The Man You Love
Felicity was grabbing her pyjamas from her closet when she suddenly stood completely still. She couldn't explain how she felt his presence before she even heard the slight sound of her window opening. Without turning around, she asked, "Why are you here, Oliver?"
Oliver slowly walked closer to her, observing how tense her body was. He didn't blame her after all the emotional torture he had put her through over the past few months. But he had just needed to see her tonight after he returned from his trip to Lian Yu with Thea.
Finally standing behind her, he replied, "Same reason why you keep leaving your bedroom window unlocked every night."
A shocked Felicity spun around to face him immediately and slightly lost her balance when she almost crashed into him. She hadn't realised just how close to her he had gotten. She should have known he had been there to check on her since he returned from his fight with Ra's al Ghul but since he never came inside, she had no reason to believe that he did. Now that she thought about it, she didn't blame him for not coming inside. She was the one who told him she didn't want to be the woman he loved on the very same night that he had returned. Yet despite all of that, she still had hope that he would come over to check on her like he used to do almost every night. It was his tendency of only entering through her window instead of the door, that still made her leave the window unlocked every night, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Oliver would come by.
Oliver could see it on her face as she worked out how he knew about the unlocked window. He gave her a few seconds to process everything. He could see her becoming less tense and he relaxed a little knowing that she was now more at ease with talking to him. After that night, they hadn't spoken to each other about much besides Arrow related stuff. But he still couldn't stop himself from going to check on her at night. There were many nights when he had come close to going inside to see her but the memory her telling him that she didn't want to be a women that he loved, stopped him every time. She didn't deserve the mixed signals he kept giving her and despite breaking both of their hearts, he believed that she was better off without him.
"I saw Slade on the island." The second he mentioned Slade's name, he noticed the way Felicity slightly winced in fear as he had no doubt that she was remembering the time Slade had captured her. However, just as quick, he watched as she mentally pushed away the thoughts and waited patiently for him to continue talking.
"He asked about you and if I could, I would have put as many arrows as I could straight through his heart in that very second. But if I'm honest, it was what he said next that made me decide to come through your window tonight."
Seeing how hard it was for him to say what he needed to say to her, Felicity gently cupped the side of his face and Oliver instinctively leaned into her hand. No matter what happened between them, she couldn't bear to see him in the slightest bit of suffering.
"What did Slade say to you, Oliver?"
"He asked me how many people Oliver Queen had to lose before there is no more Oliver Queen. It was then that I realised that I can't lose any more people that I love. I can't lose you, Felicity."
Felicity felt as though she was dreaming. Oliver telling her that he loved her always came with the catch that he couldn't be with her in order to protect her. But he was here in her bedroom telling her that he didn't want to lose her.
As if reading her mind, he said, "I want to be with you, through the good and the bad times. I will always want to protect you, Felicity, but I've come to realise that even without being with me, you will face danger. But you are also not a damsel in distress. I have watched you grow into a strong and brave woman who can hold her own against the bad guys. I have never been so relieved and prouder of you than I was when I watched you knock Cooper out with that gun."
Felicity knew that she loved this man without a doubt, even without that gushing speech he made about her. Yet she also knew that they still have a lot to talk about and they would argue about a hundred other things in the future. Hell, she was mentally arguing with herself right now about what she was going to do. And then it hit her, she would do the only thing that truly felt right for her to do at that moment.
So Felicity stood on the tip of her toes and placed her lips on Oliver's. She pulled back slightly for a moment to look him in the eye and say, "Oliver Queen, you are the only man that I love and I don't want to lose you too. I love you." This time it was Oliver that kissed her, pouring all the love he felt for her into it. He hadn't known just how much he had longed to hear her say those three little words but it was worth the amount of joy it filled his heart with.
They still had to deal with the threat from the League of Assassins, as well as the issues with Malcolm and their team. Oliver was slightly worried that he would let everyone down again but with Felicity at his side, he was already beginning to feel a bit more confident about his chances against Ra's. He would train to become a better fighter than Ra's and he will protect Thea, Felicity, their team and Starling City. Felicity has become his reason to live and from now on, he will do his best to come home to her and their loved ones after every battle he will ever face in his lifetime.
THE END