Disclaimer: The actual show? Not mine. Way too much responsibility, I just write fiction.
The all night diner's clock reads 2am when the bell chimes, jostled by the opening door. Renee watches a young man shake the rain off in the entrance way before taking a seat in one of the booths. Judging by the way his shoulders are hunched and his slumped posture, he's in no hurry. Renee thinks the young man just needs a few strong cups of coffee. It's around finals time, he's probably stressing about university exams.
"You right there son?" The young man lifts his head, straightening up to showcase a broad chest and strong shoulders. Only accentuated by what looked like an expensive shirt, now rain soaked and plastered to a well-defined torso. He looks worn, like a boy who has just been thoroughly picked apart.
Renee doesn't know how right she really is.
His smile in return to her question though, is filled with a well-practiced charm. He politely inquires if they take credit card, holding up his own. It reads Oliver Queen. At Renee's nod he asks for her to fill his mug. That charming smile doesn't quite light up his eyes
Renee is headed back to the kitchen window when a flash of blonde hair running past the wall of windows catches her eye. She welcomes the sight and writes up an order to add to the non-existent line. That of the young woman who makes the bell jingle for a second time as she walks backwards, her hands busy trying to wrangle her umbrella. Its Felicity's usual, both the order and her actions.
Meanwhile Oliver's noticed the arrival. He lifted his head at the bell, bracing to escape whatever bodyguard his father has sent to chase him down and drag him back to the old man meeting. Oliver experienced something akin to someone rubbing sandpaper over his ears in that lounge. Till his father pulled him aside and reminded him that it wouldn't be necessary for him to attend if he wasn't kicked out of yet another school.
Instead he meets the girl's eyes. Clear, sky blue and as bright as the smile she gives him. He wonders if she smiles at every stranger like that. Yet it seems familiar and despite himself he feels the corners of his own mouth twitch upwards in return. At least for a second, before his phone stutters.
He can't quite be bothered to reach for it. His fingers are numb; looking back to his mug he wraps his hands around it. Maybe it'll warm them up. Only in that moment realising how quickly her smile had distracted him from his brooding.
The constant rain has caused several leaks to turn the twelve table diner into four booths. As a result, after the blonde shakes out her umbrella and dumps it into the basket next to the cook's. She sits in the booth parallel to the young man's. She waves to Renee with a smile, its brightness never fades despite the near constant amount of times the young lady shares it.
"Hey 'Lissie how you doing?"
"Hi Renee," the blonde is a little out of breath, "I'm in full panic mode." She immediately starts taking out laptops and books and stacks of paper as tall as the salt shakers.
"Straight black coffee then lovely?"
The older woman knows her too well, Felicity sighs "Please."
While Renee turns on her heel to fetch Felicity's coffee, her absence gives Felicity full view of the handsome guy in the opposite booth. He's soaked to the bone and the square bulge in his shirt pocket is going to give her a panic attack.
His poor, poor phone.
He looks up just as Renee steps back into place blocking him from view.
Returning with coffee as black as night, Renee fills Felicity's mug. At this point Felicity's taken out yet another stack of papers just as high as the original.
"You carried all these through the pelting rain that's going on out there right now?"
Felicity looks up at Renee "Yes, I have a data based exam on Monday, my roommate's throwing a party and going home for the weekend isn't possible even if I had the money and it's not the best 'study environment' anyway." Pausing to take a breath, Felicity picks up her mug and waves it slightly, "There's coffee here, and it's warm and it's quiet."
"ORDER UP. Renee! Come get the girl's food! Nice to see you 'Licity!" That's Ian. He's the chef that works the kitchen. On the other side of the diner.
Felicity gives him a wave, and giggles, turning back to Renee "Well… kind of quiet."
"Well then, I'm just going to bring over your usual and leave you to…" Renee means to read out a title from the girl's books, but she realises most of them are about a paragraph long she decides against it and just finishes with "…all this." and an all-encompassing sweeping hand gesture.
Felicity chuckles and moves to clear a plate size hole between all notes. Just in time for when Renee returns to set the plate down precisely in the newly created gap to another of Felicity's smile and a thank you. Renee walks away with a 'you're welcome', happy that the girl is being fed, watered and spending the night somewhere safe.
Felicity's food sits untouched for over half an hour, she's kept busy by her studies. He'd been aware off the girl as soon as she'd walked in and sat down in his periphery. She only takes breaks to sip from her mug. She's taking another when his cell rings again. He reaches for it with stiff fingers.
Felicity listens as the man in the next booth sighs like he's giving up and hears him answer the call. "Hello. Dad? Yeah, its Oliver. I can hear you. Can you hear me? Hello? Hello? What the ffff…"
That poor, poor phone.
When he slams it down on the table she winces. Deciding enough is enough she puts down her mug.
Oliver shakes his head, stupid phone. Then he hears, "Hey, um, you can borrow mine?" For the second time he looks up into her eyes. He wasn't expecting her to have shuffled to the end of her booth. He stops thinking about running and moves towards the end of his booth too, she's almost magnetic. It's that familiar smile again. This time it's a little unsure, but it's open and inviting and a little curious.
"Or… I can fix yours?"
"OTP: They met in a diner at 2am."
Saw that on tumblr and it wouldn't leave my head. So this is what exorcised it.
Cheers for getting to the bottom.