Different Circumstances

Before

Oliver's POV

After returning from the island for what seemed like the hundredth time, I had no home to come back to. Everything my family, whatever was left of it, and I owned was taken away because we had no more money to live by. Thea was gone, without any note to say where she went and why she went. When I came back home the house was empty of everything. I went to go check in Verdant, but there was no sign of her being there in a long time. I had to talk to Roy about this; he must know where she was or why she left without any notice. However, for now, I needed rest. I had finally gotten rid of my biggest enemy once and for all. It was strange that I once considered this man my closest friend, someone like a brother.

Felicity and Diggle were waiting for me back at the hideout (however much of it was left). We couldn't use it anymore, as like everything else my family and I owned, Verdant wasn't ours anymore. We needed to use our backup hideout for now until further notice. When I walked down the stairs slowly, the first thing I noticed was Felicity and how comfortable she felt in this whole situation. It was such a strange feeling having her as not only as my friend, but also my partner in crime. I didn't realize how much I truly needed her in my life. She and Diggle were one of the few people in my life that I could never lose.

"Hey Oliver," said Diggle. "Any sign of Thea?"

"No, she wasn't at home or upstairs. I'm scared, because I remember her saying something to Walter about leaving Starling City. I just thought she would've at least informed me of when, where and how she was going to leave," I answered, with a frown.

"Don't worry, we'll find her. I think she might want some time to herself for now after all that she has gone through this year, but I'm sure she'll come around," said Felicity, with a smile.

"Thanks," I smiled back. I found it so easy to let go of some of my worries when I was around Felicity.

"Do you know what you're going to do about living arrangements, since you can't really live at the Queen mansion anymore?" asked Diggle.

"I don't know. I'll probably just crash down here or in the other hideout, at least for now until I find better living arrangements," I said.

"That doesn't seem right, you should have a nice bed and room to sleep in. You've had such a tough time lately; rest should be your number one priority at the moment. You know what? How about you just crash at my place for as long as you want. We have a spare bedroom that we barely have any use for. I'm sure Lyla won't mind," assured Diggle.

"I don't think that's the best idea. With Lyla being pregnant, I think you guys should spend as much time with just each other as much as possible," said Felicity. After a pause, she said "You can stay at my place for a while. I have a spare bedroom and I'm sure you and I will be quiet comfortable under the same roof… I mean… you know… as friends? I mean, if that's okay with you," said Felicity, with a slight blush in her cheeks.

I couldn't help but smile. After a while I said, "I think that works fine for me. I promise I won't be much trouble and I will try to look for a proper job and my own place as soon as possible."

"Perfect," Felicity said, with a shy smile.

Now

Oliver's POV

As I lay in Felicity's spare bedroom, I thought about everything that had happened in the last few days. Losing mom was one of the difficult times of my life. I never in my dreams wanted to be put in the same situation again that Ivo had put me in on that horrible island. At that moment, my decision to protect Sara was barely I thought in my mind, barely any hesitation. Now, living through that again, and not being able to move to protect the ones that I loved, was so much worse.

The one person that helped me through these rough times, the person that was able to get through to me even when it seemed impossible, was Felicity. Only Felicity. No one was able to understand me better than she did. She was the one person that I could rely on to tell me the truth, to tell me what I needed to hear, even when I myself didn't know what I needed to hear. She was the one that was able to pull me out of the hardest circumstances, helped me make the most difficult choices with ease. Having her in my life, though I never admitted it, was a pure blessing for me. I don't know how I would get through a day without her help. She was the one that believed in me when no one else would. She thought of me as hero when everyone else thought I was a murderer. I never realized how much she truly meant to me.

And then, the other day, when I was outfoxing Slade, when I told Felicity "I love you", I was able to say it with such ease. Was it really a lie? I knew that some part of me believed those words, but what if that part of me was bigger than I was letting on? What if she truly was the one that I would lay down my life for? There were already so many times where I risked my own lives, even other's, to protect her. Did she really mean this much to me?

I got up off the bed and walked, slowly, to Felicity's room and sat on the side of the bed that she wasn't sleeping on. I looked at her peaceful face and I felt my heart melt. I continued staring, and knew what the answer to all my questions was, and didn't know how I didn't know this before.

Felicity's POV

As I lay there asleep, I could feel the slightest of movements on the other side of the bed. I was always a light sleeper, so the slightest of noise or movement woke me up. As I slowly started to wake, I could hear a very slow and calm breathing beside me. As I opened my eyes and looked to my left, I saw a slightly blurry figure sitting down on the edge of my bed. Though the figure was blurry, I could never have mistaken who it was. The shape of the body was too familiar.

"Oliver?" I asked as I reached for my glasses on my bedside table and turned on the lamp. I noticed that it was nearly 3 in the morning. When I turned back, his head was turned away from me, but slightly to the side facing me.

I got up and walked around the bed and kneeled in front of him. I saw that there were tears in his eyes, and the slightest of smiles was on his face.

"Hey, Oliver, what's wrong?" I asked, instantly worried.

After a small hesitation, he leaned a little forward and took my face between his hands, and held it there for a moment, just staring into my eyes with an expression that I had never seen before; pure affection.

As I registered his expression, he leaned in, with his eyes closed, and kissed me very softly on my lips. The pressure of soft lips on my sleep warmed lips felt quiet pleasant. The kiss was very soft and gentle, but I could feel that the passion and affection was coursing through both of us. As he slowly backed away, I could see that the tears were still in his eyes, but the smile was wider.

"Uhhmm…" I struggled for words, shocked by the expression on his face and his kiss.

"I love you," Oliver said, so affectionately that my own tears started building up in my eyes.

I couldn't believe these words, but then I thought about the last time he had said these words to me, and my mind automatically starting thinking about if cameras were around my house, or if this was another one of his ruses. These thoughts had my eyebrows rising.

He laughed slightly, seemingly knowing my thoughts, and repeated his words, "I love you, Felicity."

"Wow… I've always imagined you saying those words… well, saying them and actually meaning them," I said after a long pause with a slight eye roll.

He laughed again and pulled me in for a tight hug.

"I love you too," I said. The words, finally coming out of my mouth after waiting so long to be stated, sounded so strange and yet so right.

He pulled away from the hug and took my face in his hands again and gave me another kiss, this time more passionate and not so gentle. He took me in his arms and started rolling us around on the bed. I started laughing with pure joy.

"Felicity, hold on to me tight," Oliver said, with the cutest smile I had seen on his face. I grabbed his face in my hands as I lay there under him, and gave him a long and hard kiss.

"I imagined you saying that under different circumstances," I joked, with a wide smile.

Oliver's smile widened, and he kissed me again, and we stayed like that for what seemed like hours. After a while, we just lay there staring into each other's eyes. Around 5 o'clock, we both fell asleep, me lying there very comfortable and safe in his wonderful arms. I had never felt more happy and wonderful in my life, and I wish that this feeling would never end.