A/N: Wow. The first time I have written anything since 2010. I haven't had any inspiration in all that time, but finally it struck last night. Maybe it is because I'm graduating from college in a month and I don't have any work, or maybe it is because I have been reading a lot more FanFic lately. Either way, this is my first stab at Arrow. This should be the start of a 4 part series - I have the other chapters sketched out. It has been a really long time since I have written anything, so I welcome lots of feedback!

As always, this is not my property. I'm just playing around with a little plot bunny.

"Wow…". Felicity stops there. The word hangs heavy in the silence. Clearly Felicity is looking for some reassurance that Oliver feels the same way about her, about what had just happened between them.

Oliver isn't sure what to say. He isn't sure about what this new development — a decidedly fantastic, but extremely complicated development — meant for their relationship. He kept on remembering what he said to her after Russia — that he couldn't be with someone that he could care about. He meant her, and worse, she knew that he meant her. He had known that what happened between him and Isabel hurt her, but he also knew that he couldn't get Felicity's hopes up. Back then, Oliver had felt sure that he would never be in a place where he could leave the Island behind, that he could allow himself to have a normal and healthy relationship. He doesn't know when that had changed.

It started with Sara, obviously. When she came back and they got together, at first it was just sex. Then, he realized that Sara was the only person who could really understand him. Things with Sara had been so hard, and so easy, all at the same time. She reminded him of what he had been like right after he got back, completely hopeless, but he thought that he could help her — even save her. He thought that it wouldn't take that much, he had changed in just a year. Sara just needed to remember all the good in the world, and that she wasn't defined by the terrible things that she had done and that had been done to her. She was so much more than an assassin. She was so much more than the person she had been on the Island. Being with her made him feel less like a freak, she felt so much more like who he belonged with. She was just as damaged as he was, and for a moment, he thought that they could heal each other.

"Felicity. I just wanted to…"

"So that was great. I mean really, really great. I've been with other guys, and that was really, really great. Maybe it's all the muscle — gives extra leverage. Or all the women…your sexual exploits are legendary. Or maybe it wasn't really that great. You're not saying anything, why aren't you saying anything?"

"Felicity, that was great."

It was really, really great — to borrow Felicity's words. Oliver had always assumed that they would be great together. And he had thought about them being together more than he was willing to admit, so that assumption was based on many fantasies.

The sexual tension has been building between them for years. After all that time, you would think that the reality would be a disappointment. Just because fantasies are fantasies. But the truth is, Felicity is amazing in bed (and on the floor). She is passionate and uninhibited and she was very clear about what Oliver needed to do to make her feel good. It turns out that even though her chattiness can be annoying sometimes, it is very helpful in the bedroom. He hadn't expected everything that their sex life would be, just based on working with her, night after night. He had expected reserved, and maybe a little bit unfocused. He definitely wasn't expecting a fiery bobcat.

They have such a good working relationship — they know each other so well, and that had to translate to the bedroom. Other than Sarah and Laurel, most of his sexual relationships had been with women he didn't know very well. Obviously, sex was almost always good. But there is a special kind of connection when you know exactly what makes your partner tick, how to read her responses and understand exactly what she is thinking. He has that with Felicity. By now they have spent so much time together in the Foundry, he has spent so much time watching her work at her computers, he feels like he could identify the sound of her typing with his eyes closed. Just by watching her, he can tell if she is stressed or worried or really happy. There is a particular way that she spins in her chair, that lets Oliver know that Felicity is having a good day.

It used to be, that his life depended on his ability to be observant of everything. Since he got back, he's realized that his single-minded focus could often come at the expense of his relationships. He has missed so much of what has happened with his family and his friends, but he has been trying to do better. It has only been recently that he turned his full blast attention on Felicity. She's fascinating—sometimes he can barely stand to look away. Oliver Expects that it will only be worse now that he knows so much more about her.

But now they have to make some decisions about what this means for them, and for everything they have tried to accomplish over the last few years, and for their future — both sides of it. He's not sure what the right decision is, but he is pretty sure that he can't go back. He can't go back to a time before he saw her naked, and before he kissed her lips, and before they cuddled together in post-coital bliss.

"Really. I'm glad you think so. It would be really, really, awkward if I really enjoyed it, and you that it was just ok. I'm not sure if I could deal with that. I'm glad you enjoyed that. Anything in particular…"

"Felicity. Stop talking."

"You're right. I'm babbling. I feel like this is all really strange and confusing. We have to talk about this. What it means for our relationship, and for Team Arrow, and everything."

"Yes, we will talk about everything. You should know…I like that you babble. It lets me know what you're thinking. I like that you don't keep secrets from me."

"I have secrets. You don't know everything about me, Oliver Queen."

"I want to know all your secrets, Felicity Smoak. But first…" Oliver rolls on top of Felicity. From his position, he is even with her neck, perfect position for kissing. He kisses his way up and down, dipping ever lower as Felicity mewls in pleasure. Things were about to get very interesting, when Felicity distracted Oliver from where he was planning on going.

"Oliver. We can't do this again, not right now. We have to talk about this. Otherwise, we're just going to avoid the conversation, and things will get complicated and we will never define the relationship."

Oliver flops down on the bed. She is right, he knows she is. But this conversation would be hard because it required him to give her a lot of apologies. She deserved them, and he had been wrong about so many things. But saying it all out loud would make it real. It would add even more to the heavy mountain of guilt he carried around everywhere he went. But if he wanted to make this relationship something real and serious, it was definitely time to talk and come clean.

"Felicity, I have to apologize to you." She tries to interrupt him, but he shushes her. "I am so sorry about what I said to you after we got back from Russia. I'm so sorry that I slept with Isabel. It didn't mean anything. It was just…a moment. I found you so attractive, and it was worrying me. I couldn't be the guy you needed back then, and I'm sorry that it made everything so hard for you, for so long."

"Oliver, stop. You are obviously taking on a lot of guilt here, and frankly, it's getting on my nerves. I was hurt by what you said, and I did have a crush on you. But I don't want you to think that I've been…pining for you, all this time. I got over you. I've had relationships since then, I wasn't some pathetic teen-aged girl just waiting for you to notice me. It wasn't the right time for this, whatever this is going to be, not for either of us."

Oliver is silent. He's not sure what to say about it. Obviously, he knows that she has had relationships. He was incredibly jealous about her relationship with Barry. There have been a few nights, especially recently, where she left the Foundry early to go out on a date. He realizes how much of an asshole he must of sounded like—assuming that she must be pining after him. "You're right. I'm a jerk."

Oliver relaxes on the bed, just moving slightly away from Felicity. Suddenly, he doesn't feel nearly as sure about the eventual outcome of this discussion. He doesn't even know if he has any power — it seems like Felicity is going to make all the decisions. Maybe it is better this way, he has made such a mess of his life, so many times.

"Yes, you are. I'm glad you agree. But here's the thing, you are an incredibly sweet jerk. I want to try this — whatever this is. But if we're going to do that, we can't be Oliver Queen and Oliver Queen's executive assistant. We have to be equals, or we can't be anything at all. I wasn't pining after you. You weren't pining after me. We are two people that were never in the right place in our lives to be together, and now we are."

"That sounds good. Can we be done talking now?" Oliver inches closer to her. He starts with her neck again. He's not sure why he is so fascinated, but it is definitely one of his favorite parts of her. Then again, there are a lot of favorite parts, so it is hard to choose.

"Yes. Let's be done talking." The last part comes out like a breathy moan. Oliver isn't sure if he's ever been so turned on. Either way, it promises to be a fun day.

A/N: Please review!