I shouldn't post this. I know that it's a really bad idea, but I'll do it anyway. Here you go, another multichap, I haven't time for.
This FanFic is inspired by a fantastic video of KristinaOrtutrova, which you can find on YouTube under "Blank Space". Go watch it. It's amazing.
I will not stick to the video though. I already played a little with the time frame here and there, but you'll see, what is similar and what is completely different.
And before you start reading this: I know most people hate it when Felicity refers to Oliver as "Ollie" in FanFictions (or in general). I hate it myself. But she will do that in this FanFiction. It's actually a big part of the story, so I can't change it. It will be explained why she does that somewhere along the story, so I won't tell you right now. And she will stop doing it after a while. I can promise that. So please bear with me for a while. :)
And: I'll just say this once, paragraphs written in italics are always flashbacks, unless I say otherwise.
All characters belong to DC and Warner Bros. The idea comes from a video by KristinaOrtutrova. Enjoy.
(I know I promised I'd upload a new chapter of mistyped. in October, but I didn't have any time for writing. I'll explain when the chapter is done and posted. I hope it won't be too long before that.)
It was the anniversary. Oliver and Robert Queen disappeared exactly five years ago and the press made a constant reminder of that. There was no way to avoid it. It was on the TV, on the internet (someone even made a hashtag for them to use on every damn social media, which was easy to block, but not everyone was using it) and even on the streets. There were posters and flyers around every corner with their faces on them. And Moira Queen, the woman who lost her husband and son, was hosting a charity gala to raise money for the 'Oliver and Robert Queen Foundation', which was founded just three years ago and tried to help the homeless in Starling City. There really was no way to escape the date.
It wasn't that she didn't understand why it was such a big deal, she did. That was how most people dealed with the loss of two of the finest people in their city. And it didn't even hurt that much anymore. She could think of him again, listen to someone talking about him, talk about him herself. She just didn't want to remember that five years had passed since she last heard his voice or saw his smile.
She gave up on hoping for him to come back about three and a half years ago. That was when she stopped going to the docks every evening and went to his grave instead. That was when she knew that he was dead, even though she told everyone else long before then that she had accepted it. Felicity Smoak was a strong woman.
Except she didn't want to be. She had been strong for so long, for so many people that she couldn't remember how not to be strong, even if it was just for a few seconds. And it was exhausting.
"Ms Smoak?" Her assistant Jerry brought her back to the present. "Your two o'clock meeting just arrived."
Felicity nodded, straightening her skirt. "I'm coming." She put a smile on her face, ready to get through the rest of the day.
He was lucky that the Chinese fishermen didn't recognize him. Or maybe he was thinking too much about it. Maybe people already forgot about him. A lot of time passed since he was himself, someone people knew about. So when he saw the boat and blew up the heap of wood he collected, he just hoped that they wouldn't remember him. And they didn't. They offered him tea and gave him a blanket. They were kind and helpful. Something he hadn't seen for a very long time.
He was also lucky that at the American consular office, people respected his wish to keep quiet about his return from the dead. He wanted to ignore their questions about the island he was found on. But he had to tell them something, so he stuck with half-truths. They were better than just lying and definitely better than telling the truth. It took barely a week to sort out all paper work and book a flight back to the United States.
He knew that it wasn't fair not calling his mom as soon as he got the possibility to, but he had a plan. And having plans were the only thing that kept him alive for this long, so he would do what he did best for the last few years. Stick to the plan and hope to have calculated every possible outcome.
Felicity hated being in public. Being the center of attention, she hated even more. But Moira asked for her help and Felicity couldn't say no. Not after everything they went through together and especially not after everything Moira did for her.
So Felicity agreed to say a few words at the stupid gala and already regretted it. She knew what the reaction would be. She knew what she was supposed to say, because she did it countless times before. She didn't want to. Because it all seemed fake. Because there was no way to describe the Oliver Queen she used to know. She couldn't explain that he had been caring and loving. That he hadn't been the playboy people thought he had been. She couldn't explain that he had had this special smile, when she started babbling and that he was the only one who smiled when she did that. There was no use to talk about the Oliver who started volunteering at an animal shelter after he witnessed how people treated a homeless dog and learned that there was no place in the animal shelters for all the animals on the street.
What people expected to hear was that Oliver was someone who was dearly missed in Starling City's elite. Someone who screwed up a lot, but had the most charming smile. People missed him because he had been Ollie Queen, future CEO of Queen Consolidated, not because of the person, Felicity knew.
"Everything alright, 'Licity?" Thea's voice startled the blonde. It took her a second to remember where she was.
"Of course, Thea," she nodded and turned to the youngest Queen. "Are you okay?"
Thea's mouth formed a straight line. Felicity knew how much the teenager hated these events, because she thought her mother was using her father's and brother's deaths to her own advantage instead of mourning them, like her belief of what was appropriate. "Fine," she mumbled between her teeth.
Felicity reached out for her hand and took it. "Don't worry. It'll be over soon. You know how this works. There'll be a few words said about your father and Ollie and how their loss still affects everybody in Starling City and then it's the usual. Gossip and work discussions while dinner, before people donate some money to make themselves feel better."
"That is what's bothering me!" Thea used her free hand to gesture around. "All these people don't care that Ollie and dad were actual people who died and not just some symbols for Starling's elite. All they care about is how not appearing to this events will make them look. The only reason all these people are here is because they want everyone else to think that they care, even though everyone knows that nobody cares. It's just not fair." Her voice went down as she spoke and Felicity barely could understand her last words.
Felicity took a step forward and hugged her. She knew exactly what the brunette meant and knew that everything she said was true. It wasn't fair and it was definitely disrespectful towards the memories of the Queen men, but there was nothing she could do about it. This was how everything worked in this city and the two of them weren't powerful enough to change things.
"You know what my last memory of Ollie is?," Thea wanted to know when Felicity released her and the blonde shook her head, because she didn't. She was surprised that Thea even mentioned it, because she never talked about her brother and her father like that.
"It was right before they got on the boat. He mussed up my hair, got on a knee, put an arm around my shoulder and told me to take care of you while he was gone."
Felicity smiled as he pictured Ollie doing that. "You know what?," she asked. "He asked me to do the same thing." And her smile widened while she played that exact moment in front of her eyes again.
Even before opening her eyes, Felicity knew that Oliver was looking at her adoringly.
"Hey you," she smiled as she woke up to his face. She never got used to this. Waking up to Oliver, her boyfriend, watching her and caressing her face or playing with strands of her hair.
They were together for almost two and a half years now, just moved in together, and still, it was as if Felicity was in this amazing dream she didn't want to wake up from.
"Good morning, beautiful," Oliver greeted her as he pulled her closer for a chaste kiss. He knew that she liked brushing her teeth first, but he didn't care.
Felicity blushed a little, like every time she did when Oliver called her "beautiful". He thought it was adorable. She was embarrassed.
"What time is it?"
Oliver looked past her to the clock. "Quarter past seven. Enough time for breakfast."
"Alright. Let me take a quick shower." Felicity got up and was looking for her slippers. She could see him smirking.
"Let me join you."
"Uh-uh." She was pointing a finger into his direction, looking around for something she might need. "No way. It'll take hours and I will be late for work. Last week, I was late three times. Remember? There's no way that that is going to be a tradition."
"You know that I'm leaving this evening and won't be back for at least two weeks? You can be on time then."
Felicity put up a fake smile, holding back her begging for him to stay. "And who's idea was that?" She grabbed for her slippers, she just spotted under Oliver's t-shirt next to the chair.
Oliver sighed, getting out of the bed. "You know I have to leave. I have to tag along if I want my dad to stop trying to make me step in his footprints. This was your idea." He was standing in front of her, her face cupped in his hands.
"I know. Doesn't mean that I like it, though."
He placed a kiss on her forehead. "I know." He hesitated before continuing. "Can you do something for me, while I'm gone?," he asked.
Felicity raised an eyebrow. "Depends on what you want me to do."
"Can you look after Thea for me? She looks up to you and I don't want her to feel left behind."
A smile found its way on Felicity's lips as he was speaking. That was why she loved him. "Of course. You don't have to ask."
He mouthed a Thank you and gave her a short kiss, before pulling her into a hug.
They stood there for a moment, just enjoying each other's presence, before Felicity decided to put away her worries for the time being.
"You're still not joining me." She managed to get out of his embrace and snuck into the bathroom, before Oliver could protest.
"I guess I'll make some coffee then," Oliver mumbled and it was the last thing Felicity heard him say before closing the door.
"When I first met Robert Queen about nine years ago, while doing my first internship at Queen Consolidated, I was more than impressed," Felicity started her short speech and while she spoke, she was lost in her memories of the day she last saw Ollie again. She worked on autopilot.
"There is a storm coming up," Felicity said while checking her tablet at the breakfast table. Now she definitely didn't want Oliver to leave.
"To Starling City?"
She shook her head. "On your route to China." Felicity wasn't sure if she should ask, what was on her mind, but she couldn't stop herself. "Can't you postpone your trip? For when the storm is over?" She watched Oliver taking a sip of coffee, waiting for an answer.
"It's not my decision to make. And besides, I'm sure we'll be fine. The Gambit is perfectly safe."
"I have a bad feeling about this. Can't you talk to Robert, please?"
"I don't think he'll change his mind, Felicity."
"Please, Ollie. For me?"
As if he could say no to her when she was looking at him like that. "Fine, I'll ask him. But no promises."
A smile found its way on her lips. "Thank you."
Some would say that he had two choices in front of him. He either respected his father's dying wish and brought the good back to the city he grew up in or he found Felicity. But actually, there was no choice to make. Not when it came to Felicity. He remembered when he last spoke to her, right before he left for the docks. She refused to come there with him, so they had said their goodbyes in their apartment.
"I know this is selfish, Oliver, but… Don't go. Please." Her eyes practically begged him to stay. She looked so lost and vulnerable at that moment that he really considered to stay for a second, before throwing the thought away. He was leaving for the both of them. So that he hold his promise to his father and could be free with Felicity.
"Felicity. I'll come back," he said instead, pulling her closer and kissing her hair.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure of one thing. I love you. And if this trip means that I get to make my own decisions and can finally stop shadowing my father, I have to go."
"You promise? To come back?"
"I'll always come back to you. I promise."
And now he was keeping his promise. As soon as he drove into Star City, he felt like he could breathe again. It was as if this weight on his shoulders suddenly lifted and he could finally relax. He was finally safe and where he wanted to be.
He was home.