayed like this, embracing each other. But it feels like it has been hours.
He finally whispers against her neck. "I am really glad you are okay."
Felicity nods against him. "I am glad you are okay too. I hoped you won't die, but you can be stupid sometimes."
He huffs out a breath of laughter against her soft skin and he can feel her shiver.
This tiny movement does something to him. It lights a fire in his heart. He might have not really meant those words in the mansion but every time he thinks back to them, the meaning of them becomes more clearer and clearer.
Somewhere between meeting Felicity and the present moment, he has fallen in love to this tiny woman he is holding in his arms. He really doesn't know what to do with this information and Felicity seems to be operating under the assumption that his words were only a move against Slade. A strategy.
Yes, when he thought about the plan, it was a strategy. He knew that he didn't really have time to explain to her what she was supposed to do and he of course had to sell the whole thing so that Slade would actually believe him. He had to be very convincing for them to get to the mansion and gather Felicity where he left her. The moment he walked away from the mansion, his lips buzzing from the sweet kiss they shared, his heart started to sink. He was worried about her. He had deliberately put her in the crosshairs and if she would be injured in any way, he would have had to carry the guilt of her life forever in his heart.
She would have wanted to play the part anyway, if she had known about the plan before it was put into the action. Plenty of times she had yelled at him, claiming that it was her life, her decisions. She would have done anything for him. For the good of the city. She was hundred times better person than Oliver ever was.
Thank god that she had come out from this without any injuries. Oliver was sure that Slade would have hurt her somehow, even before he'd made his way to the power plant. He knew that Slade wanted him to watch her die. So his hopes for her being uninjured, were high.
And holding her in his arms now, he could feel nothing else but relief and comfort. She was the only one left in her life that had some meaning, besides Thea. Slade had destroyed his heart by killing his mother. His sister was on the run somewhere. He was alone, so alone in the world. He felt even more alone than any of the times he was in Lian Yu.
But this woman changed everything in his life.
She is a lifeline.
She is comfort.
She is home.
He burrows his nose deeper into Felicity's neck and sighs contently. Felicity shivers again.
After a long moment, he raises his head to look at her. Her eyes are closed but she opens them slowly, looking into his eyes in a wonder.
He cannot help it anymore. The warmth of her gaze is his undoing.
The pull in his chest is so strong, the yearning to feel good, to be comforted. He does the only thing his brain come up with - he covers her lips with his.
A piece of flickering fire, I discover the power in me.
It's only a tiny piece, but it's stronger than steel.
She makes a soft noise of surprises when their lips meet but she closes her eyes and sinks into him.
The feel of her lips is amazing. She tastes like sweet wine she had been drinking before Oliver got her place. He keeps kissing her, tenderly, like she would fall apart if he'd move more forcefully.
He's memorizing every movement, enjoying every glide of his lips against hers. She sighs into the kiss and opens her mouth in invitation.
Oliver doesn't let the opportunity pass him and slowly but surely he adds tongue into the mix. Felicity welcomes him with tightening of her hold around his neck and moaning into his mouth. He pulls her into his lap while devouring her tongue with his, feeling happiness blossoming in his chest like a overflowing champagne bottle - all bubbly and rushing.
Felicity is with him with every step of the way and as much as it was unexpected, he is overjoyed that she is.
He keeps continuing kissing her for a long while. It feels like hours on end and he cannot get enough of this.
Finally he pulls away from her, feeling her rosy lips chasing his. He places a soft peck against her lips and opens his eyes to see her doing the same. They look at each other in a wander and then a ghost of smile crosses her lips. He feels his lips doing the same.
"Sooo… that happened," she whispers, her eyes shining.
He chuckles softly. "I am glad it did."
He notices her smile widening at his words, the gleam of her eyes doubling in intensity. She is positively shining. No matter that she is sporting a huge bruise on her forehead and is probably tired from this all ordeal, but she is shining like a sun, casting a light on him, and he is unable to look away.
Now there is something in me, pulsing and warming,
the heart, deep inside me, the heat and the pain.
Just like the fire droplet, it lets me know,
In the break of the night, I will find you again.
In the break of the night, I will find you again.
"Oliver?" she whispers, stirring him from his thoughts.
"Yeah?" he whispers, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers. He feels her relax in his hold and sigh deeply.
"What are we doing?" she asks, her voice low and timid. Just like she is afraid of what he is gonna say to her.
He tightens his hold around her waist and sighs.
"We are kissing?" he answers the one obvious thing he can come up with. He knows that she is asking for more - she wants to know what's happening between them. Her brilliant brain always working on the solution, always asking questions. But right now, he just wants to rest his body against the shine of hers and enjoy, whatever it is.
She huffs out a breath of laughter. "Yeah, well, that's obvious, but … why?"
Oliver opens his eyes and raises his head again, to look at her in the eyes. Her eyes still have their shine but they are clouded with worry. He understands it. She has to protect her heart from the hurt, if anything goes wrong. She has been hurt enough, specially by him, so she has to be strong and defend her heart with all she gets.
Its partly his doing. The whole speech of him not be able to be with the people he cares about he gave her these long months ago, it's still probably forefront of her mind. He needs to treat it carefully. He needs her to trust him. Even with her emotions.
"Because I wanted to," he whispers. "Did you want it too?"
She gives him a shy smile and a small nod with her head. The blush that was slightly rosy before, gets even deeper and she doesn't meet his eyes anymore, trying to shy away from his gaze.
"What happens now?" she asks, voice even more softer.
He is aware yet again that the question is aimed for deeper, but he answers with easy answers first.
"Well," he murmurs. "I am flying to Lian Yu tomorrow, hopefully Diggle comes with me too."
"Lian Yu? Why?" Felicity's gaze suddenly snaps back to his and she's worried yet again.
Oliver smiles. "Relax. We are just gonna drop Slade off there. Apparently ARGUS has a prison there. They want Slade to serve his time there. I am coming back."
A smirk plays on her lips when she looks at him gently. "Figures. Slade in the prison in purgatory."
Oliver snorts at this, his brain had been occupied with other stuff, he hadn't caught on of the poetic justice of the arrangement ARGUS had made for him.
"True," he murmurs.
"Can I come with you guys?" she asks, her eyes sharp, tightening her hold around his neck.
"To Lian Yu?"
"Yeah," she nods. "I want to see him behind the bars as much as you do."
"I have a feeling I cannot stop you in any way, even if I wanted to" Oliver whispers, leaning closer to him and rubbing his nose against hers. She closes her eyes and enjoys the feeling of the skin on skin contact.
"And what happens after that?" she whispers, leaning into the touch.
"We live," he murmurs back and pulls her fully against him and kisses her soundly on the lips.
Since this was my first Arrow fic so far, let me know how did i do? I will deeply appreciate that!