Title: Driving, Dinner, and Discussions
Words: 2268
Genre: Humor/Romance
Pairing: Laurel/Oliver
Status: Done
Summary: Laurel and Oliver go to dinner and talk about the past and the future.
"We need to get food," Laurel said as she kissed Oliver.
He nodded. "We really should get food," He said and kissed her back.
"I swear to god, if I hear you guys say we need to get food and make out again, both your credit scores are going down the drain, get out of here, seriously, go get food. You can copulate somewhere else," Felicity said as she turned in her chair and scowled at both of them.
Oliver picked Laurel up and she squealed in surprise. "Come on, m'lady, food awaits." He said as he took her up the stairs and through Verdant which had a new owner but still just as nice and oblivious to his nightly activities as Thea was. Once they were in the club, Oliver put Laurel down on her feet and she grabbed his hand and drug him to the car. He smiled because being jerked around by her was something of a shock, but one he enjoyed. "So what does the lady want to eat?" He asked.
"I want big belly french fries. They're the best. Especially the way Carly makes them," She said as she tossed him the keys and got in on the passenger side.
He nodded and got in, "Yes ma'am," He beamed at her with a stupid grin and he kissed her one more time.
She shook her head. "No, this time Felicity's right. I need food. We can do the rest later," She told him as she gave him a peck and patted him on the knee.
He drove them to Big Belly and they got out and walked together into the restaurant. They were greeted as friends and Laurel grabbed them her favorite booth nestled in the farthest corner of the restaurant, where they would have a blissful moment away from all the chatter of the world and it could just be the two of them.
Carly came over and smiled, "What can I get you, lovebirds?" She asked them with a bit of a smile.
"A big pile of fries," Laurel said.
"And a couple of chocolate shakes," Oliver said.
Carly wrote both things down and looked back up at them. "Is there anything else I can get you?" She asked.
Oliver looked over to Laurel who shook her head and grinned and Oliver looked to Carly, "No, that will be all. Unless you want something, Carly?" He asked her.
"No, not right now, Queen." She laughed as she went to the back and started to get to work on the fries.
Laurel looked longingly at him and he grinned a little. "Do I have something on my face?" He asked.
"No," She shook her head. "I'm just impressed at your kindness. That's one thing that didn't change from before the island. You always asked waiters if they wanted something. I actually missed it when you were gone."
"You did?" He asked, with an eyebrow raised.
She nodded. "Yeah, I mean when I went to dinner alone, I often thought about how when I would go to dinner with you. And even at fancy restaurants where if I hadn't been with you, I never would have been able to afford anything, you always asked the waiter if they wanted anything. And they would be shocked. Because Oliver Queen, playboy, was sitting down with a beautiful woman and not only did he seem completely calm and in control but he was also treating them like a person who could have a want." She said as she twirled the little flag on the table.
"You were what inspired that you know," He told her as he looked right into her eyes.
"Really?" She asked.
He nodded. "Yep, on our first date, you said something about the waiter looking like he was starving at the beginning of the date. And it made your face unhappy. And so at the end of the date when he asked us if we wanted dessert, and you'd forgotten what you said at the beginning, I asked him if he wanted anything. And I saw your face light up. And I realized that for a couple of moments when we were on our dates, I could be the man you deserved. I could be the man that you saw. For so long I wanted to be that person but I couldn't figure out how and doing that it just made it better."
She tilted her head to him. She never knew that. She thought he was just trying to be nice because he thought it was the right thing to do, but to show him the way, she hadn't thought she made that big of an impact on him. "It was weird dating you back then,"
"Yeah," He blushed a little. "It was weird dating back then. I never deserved you. I never deserved you staying by my side while I went out cavorting at all hours of the night."
She shook her head. "Do you really think I didn't know?"
"You did?" He furrowed his brow.
She nodded and took his hands in hers across the table. "I stood by you, because I knew you were special. I knew that you would figure it out. And I wanted to be there for that. Because I love you."
He smiled to her and realized that she was so much more than he imagined. "How'd you know all that?" He asked as he saw the fries coming.
She shrugged. "Because there would be times. You would come to a charity event and you would stand there beside me and you would look so happy. You would look so happy because you wanted to make the world better and in that moment you were. And that was different than any other guy I had dated. You didn't complain about being dragged to it. You just came. And you didn't let you get in the way of the cause." She told him as she kissed his knuckles.
Carly smiled to them. "Okay, settle down, you two," She said as she put the fries down in the middle of them and then put a shake on either side of the fries. "Enjoy," She said as she went to deal with someone else.
Laurel dug into the fries and took the crispiest ones, which were usually his favorite and if it had been anybody else, he would have stabbed them through the hand with an arrow to get to them, but with her, she put them in her face with such joy, he had to let her have them. It also helped that Carly managed to give them mostly little crispy ones so it wasn't like she was taking all of the little crispy ones.
He took one from the plate and dipped it in some of his milkshake. "I'm glad you're happy now," He told her as he took some more fries and she looked up to him and smiled.
She stuffed another couple of fries in her mouth and grinned at him and he just chuckled to himself. There was nothing about that smile he didn't love.
He especially loved that it made her look ten years younger and like he was the only important thing in her world which he knew to be false, but damn if that hopeful face didn't make it seem like he could be the only important thing.
"It's pretty easy to be happy when I've got a great boyfriend who buys me fries when I want them." She said as she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and took a fry from his side of the plate and dipped it in her shake and smiled.
He shook his head. "I'd buy you all the fries in the world if it made you smile like that," He told her. He picked up his milkshake and slurped a good drink from his straw and wiped his mouth.
Both of their phones beeped with the cell phone ring that was in the iron man movie. "You know, I think she picked that ringtone on purpose," Laurel laughed. She was the first to pick up and looked and shook her head. "That is Miss Felicity," She told him. "Asking if we're done canoodling and got enough food," She laughed.
"I think she would surprised by the amount of time we don't spend canoodling and just doing this." Oliver said as he looked over to Carly who finished up with the couple she had and went to the back to get a box. He put his a fifty on the table, plenty for the food and her tip and stood up.
"And instead of the milkshakes because they don't carry well, I got you two cokes," She said as she gave them two styrofoam cups and gave Laurel the box which she put the all the fries in.
Oliver gave Laurel her drink and put his arm around her waist. "You're the best, Carly, this is yours," He said as he took the bill off the table and gave it directly to her.
"I can't take this much, your order was barely ten dollars," She told him.
He shook his head. "You can and you will. And if you need more incentive to take it, make food for yourself on my dime. I'm paying for it." He said as he backed his hands away from the money.
"You two are my favorite customers, besides John and Lyla, you know that?" She asked him, a little shy since she had taken so much of his money and he had done nothing but smile about it.
He nodded. "Besides, you make the fries just the way my lioness likes them and you know, I would pay anything to keep my lioness happy."
She laughed and he brought Laurel in tighter while she sipped her drink through the straw. "You know she could kick you ass like a lioness?" Carly asked him.
"Oh, I have no doubt," Oliver chuckled.
Laurel pulled him to the side. "As much as we would like to stay, we have to jet. Work is calling both of us."
"You two have very odd jobs," Carly giggled.
Laurel rolled her eyes and tossed Oliver the keys. "You don't know the half of it," She promised Carly as they stepped outside of Big Belly and into the big dirty world that was still so full of criminals.
Oliver called Felicity, "Hey, I thought you two weren't canoodling. And you know, as much as I'm all for you guys getting your date nights, it would be nice if you called me and invited me into your little charade. I mean, knowing where you were and when I could reach you when I needed you. And by I need you, I mean the team. And dammit, now I'm rambling," Laurel laughed openly. "Fuck, you have me on speakerphone too?"
"I'm driving Felicity, it wouldn't be very responsible to have my friends anywhere but on the wheel." He said as he winked to Laurel.
She kissed him on the cheek. "I'll show you exactly where your hands should be," Laurel said in a sexy way.
"Okay, first off, eww. Stop it. And second, safety. So when are you guys going to be here?" Felicity asked as she squeezed the mental image out of her head.
"We should be there in about five." Laurel said. "It'll take us a few minutes to get costumes on, but we can be out to get the newest big bad in about ten, sound good?" Laurel asked her.
"You sure you're gonna be able to keep it in your pants while you two change? I've walked in on you two and it's not pretty. You're like teenagers. Or college students. So uninhibited." She said and Oliver just shook his head because he knew that there had to be a blush to Felicity going now.
Laurel shook her head after a moment. "I make no promises that I'll keep my hands to myself."
"Well could you please try?" Felicity asked a little annoyed.
Laurel rolled her eyes. "I guess,"
"good, I'm gonna go, before you guys get anymore funny ideas," She said and then she hung up.
Oliver looked to Laurel. "You totally did that on purpose." He didn't even ask. He told her, because it was a fact and the flush creeped up on her cheeks.
"She was totally asking for it. She's nosing into places she shouldn't and she'll learn that it's too uncomfortable sooner or later," She told him. "I'm just having some fun while she's on that journey," Laurel shrugged.
As they got Verdant, he stopped the car and kissed her. "Please try to go a little easier on her, okay? I think she gets it." He told her.
"If she makes more googly eyes at you, I might have to step my game again." Laurel said as she raised her chin in challenge to him.
He grinned. "I'm sure that won't be a problem if you can get your sister and Nyssa back."
"Yeah?" Laurel asked.
Oliver took her hand and smiled. "Let me just say that she had very nice things to say about Sara's body and well, it seemed to be mutual?" He told her.
"So she's gay?" Laurel asked as her jaw fell.
Oliver kissed his girl on the forehead. "I think she might be bi, but that's not important. Still Nyssa and Sara, just think about it." He told.
"Oh, I won't be able to stop thinking about it,"