Hey there! This is just a quick post 2x19 drabble! (I clearly have a lot of feelings about these two...haha) Hope you enjoy :)

Alas, I do not own Arrow.

"So…are we ever gonna talk about…" her hands flew all around her in a nonsensical pattern, somehow turning into some kind of swimming motion, "…it?"

Oliver crinkled his brow, completely baffled at her train of thought. "Talk about what?"

Her head dipped in exasperation, her eyes practically bulging out of her head. "You know…" More hand movements.

If he wasn't so confused by her, he probably would have found her little quirks highly adorable. No, scratch that, he did find her completely adorable. Not that he'd ever tell her that though. "Felicity, I'm not exactly adept at sign language so do you mind actually using words?" he quipped with a tiny smile.

The tug of his lips came so naturally nowadays that he stopped questioning it a long time ago – just about the time Felicity Smoak cannonballed into his life and brought with her a light so bright that the darkness began to gradually ebb away in chunks and pieces like lapping waves on a sandy shore. It was foolish of him to think that the darkness would leave him completely one day; it had become a staple of his every day, and whether he chose to accept it or not, it was a part of him, but having Felicity in his life had opened up a door he thought had been welded shut.

She stepped toward him, her arms hugging her body, her ponytail sashaying gently from side to side. "About how you just grabbed me and flung us over the stair rail like we were in some kind of action movie – and before you say anything, yes I do realize that what you do every night is somewhat action-y and superhero-y, but that was a whole new level even for you."

"You'd call that a level above saving you from a landmine or swinging you out of an office window twenty floors above ground?" he asked in genuine curiosity.

Her brow furrowed. "Wow…you really have a tendency to go all Tarzan, don't you?" A small breathy laugh escaped him as he waited for her to continue. "I don't know; this time just felt different, that's all. I mean, I know that I was the one standing in front of you so really it was probably just a convenience that it happened to be me that you tossed around like a rag doll but-"

"No Felicity, that's not what happened," he interjected, feeling a swell of something rise within him. All of these different and unusual emotions had really dragged him out of his comfort zone and more often than not, left him floundering in unfamiliar waters. What he knew, what he understood, was that he'd do anything for his IT girl. When it came to her safety, there was no choice to make.

The encounter with the Count served only to solidify what had nestled in his heart long before that.

"Then what was it?"

His eyes searching her expression, he bridged the gap between them, their bodies millimetres apart. He tried to ignore her hitch in breath but the sound alone ignited a spark within him. Throwing any sense of caution or any notion of boundaries away, he brought his hand up to cradle her cheek, noting how she immediately leaned into the pressure. "Me protecting you had nothing to do with proximity or convenience; even if you were behind me I would have done the same thing. I will always protect you, Felicity. Always."

"Because I can't defend myself like Sara can," she said automatically.

He shook his head lightly. "No," he whispered, running his thumb across her cheekbone. "Because I need to keep you safe. Because I need you safe. I…"

"What are you trying to say, Oliver?" she breathed, her eyes exploring his deeply.

How could he put it into words when he barely knew what he meant himself?

A sigh shuddered through his body. "I…I can't lose you, Felicity."

Whatever he said, whatever his choice of words, seemed to strike a chord with her and she pulled away just a fraction, a wall securely set in place in her depths. "Team Arrow would be okay without me," she waved off nervously. "I mean, if anything…happened to me, you'd find someone else eventually," she remarked flippantly, swallowing hard. "But you…you won't lose me. Us Smoaks aren't that easy to get rid of."

"No, Felicity," he cut in, both hands cupping her face, his features desperately trying to make her understand what he meant. "Felicity," he repeated in that tone he only used for her, one dripping in reverence, "I can't lose you. I can't. I will always do everything I can to make sure you're okay, you have to believe that. I don't want to live in a world where you're not there. I won't. That's why I did what I did." He rolled his lips in, unsure of himself and how to do…any of this. "You have – you have no idea what you mean to me."

She licked her lips, a hand coming up to embrace one of his. "Really?"

He nodded with a tight smile. "Really."

Hope you guys liked it! Please drop me a review letting me know what you thought :)