Title: I Choose You
Author: QueencestQueen
Pairings: Oliver/Thea (aka Queencest and/or Tholiver)
Rating: K (or General Audiences, depending on the rating system.)
Summary: Thea is Oliver's date to Diggle and Lyla's wedding.
Dedicated to: my Queencest soulmate, J, wewerequeens, who put this idea in my head, and the ever encouraging definitelydorky23!
Notes/Warnings:
- Takes place in the season three episode, Suicidal Tendencies.
- Title comes from the song of the same title by Sara Bareilles.
- There are some cuss words contained within.
- Italicized words are Thea's thoughts.
Disclaimer:
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of this author. This author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
"Oh, just come here," Thea grumbled, bridging the gap between them and batting his hands away. "Why are you men always useless at these things?" She asked under her breath, her fingers straightening the skewed bowtie. Her hands moved to smooth out the collar of his white shirt before she took a step back and examined him. "Okay," she said with a small smile as her eyes moved over him, making sure he was presentable, "you're good."
"Are you sure, inspector?" Oliver joked and Thea playfully stuck her tongue out at him.
"Shut up and get in there. You're already late, you know."
"Actually, I'm fifteen minutes early." He commented, but obeyed her and headed into the building.
Thea took a deep breathe tilting her head up to bask in the sun for a few minutes before she too had to head inside. She knew she should be happy; this was a happy occasion, after all, and those didn't happen often, but she was struggling to maintain the façade she put on for everyone else. The ever-present, ever-looming threat of the mythical Ra's al Ghul hung over her head making her feel paranoid and unbalanced. She supposed that the others could tuck it away and enjoy the day so easily because they were used to this reality, but Thea wasn't. She couldn't stop thinking about all the bad "what ifs?" What if they weren't trained enough? What if Ra's al Ghul attacked and they lost, or perhaps even worse, what if they won? As if all of that weren't enough, there was always the nagging knowledge that her newly reacquainted boyfriend was pissed at her…again. Why is it that every time we try to be a couple he always ends up pissed at me for something? As friends they were good, but every time they tried to deepen it… Thea sighed, sick of thinking in endless circles, and went inside the venue, a smile plastered on her face.
The ceremony itself was beautiful and she couldn't help the wistful thoughts of happily-ever-afters that floated around her brain. The only thing that dampened her enjoyment of the moment was Roy's stiff presence at her side. It was so aggravating that she was half tempted to tell him to knock off his emo routine, but she didn't want to risk interrupting the ceremony. Instead, she simply sat there and kept her eyes to the front, watching as the couple she barely knew exchanged vows. When it came time for the rings, Thea almost had a panic attack as Oliver reached into his coat to retrieve the small box. A small sigh of relief escaped her when, a second later, he handed the ring over to the husband-to-be. Why was I so worried? She settled back into her seat, I put the ring in his pocket myself.
She cheered with the rest of the onlookers when the newly-married couple turned to face them. As they started down the aisle, her green eyes turned to her brother, his gaze already on her, and she shot him a discreet thumbs up. He chuckled a little in response and her grin brightened as the small wedding party followed the exiting couple.
"Thea," Roy said, grabbing her elbow as she made to exit their row of seats with the others, "can we grab a drink?"
"Of course," She said, smiling softly. Maybe now he was ready to let go of his issue with her. Maybe he'd even seen her side of things. A girl can dream, right?
Two of the youngest members of the gathered guests flowed out of their row and down the aisle towards the reception hall. By the time they reached the bar, there was a crowd gathered around it leaving Roy and Thea to stand awkwardly among the chaos. Her eyes flickered over to him nervously. What does he want to talk about? Last time they had a discussion, they'd ended up shouting at each other; this was a nice wedding and certainly no place for that. Still, she couldn't just let them stand there in silence until they reached the bar.
"So…" She said, absently gazing around at the various faces of the partygoers gathered about. No one in the crowd stood out to her and she can't see Oliver anywhere. Where did he go? She wondered idly as she turned back towards Roy, "You wanted to talk?"
A small laughed escaped him as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "Um, yeah, I wanted to talk about this…" His hands were held out, palms facing up as he spoke, "about the fact you're not here with me."
Of course. "Roy," She said, exasperation clearly in her tone, "I told you-"
He interrupted her. "I know what you said, Thea." There was a small, sad, smile on his lips. "Oliver and I found out about this wedding at pretty much the same time. He didn't actually ask you before I did." It wasn't a question.
"No." She said simply. There's no point in denying it. She knew the damage that lies could do to relationships. Roy deserved better than that from her. "But he's my brother, he needs me."
"But that's the problem, isn't it?" He took her hands, making her jump a little from surprise. "He needs you and suddenly no one else exists." His eyes locked on hers, suddenly intense. "You don't see anything…off about that, do you?" Thea frowned slightly. What does he mean 'off?'
"Roy," she said without really knowing how to finish that statement.
He chuckled, humorlessly and handed her two glasses of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter. "Go," He said gently, nodding to the left to indicate which way she should head, "Laurel's about to leave him and Felicity's headed that way." Thea's gaze snapped in the direction he indicated as soon as she heard the tech-savvy girl's name. Sure enough, Laurel was tapping her fingers against her hip, a clear sign of her impending exit from the conversation, and Felicity was edging her way through the crowd towards Oliver. Shit.
She gave Roy one last weak smile, watching as he attempted and failed to smile back. It was a break, a final break. She shook her head, forcing herself to focus on the issue at hand: keeping Felicity from Oliver. The woman had a negative effect on her brother emotionally, whether or not anyone else noticed, and she wasn't about to let anyone or anything make him unhappy; not while she was around to put a stop to it.
Using a little of the speed which inspired her nickname, Thea arrived at Oliver's side just before Felicity could saddle up to him. The glasses clinked together as they were placed on the table beside her hip. "Dance with me?" She asked, smiling up at him as she held out her hand. His eyes flickered down to the outstretched palm like it might bite; it brightened her smile slightly. "Please?" She tacked on, knowing Oliver couldn't refuse her for long.
He sighed softly, but took her hand anyway and let her lead him to the makeshift dancefloor. The song transitioned to a slower track just as they took their spot among the few guests already swaying there. "I'm not a good dancer, Speedy." It was a warning that she paid no mind to.
"It's just slow dancing, Ollie, not rocket science," She smiled softly and took his hands, placing them on her hips, "You'll be fine, just sway with me, okay? No big deal." He nodded as if she'd said something earth-shattering, it was so endearing that Thea just had to take pity on him. She stepped half a step closer to him resting her head upon his chest as her arms looped loosely around his neck. "See?" She said softly as they swayed to the gentle thrum of the music, "Not so hard, huh?"
He made a noncommittal noise into her hair that sounded vaguely like agreement so she didn't press the issue. Instead, she just let her eyes close, listening to his breathing, as they continued to move together. This is nice. As soon as that thought occurred to her, her eyes shot open. Suddenly, she understood what Roy had been implying. As if he could read her thoughts, Roy met her gaze from across the room and nodded once; they both smiled sadly. You can't help who you love…
"Oliver." Their dancing came to an abrupt halt as the groom came up behind her brother and showed him his phone. Thea stood on her tiptoes to see the screen as well.
"What the hell?" She made to grab the phone, but aborted the unconscious movement when she realized what she was doing. She couldn't help it though; the news article proclaiming her brother's alter ego was once more killing people was shocking. It wasn't true. She knew Oliver wouldn't do that again. All of the secret members of Oliver's team gathered around and they whispered to themselves like a more serious version of a high school clique; it made Thea feel invisible.
"Speedy?" Oliver's voice broke through Thea's fog of thought, "Can you stay here? Keep an eye on the party while we figure this out?"
She nodded, "Yeah, sure. Where are you all going?"
"Back to the Foundry."
Right, of course. She turned and smiled at the bride and groom, both of whom were suddenly all business. It was quite impressive that they were able to switch priorities so fast. "Don't worry, I'll keep all guests here and out of the way until it's safe for them to leave again." The couple had other things on their mind clearly, but at least they had the courtesy to nod in response to her statement.
"Stay safe," Oliver cautioned as he hugged her with a single arm around her waist, his hand sliding off her lower back as he moved away.
"You too, Ollie," She called out and he smiled back to her in that way he had. Even in little ways, he made her feel special. Her eyes narrow slightly in concern and a little frustration as Felicity walked beside Oliver when the team exited the party hall as a group. But then she heard the blonde's parting words.
"I thought you didn't dance."
A/N: Please review.