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Prompt: FF#31: Nowhere to Hide
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losing myself to madness
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When it came to Felicity, his jealousies always led him down a slightly dark road. Oliver really couldn't help it. From the moment this beautiful babbling girl entered his life, she became his light, his reason for being. And while Oliver might not be able to give in to love he felt for Felicity and have the kind of relationship he'd like them to have, it did not mean he would happily share the love of his life's attention.
Hell, these days the easy laughs and smiles she shared with Diggle had him grinding his teeth. And Oliver knew deep in the marrow of his bones theirs was a brother-sister bond.
And watching the arrows shoot from behind and insert itself into Barry's back, it filled him with a grim sort of satisfaction. He'd warned Felicity that Barry did not want to work with him; the speedster had no idea just what the Green Arrow was really like. Oliver just hadn't given her the full reason—Oliver didn't exactly want to work with him either. Looking at the kid, all he saw was the genius pouring off them both with that flirting twinkle in their eyes when they'd met.
But this. These arrows to the back. It was to teach the kid to watch his surroundings. It was a form of revenge for the words that seemed engraved in his head.
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He sat silently in the back, pretending to take stock of his equipment, all the while watching Felicity as she sat at the computer doing something he could never understand. She looked different since returning from Central City; less weighed down. Everything in Oliver was itching to ask, but he was too hesitant to talk so deeply after how they'd left things.
Quietly huffing, he slyly watched John approach their I.T. Goddess from behind, lip curling slightly at how involved she always got in a task that either he, John and Roy could make her jump.
"So," John said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Everything OK with Barry?"
Oliver felt his eyes narrow at the nervous action of her nibbling on her bottom lip with twisting her pen between her thumb and index finger. Though, he was infinitely grateful to Diggle for asking the question he for whatever reason couldn't.
"Barry is…" she trailed off, twisting the pen faster, "he's better than ever. Something happened when the lightning struck him. But," she drew the word out. "I figured we could all talk about that tomorrow, because it was truly unbelievable. I mean, yeah I saw it, and it even took me a moment to process what was happening in front of my very eyes!"
It was a classic Felicity babble—the kind she hated, the kind he loved. And though the subject wasn't one Oliver liked, nor did it sound very good, he couldn't help himself the tiniest twitch in the corner of his stern mouth.
John looked her over with intense focus. "Sounds serious." Was all he said to which she answered with a single nod. "Well, the how was the trip?" he asked with a lighter tone.
"It was great!" Felicity enthused, big smile lighting the foundry. "I got to better meet Iris, the girl of Barry's dreams," she leaned closer to Diggle and spoke in a hushed voice, not that he still couldn't hear. "Also got to meet the people he's now working with at S.T.A.R. Labs. Caitlin and Cisco."
"I'm glad you had fun," John told her. The other man's eyes and smile were indulgent, like any protective elder brother who could accept nothing but the best for their little sister. "Anything else happen?"
"Barry and I kissed," the moment the words came, the look on Felicity's face said they'd been blurted out unthinkingly. A typical case of her word vomit. Only this time it did nothing to cheer him up, these words gutted him.
"Wh—what…?"
Looking up with blue eyes huge behind glasses, Felicity was quick to explain. "It's not what you're thinking, John! We were talking about how neither of us could be with the person we liked," she finally stopped to take a deep breath, seeing that Diggle's countenance had become less shocked and was listening to her. Intently, like himself. "Then we wondered why we couldn't just like each other, because we essentially would be perfect for each other in another life. So, we just kissed goodbye."
"Oh, Felicity," John sighed, while giving her his no-more-bull-shit look.
But Oliver had checked out of their conversation. Staring morosely at the metal table, he was unable to think of anything else but how they'd kissed (no matter the reason), and how they should be perfect together (even if in another life).
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That night was enough to never really want to see Barry Allen again. Ever.
And then he stumbled upon another conversation between John and Felicity the other night, and the subject was once again the kid. Not completely about him; just enough and with the finer details, that was all Oliver needed to be blinded by red.
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"It's really cool isn't it?" it was Felicity's voice he heard as he walked closer to their hotel rooms around the corner. It was the tone he loved most from her: low, intense and excited.
"Yeah," murmured Diggle absently. "Really cool. Only…hard to believe."
"I know right?" she chirped back, "even I couldn't accept what my eyes were seeing the first time I saw him!"
Oliver slowed his gait, wanting to eavesdrop a little. If only because Felicity was so wholly honest with Diggle, much more than him these days.
He could hear John huff a chuckle. "When he took off with you, it was… One moment you both stood there, then in a blink you were gone, with only a streak of red to prove it happened."
Felicity laughed, his favorite sound in the world. "Oh, I know," she returned quickly and with another but fainter giggle. "Barry ran so quickly to S.T.A.R. Labs that my shirt caught on fire! Had to throw it off after quickly trying to put it out. I stood there with Barry, and then Caitlin and Cisco came into the lab, with me only in my bra."
Their voices became murmured background noise as the jealous beast inside him that hated men giving attention to his Felicity (not dating, but his). Not only had the kid kissed her, but now he'd seen her half-undressed. The thought alone had a low growl rumbling in his throat.
Fuck! Oliver wanted nothing more than to roar at the boy while beating his chest, while standing in front of Felicity. Not that she'd appreciate that, and picturing her reaction and use of Loud-Voice in response, helped calm him down immensely.
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He used all his strength to keep his face blank was Barry's back bowed and a mild yell came from his mouth. And grit his teeth as the boy looked at him incredulously, demanding, "you… You shot me!"
"I heard you heal fast," he told him tonelessly, ripping the arrows from Barry's back, then turning to walk off.
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[End]