Matched

by spaztronaut

In a world where everyone wants to be matched to their soulmate, Felicity and Oliver only want to live their lives on their terms. Neither has any use for a soulmate, especially once they meet each other. It figures, of course, that Fate has something else in store...

This was my Olicity Secret Santa gift for Shale. It's also my first soulmate au, so I hope you all enjoy it! Happy Holidays!

###

"I'm just saying, Felicity," Donna Smoak said. "I know how good you are with that computer thingy of yours. Can't you just do a little" —she waved her manicured hand around in front of her— "oh, whatever it is you do, and make sure there isn't a mistake in the registry?"

Felicity rolled her eyes and poured a little extra milk into her cereal. It was one of the rare mornings her mother wasn't still sleeping off a late shift at the casino and, on those mornings, she always had to endure an extra helping of her endless worrying about soulmates. Felicity's soulmate—or lack thereof—in particular.

"You'll be sixteen soon," her mother went on, blonde curls bouncing as she scurried about the kitchen in an effort to make a pot of coffee for the two of them. "The Registry contacted me when I was fourteen to let me know your father and I had matched."

Yeah, and then you had me barely a year later. How'd that work out for you? Felicity refrained from saying it out loud, but couldn't suppress her eye roll.

Much to her mother's chagrin, Felicity couldn't care less about soulmates. Unlike most of the rest of the world. Everywhere she turned there were ads urging people to join the Soulmate Registry. Most of the girls in her class talked nonstop about what they'd do once they were matched. She even knew a girl who'd dropped out of school to move across the country after she was matched to a boy on the east coast. Felicity just couldn't understand why it seemed so important to everyone.

Fifty-eight years ago a man by the name of Dr. Anthony Ivo discovered a previously unknown gene. This gene had a unique component depending upon the individual, which wouldn't have been very interesting by itself, but Ivo had been conducting an experiment on a group of college students at the time; a group including three pairs of soulmates. In all three pairs, the soulmate's gene was identical to their partner's. The individual participant's gene was unique to them and them alone. And thus, the Soulmate Registry was born.

As far as technology went, the Registry was impressive. And Felicity couldn't deny the convenience of being placed in a worldwide database that would sort out your soulmate for you. It beat leaving it all in the hands of fate. Before the Registry, some people went their whole lives without ever meeting their soulmate. Now, your soulmate was just a buccal swab away. As long as they registered, the computer would identify the match and send out a notification to both parties, letting them know how to get in touch. It was streamlined and efficient, Felicity couldn't argue that.

Most people registered as children or teenagers. A few holdouts thought it was romantic to let fate run its course and find their soulmates by chance, but it was few and far between these days. Fortunately—or unfortunately, if you asked her—for Felicity, Donna Smoak didn't have the patience for fate. She'd registered Felicity as an infant. The story went that it was the first thing she'd asked the nurses to do after her daughter was born.

Donna would check the mailbox religiously for word that Felicity's soulmate had registered. It didn't matter that years passed without a notification, she never seemed to lose hope or her enthusiasm for the subject. Felicity, on the other hand, just wished she could go a day without having to hear about it. Her parents had been soulmates, and look how that had turned out. Her father had still abandoned them and now she and her mother were all alone.

No, Felicity didn't believe fate had that kind of power over her. She didn't deny the scientific argument for soulmates. The biological connection between soulmates made sense to her—how else would two people be fated unless it was literally written in their DNA—but it was like being born with brown hair and deciding to dye it blonde. Just because you were born with certain genetics didn't mean you couldn't work around them. After all, her father had. He'd decided Felicity and Donna weren't enough for him so he'd left. He'd gone and forged his own life, leaving his fated one behind. So really, what did biology matter if the person could still just decide to leave?

"I'm not going to hack the Registry, Mom," Felicity said, taking a bite of cereal. "That's illegal, and pointless. If my soulmate had registered we would've gotten a notification by now." She took another, larger bite, and chewed thoughtfully as she added, "Maybe I just don't have a soulmate."

"Oh, pshh," her mother said, waving her hand dismissively as she used the other to pour two cups of coffee. "Everyone has a soulmate."

"You can't possibly know that everyone has a soulmate," she said. "There are, like, seven billion people in the world."

"And each one is born with a perfect match," her mother insisted, dropping into the seat across from her and handing her a mug. "Really, Felicity, you shouldn't joke about that kind of thing. Do you know how lucky we are to live in a time when the Registry does all the work for us?" A small frown tugged at the corner of her brightly painted lips. "I can't imagine what it must have been like, even for my mother. Constantly wondering if you'd just accidentally walked by your soulmate on the street. How many people went their whole lives—"

"I know, Mom," Felicity interrupted. She took one last bite of her cereal, then chugged her coffee as fast as the steaming hot liquid would allow. "I've gotta go. I'm already late."

"School doesn't start for another hour," Donna said, looking confused as she watched her daughter tug on her backpack.

"Yeah, but I'm meeting my student counselor today, remember? To discuss my admission essay for MIT?"

"Oh," Donna said, taking a sip of her coffee. "Are you sure you still want to apply there? You're awfully young to be going to college. And so far away…"

"Mom."

The single word stopped Donna's argument in her tracks. They'd had this discussion several times already, but Felicity wasn't about to change her mind. She'd wanted to go to MIT for almost half her life.

"I know, I know," her mom said, waving her off. "Go. Go to school, write the best essay, and let those people at MIT know that my daughter is the smartest girl in Las Vegas."

Felicity smiled at that, giving her a little wave before heading for the door.

Behind her, Donna called out, "Besides, Boston is a big city. Maybe you'll stumble into your soulmate the old fashioned way!"

Heaving a deep sigh, Felicity let the comment go. She knew finding her soulmate would always be more important to her mother then it was to her. She had plans, goals, aspiration. And none of that came with the precondition that she needed a soulmate. Felicity was perfectly fine forging a life on her own. In fact, she liked the freedom of it.

In all likelihood, her soulmate would register sooner or later, fulfilling all of her mother's dreams for her. She just hoped, whoever he was, he would do it later, that way she had a chance to fulfill all the dreams she had for herself before she had to worry about someone else's.

###

"Sweetheart, I'd like to speak to you for a moment."

Oliver practically skidded to a stop outside the door to his mother's favorite sitting room. He peered inside, spotting her standing beside the couch.

"Uh," Oliver mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm actually late meeting Tommy…"

"It will just take a moment," she said, motioning for him to enter and take a seat. Her expression was serious enough that he didn't dare argue.

He walked across the room, trying to figure out what he'd done wrong—well, what he'd done wrong that she'd somehow found out about. Oliver Queen had done a lot wrong in his life; from drugs to flunking out of college. He just couldn't remember anything noteworthy enough to have his mother calling a private meeting over.

Once she'd taken a seat beside him, Moira began, "Oliver, you're an adult now—"

"I'm nineteen," Oliver interjected, suddenly terrified of where this conversation was going.

"Nineteen is old enough to start thinking about the future," she said, shutting him down with a reproachful lift of her eyebrow.

Shit, he thought, a wave of panic crashing over him. When he'd failed out of college his parents had been angry enough that they'd threatened to freeze his trust fund. Was that where his mom was going with this? He desperately racked his brain, trying to remember what he'd done this past weekend. He had the urge to pull out his phone and see if he'd managed to make TMZ again. His mom always hated that.

"I think it's time you register," Moira said, folding her hands delicately in her lap.

He blinked once, then jumped to his feet. "No way, Mom," he said, moving around the coffee table to pace back and forth across the hardwood floor.

When he'd walked into the room, he'd figured she'd found about some drunken shenanigan he'd pulled with Tommy. He could honestly say he hadn't been expecting her to pressure him about his soulmate. After all, she'd been the one to forbid registering until he and Thea were eighteen. She'd just had a fight about it with Thea a few weeks ago. And he agreed, nine was too young to meet the person you were destined to spend the rest of your life with, but so was nineteen! He was still a teenager, for crying out loud.

"Oliver—"

"I have my whole life ahead of me," he argued, "and you want me to give it up for a stranger."

"You wouldn't be giving anything up," she said dismissively. "You have no job, you're currently between schools." His mother's passive aggressive way of saying he'd flunked out but would be expected to go back. "And you and Laurel broke up nearly three months ago. It's time—"

"No." He folded his arms across his chest defensively. No way was he registering under his own free will. Not now.

Like she said, he'd only broken up with his long term girlfriend three months ago. A girl that he'd known and loved for most of his life. A girl that he'd cheated on several times during the course of their relationship. If he couldn't be faithful to Laurel, how the hell was he expected to settle down with a stranger? At nineteen!

She let out an exasperated sigh and his shoulders tensed. He hated that sound. Hated that she always sounded so disappointed in him, but he… he couldn't give her what she wanted. It would be unfair, to him, to his soulmate. No one wanted to feel unwanted, but at the moment that's what she was. Whoever she was.

He couldn't say he wasn't curious about her. He assumed it was a her, at least, but it could be anyone. It could be someone from halfway around the world that he would never have an occasion to meet if not for the registry. It was a useful tool, to people who were ready to meet their soulmate, but he wasn't. He still had so much living he wanted to do. Living that didn't include being genetically chained to another person.

Moira sighed again, but stood from the couch. "Fine," she relented. "Just consider it. The best thing I ever did was register." She smiled, reaching up to cup his cheek. "It gave me you."

Oliver gave her a smile and a quick kiss on the cheek before hightailing it out of there before she could change her mind. He was fully aware that Moira Queen did not take no for an answer and that a repeat of the conversation was looming in his future. For now though, he had people to see and a life of his own choosing to live.

###

4 Years Later…

Oliver had grown up getting everything he wanted handed to him on a silver platter. It was just one of the many perks of being born a billionaire. He'd also grown up with little responsibility and even less consequences for his actions. He'd never once had to consider another human being's needs before his own.

To put it bluntly, he'd grown up to be kind of an asshole. Which was why he was still so deadset against contacting his soulmate, much to his mother's dismay.

"Oliver, I know you're against it. You've made that perfectly clear, but you cannot argue a soulmate introduction would be good for PR," she said, taking a seat on the couch.

They'd been arguing on and off about Oliver's refusal to register for years now, both stubbornly refusing to give in. Moira argued she just wanted what was best for him, but Oliver had learned a thing or two about himself in the past few years and one of them was that he wasn't exactly a catch, despite his bank account.

He was rich, and superficially attractive if that's what you were into. For a long time he'd thought that was all that mattered, all that would ever matter, but that had changed the moment the Gambit went down. Wealth and good looks couldn't protect his father from drowning in the North China Sea when his yacht was caught in a storm, and they couldn't help Oliver keep his family's legacy intact after the scandal broke. Because his father? He wasn't on that yacht alone. He'd run off on a month long cruise with a young, female executive, on the company's dime, no less. The only survivor of the wreck, the Gambit's first mate, sold his story to the highest bidder. Including all of the juiciest bits about his boss's affair.

It wasn't like people didn't cheat on their soulmates. It happened, everyone knew it happened, but no one ever talked about it. It was the most taboo of topics, even in a room full of men who were doing it. The soulmate bond was supposed to be unbreakable, even in death. Remarrying was acceptable, but was looked down on in distaste and pity. Two years after Robert Queen had gone down with the Gambit, it was just now acceptable for his mother to be seen consorting with her boyfriend, Walter Steele.

Oliver liked Walter. He was a good man who'd lost his soulmate early in life. He was also a good friend of his father's, and the acting CEO of Queen Consolidated while Oliver got his MBA.

Turns out flunking out of four colleges makes it a little difficult to convince a board of investors to let you run a multi-billion dollar company. They'd actually laughed in his mother's face when she'd suggested Oliver take the reigns of QC. He'd stood in the conference room, surrounded by people he'd simply known as his father's boring work friends, and listened to them call him incompetent for the better part of an hour before eventually deciding to hand his family's legacy over to someone else. Oliver had never been so embarrassed or ashamed in his life.

He was grateful that the board had chosen Walter to run things. He'd told Oliver right from the start that as long as he finished his schooling and took it seriously, he'd help him regain control of the company. Since then Oliver had concentrated on achieving that goal, even though it left little time for anything else. What time he did have was usually spent shadowing Walter at QC.

Somehow his mother thought adding a soulmate to the mix would make things better, but he disagreed. He'd have barely anytime for them and, unfortunately, with all the work and stress, he probably wouldn't be very good company in the time he did have. That wasn't how he wanted to meet his soulmate. That wasn't how he wanted to treat them once he did.

He'd been trying to be better, ever since his dad died. To consider others before himself. He hated to admit that after he'd found out about the Gambit he'd run off to Europe for nearly two months, drinking and partying his way through his grief. Or so he'd thought. His mother had eventually dragged him home, saying enough was enough. It wasn't until he'd walked through the door of the mansion, realized his father was never going to step foot inside it again, that he'd understood he'd been running, not grieving. And worse, he'd left his mother and little sister all alone to pick up the pieces.

So now he was on the straight and narrow, trying to do the right thing. He hated every second of it, but he did it. For his mom, for Thea. To make up for being such a shitty son and brother when they'd needed him most. He didn't have the mental or emotional fortitude to throw a soulmate into the mix, no matter how much his mother prattled on about good PR or what was best for him.

He was aware part of the reason she was so insistent on him registering was so he'd have a reason to come home every once in awhile. Between school and QC he'd barely seen Thea in almost two weeks, and it felt like the only time he saw his mother was when she wanted to fight about soulmates. He hadn't even spoken to Tommy in almost a month. He slept around as much as he ever had, but it was more for stress relief than fun these days.

He couldn't—wouldn't—subject someone to that kind of life.

"I'm not registering just to give the company's stocks a boost, Mom" he said, moving for the bar cart to pour himself a drink. Scotch always helped after a particularly exhausting day. He just hoped it would help get him through this conversation. "Besides, maybe my soulmate's reputation is worse than mine," he said, a small smirk forming on his lips as he looked at her over his shoulder. "Ever think of that?"

"Oh, hush, she's a lovely young woman," she assured him, her frustration clear in her tone.

It took him a moment to realize what was wrong with that sentence, but when he did his smile fell and he turned to face her fully.

"How do you know?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "How do you even know she's a she? I'm not registered."

Moira blinked once, folding her hands in her lap and glancing down at the diamond glittering on her left hand. "Yes, well… not officially, no."

"Mom?" Oliver growled. It didn't matter that his heart beat double time at the mention of her, whoever she was. It didn't matter that a thousand questions were bubbling up in his throat; his curiosity nearly getting the better of him. The only thing that mattered was that his mother had crossed a line. Several, actually.

"Sweetheart," Moira said with an exasperated sigh, "you must understand that I have only ever wanted what's best for you."

"No! You want what's best for QC's image." He clenched his jaw, folding his arms over his chest. "That's why I'm working my ass off for a job I don't even want. To make you happy! And what do you do? You steal my DNA—"

"Well, now that's being dramatic, don't you think?"

"—and track down my soulmate behind my back," he continued right over her. "And you've been keeping an eye on her? To what? Make sure she was the kind of person you think I should be with? Someone that won't embarrass you the way I used to? Someone who will get me to come every night for dinner? You really think some stranger is going to make me into a better son?"

"Oliver!" Moira gasped, her expression wounded. "Of course, I don't—"

"Because it's not going to happen!" He took a deep breath when he realized he'd been practically shouting at her. Scrubbing his hand down his face, he slumped into an oversized chair near the couch. "I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment to you," he said, softly. And he meant it. With every fiber of his being he was sorry for who he'd turned out to be. He was sorry that he was still disappointing her even when he was trying to make her happy. "I'll just be a disappointment to whatever unlucky girl the universe chose to chain to me."

Moira was silent, but Oliver didn't look at her. He closed his eyes, officially exhausted. He'd already had a long day between classes and QC and now he had to process the fact that his mother knew who his soulmate was. Because she'd stolen his DNA and somehow used it to stalk some poor, unsuspecting girl.

Or was she unsuspecting?

He glanced up, suddenly needing to know. "Did you contact her?" he asked, his voice little more than a growl, but he was angry. God, he so damn angry. If she'd contacted his soulmate without his permission… If they'd come to some sort of agreement behind his back—

"No, I didn't contact her." Moira reached out, placing her hand on his arm, but he flinched away. She sat back, looking crestfallen. "Sweetheart, no matter what you think of me, I would never do that. I had you swabbed when you were a child. I never officially entered you into the registry, but a few years ago I did have someone look into it for me."

"Why?" he asked, shaking his head helplessly. For the life of him he couldn't understand the why of it, if she hadn't been planning to reach out.

Moira sighed, shrugging her delicate shoulders. "Because I want what's best for you."

She said it like it was simple, obvious, but to Oliver it was anything but. "And how is stalking my soulmate—for years—what's best for me?"

He almost regret asking when he saw her shoulders slump. She ducked her head for a moment, before straightening up in that perfect posture of her's, indicating that she meant business.

"Soulmates are our genetically fated partners in life, but not all soulmates are equal." She hesitated, carefully considering her next words before she spoke. "It's no secret that your father was unfaithful to me, despite our bond. All things considered, it wasn't so bad. Some fair far worse in the soulmate lottery."

"So why does everyone romanticize it?" he asked. "Even you can't wait for me to match."

"I can't wait for your match because I looked into her. She's a brilliant young woman, Oliver, very serious about her schooling. From what I've learned, I believe—"

"Mom, I don't want to know what you've learned." It was a lie, he very much wanted to know everything about the woman fate had selected for him. But it felt wrong, learning about her when he had no intention of contacting her. At least, not anytime soon. "Nothing's changed. I can't be with someone right now. Not while I need to focus on the company."

"Sweetheart," she said, scooting closer and attempting to touch him once more. This time he didn't flinch and she smiled gently, giving his hand a squeeze. "I'm so proud of the way you've stepped up for this family. And I know you're father would be proud as well. But, you must know, that all I've ever wanted is to see you happy. If you're unhappy working at the company—"

Oliver shook his head. "No, Mom, no. It's not… Even if I weren't working at QC I'm… still sorting myself out. And, yeah, being CEO isn't exactly my dream job, and I think we all know my opinions on school, but… I've learned a lot about myself the past couple of years and" —he smiled and squeezed her hand back— "I think you were right, about me needing to think about my future. And that's what I'm doing, I'm just not ready for all of that future at once, okay?"

Moira smiled, then patted his hand before standing up. "I'm glad and I understand, but know that, if you wait long enough, fate might step in and force your hand."

Oliver rolled his eyes, but threw her his most charming smile. "If it does than I will happily accept. But that's not an invitation to meddle more than you already have."

She sighed. "I swear that I will not interfere."

"I don't believe you," he said, playfully pointing in her direction before sobering. "Please respect me when I say I'm not ready, Mom."

"Oh, my beautiful boy," she said, leaning down to give him a hug. "Of course."

###

1 Year Later…

IT_Tech9: This is the second time you've accidentally downloaded malware this week. This keeps up I'm going to start thinking you're purposely sabotaging your computer just to talk to me Mr. Queen.

Oliver smiled at the chat window that had popped up in the bottom corner of his monitor. She was joking, but she wasn't incorrect. Not that he'd ever admit to going into his spam folder, clicking on links, and praying he'd get a virus just so he had an excuse to talk to her. But that was totally a thing a he did now.

Ever since meeting her nine months ago after an unfortunate incident involving his laptop and a latte, he just couldn't seem to get her out of his head.

"Mr. Queen," his assistant said, voice coming in just slightly tinny through the intercom. "The board meeting is in fifteen minutes. You should probably get a move on."

Oliver glanced up to see Charlene giving him a kind smile through the glass wall separating their offices. He smiled back, thankful for her patience and assistance throughout his transition to CEO, and began to collect his notes when, somehow, he managed to knock his coffee cup over, spilling the entirety onto the keyboard of his laptop and the notes, because of course he did. He'd been CEO for a little over a month and he still hadn't managed to have a smooth interaction with the board. Quickly wiping the notes off as best he could, he rushed off to the meeting, apologetically leaving his fried laptop and the mess behind for Charlene to take care of. His assistant had only given him a sympathetic smile and waved him off to his fate with the board.

When he'd returned nearly two, exhausting hours later, a brand new laptop sat on his—now pristine—desk, a small, pink sticky note stuck to the lid.

Please don't spill your coffee on me :o

For some reason, that silly little note made him smile—probably because he'd just spent the past two hours being put through his paces by a bunch of men and women who seemed to want to see him fail—and he plucked it off the laptop to give it a better look. The handwriting was neat, but loopy. Definitely not Charlene's. He sat down, opening the laptop, and was pleasantly surprised to see all of his folders and documents present. His background was even set to the same picture he'd had before: him and Thea smiling together at her birthday party a few months ago.

He noticed a small chat window in the bottom corner of the screen with a message waiting for him.

IT_Tech9: All of your data and settings should be exactly the same as before. Let me know if you need any more help. - Felicity Smoak

He smiled, typing back a reply.

OliverQueen: Thank you for taking care of this so quickly. I really appreciate it and I promise I'll be more careful with this one!

Deciding he should get back to work, Oliver pulled up his email, but when a new message from Felicity popped up a few moments later, he quickly abandoned that plan.

IT_Tech9: Lol. Your laptop thanks you! But I'm always here in case tragedy strikes :)

OliverQueen: That's good to know with the way things have been going for me lately.

IT_Tech9: Oh no. Bad week?

He hadn't meant to complain. He didn't even know who this Felicity Smoak was, but…

OliverQueen: More like bad year.

IT_Tech9: I've had a few of those. It gets better. Hang in there! And if a piece of technology ever tries to ruin your day again let me know and I'll come whip it into shape for you.

OliverQueen: I appreciate that. Unfortunately it's not technology I seem to be struggling with. But if you have any suggestions on how to impress the board of investors, I'm all ears!

IT_Tech9: I'm not sure how to help you with that, but for what it's worth, I think you're doing a good job. And an employee's opinion has to count for something right?

It had, and, all these months later, Oliver was finding that her opinion mattered more and more to him everyday.

He hadn't had a crush like this on anyone since Laurel in high school. Felicity was the one bright spot in his otherwise boring life. He was embarrassed to admit it, but even going to work every morning was a little easier knowing that she was just an elevator ride away, not that he'd ever worked up the nerve to actually take that elevator ride. QC's IT department mostly worked through a remote desktop program, so he'd never had the opportunity to meet face to face. He told himself it was enough to just chat with her while she saved him from yet another virus. Or when he "accidentally" deleted all his emails and could she possibly locate them on the server for him, please? She always teased him about his utter failure to grasp anything tech related despite being the CEO of one of the biggest tech companies in the Northwest, and then they'd talk while she fixed whatever problem he'd come to her with this week.

They'd quickly become friends. How could they not when her kindness and wit had won him over immediately? He'd become addicted to her bubbly personality and now it was nearly a year later and here he was, grinning like an idiot at a chat window.

OliverQueen: So you're saying I should stop sabotaging my computer and just come talk to you instead? Because that does seem easier now that you mention it.

There was a short pause and, for one moment, Oliver was afraid his flirting might be too overt. They flirted, but it was always light, friendly banter. What if he was crossing a line? Their entire relationship had been through a computer so far. Neither had ever taken the next step of meeting in person. What if that was intentional on her part? Her typing bubble popped up on the screen and he held his breath.

IT_Tech9: You can always come talk to me.

Oliver grinned, ready to take her up on her offer immediately, but his phone dinged and he looked down to see his mother texting him for the hundredth time about being home promptly at 4:30pm. He tapped out a quick reply then checked the time with a sigh.

OliverQueen: If I didn't have to leave to help my mom with her Christmas party tonight I'd come talk to you right now. Rain check?

IT_Tech9: Actually… I'm going to be at the party tonight.

OliverQueen: Are you serious? Why didn't you tell me? I've been complaining about it for weeks.

IT_Tech9: It was really last minute! I only received the invitation yesterday. But my supervisor said it's common for the head of the department to snag an extra invite for someone if they're about to be promoted.

OliverQueen: Congratulations! You deserve it. Especially with all the extra work you do saving me from the pitfalls of the internet.

Even as he typed the words, his stomach swooped at the thought of no longer getting to talk to her whenever he had a computer issue. But, he reminded himself, she had just sort of agreed to meeting in person. Tonight.

IT_Tech9: You know I love being your knight in shining armor ;) Well since your malware dragon has been slain, I guess I'll let you go. See you at the party!

The longing cut through him, just as it always did when she signed off. Which was ridiculous because he would see her tonight. In person. He smiled to himself, wondering what it would be like to actually hear her voice. He wondered if she'd be interested in more than the just the friendship they'd built.

He knew his mother would not be happy about him having a relationship with someone when he was still rebuffing her attempts to get him to register. In all honesty, at first, that was one of the many reasons this… thing, whatever it was, with Felicity had been so enticing. It was easy and light, and didn't come with all of the expectations of a soulmate. But now that he'd gotten to know her? Registering had never been less appealing.

Which was highly inconvenient, since he did have a soulmate out there somewhere. One his mother wasn't going to let him ignore much longer.

###

Felicity checked over her reflection one last time before carefully getting out of the car and handing her keys to the valet.

She'd only been working for Queen Consolidated for a year, but she'd made enough of a name for herself that she'd been invited to the annual Queen Holiday party. Her supervisor had been impressed when he'd handed her the sleek invitation, telling her that only department heads and employees on the verge of promotion were ever invited.

"I've been here ten years and I've only gotten an invite once," he'd said, watching her read the information printed in glistening gold calligraphy on the thick, snow white card stock.

She was proud of that invitation, proud of the work she'd done at QC, even though she knew she was selling herself short by working in IT. She'd had so many dreams when she'd first started at MIT, dreams that had morphed into plans when she'd met Cooper. Cooper Seldon hadn't been her first boyfriend, but he had been her first love. And oh how she had loved him. In her teenage naiveté, she'd been convinced that he was her soulmate. She'd even talked him into registering so they would know for sure. After he'd been matched, she'd wanted nothing more than to move as far away from all those old dreams as possible. A normal entry level IT job in Starling City had seemed like the perfect escape from her heartbreak. And, she knew one day she could work her way up the corporate ladder enough to be in charge of the whole department. Besides, it wasn't like she was looking for an extraordinary life, she just wanted something normal, fulfilling. Happy. She didn't need a soulmate for that.

Looking up at the imposing facade of the Queen Mansion was pretty far from normal, but it was also incredibly exciting. She hadn't really dated since moving to Starling and she'd only gone for drinks with her coworkers a handful of times. Felicity liked to say she kept herself busy with her computers, but the truth was she'd hidden herself away from the world after Cooper left. She knew it, her mom knew it—and oh boy did she let her know she knew it. Getting invited to a billionaire's holiday party was kind of the highlight of her year.

Not that it was the billionaire that invited her. No, Oliver had nothing to do with her being here tonight. That was all her. Still, if she was honest with herself, she knew her excitement was only partially due to the possible promotion. The possibility of seeing Oliver for real, in person, made her palms sweat and her mouth feel a little dry, but she carefully wiped her hands on the skirt of her dress and pulled herself together.

A man dressed as a nutcracker pulled the ornate wooden front door open and she walked inside. Tinsel and fairy lights were threaded through the railing of the grand staircase and poinsettias decorated a large table in the entry. Guests wandered in and out of rooms through large arches on either side of the foyer, and Felicity wasn't sure where to explore first. A waiter handed her a flute of champagne and she decided to follow him to the left, into what looked like a small ballroom. Or maybe that was just the impression it gave since all the furniture was cleared away save for a sleek wooden bar—behind which a bartender poured mixed drinks for a group of serious looking women—and a ten-foot-tall-if-it-was-an-inch Christmas tree decorated in white and gold. It was beautiful and Felicity stepped closer to inspect the ornaments that hung from its branches.

"Ms. Smoak, there you are!"

She spun, narrowly avoiding another waiter—this one carrying hors d'oeuvres—and came face to face with Mr. Henry, the grizzled head of the IT Department.

Mathias Henry was an older man—much older—and well respected at the company. Mostly because, despite his gruff exterior, he appreciated his employees and what they brought to his department. Felicity had only spoken to him a handful of times, but he'd always listened to her intently, taking her opinions and ideas seriously. Which, unfortunately, couldn't always be said of the men Felicity had worked alongside of in the past.

"Happy Holidays, sir," she greeted him with a wide smile, but he just gestured for her to follow him.

"I want to introduce you to the Queens before I start drinking and forget," he gruffed, and Felicity raised an eyebrow in astonishment, but hurried after him.

He lead them through the crowd quickly, dodging greeting and well wishes, until he spotted Oliver, off to the side, speaking to his mother.

"Moira," he boomed, smiling for the first time since Felicity had ever met him. "How are you, my dear?"

He leaned in, placing a kiss on Moira Queen's cheek, as the woman smiled and asked after his children. Felicity tried not to fidget as she stood beside them, but it was hard when she could feel Oliver's gaze boring into her. As casually as she could, she glanced up, meeting his eyes for the first time. Like she'd suspected, he was already watching her, his keen blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She bit her lip, raising her hand in a dorky little wave that she was going to be kicking herself about as soon as she got home tonight. Oliver blinked, then his expression cleared and he smiled back. The genuine amusement in his eyes led her to believe that he'd figured out who she was based off who she was with and the overall dorkiness she exuded. Based on their conversations to date, dorky was probably the top adjective he'd use to describe her.

"Hello, my boy," Mr. Henry said, turning to pat Oliver on the back. "I would like to introduce you to one of your brightest employees. This is Felicity Smoak."

Oliver grinned conspiratorially as Mr. Henry introduced them. Moira, on the other hand, nearly choked on her champagne. Both Oliver and Mr. Henry turned to her with worried looks, but she waved them off and shook Felicity's hand with a warm, "It's lovely to meet you, Ms. Smoak."

"Felicity is the IT department's rising star," Mr. Henry said, patting her on the shoulder. "She's definitely one to keep your eye on, Mr. Queen."

"She certainly is," Oliver said, his smile going soft around the edges in a way that made Felicity's palms start to sweat again.

After an awkward moment where Oliver kept smiling at her and, for the life of her, she couldn't seem to stop smiling back, Moira cleared her throat. "Mr. Henry," she said, breaking the strange tension that had suddenly filled the air, "would you mind accompanying me to the bar to refresh my drink?"

"Of course, of course!" Mr. Henry said, offering her his arm.

Moira gave her son a strange look, one he seemed not to notice, before walking off to the bar, her still mostly full glass of champagne in hand.

"Hi," Oliver said, as soon as his mom was out of sight.

"Hi." A grin spread across her face. She could barely believe she was actually standing in front of Oliver right now. She'd dreamt of this moment for months, wondering if the strange little friendship they'd developed meant as much to him as it did to her. By the way he was grinning back she was pretty sure it did.

He glanced around the room quickly, then looked back at her with a sly smile. "What do you say we sneak out of here for a little while. We could have that talk we missed out on before."

Her heart pounded against her rib cage at the thought of being alone with him, and she found herself nodding her head.

"Okay."

###

Oliver did his best to sneak through the crowd, two glasses of wine in hand, as he made his way back to the terrace where he'd left Felicity.

He'd narrowly avoided his mother on the way to the bar, but they'd finished the champagne they'd snagged earlier so he'd had no choice but to risk it. Not when he finally had Felicity Smoak sitting just a few feet away and wearing his tuxedo jacket.

He quietly closed the French doors behind him as he stepped outside, not wanting to startle her. She was leaning over a short brick wall, her blonde hair shining in the glow of the white Christmas lights that had been strung all over the bushes and trees. For a moment all he could do was watch her, but then she spotted him and that intoxicating smile of hers drew him closer until they were standing just inches apart.

"Here you go." He handed her one of the wine glasses, watching as she took a sip, then turned to look out over the garden once again. She was so damn beautiful he couldn't take his eyes off her. "Would you like to dance?"

He didn't quite know why he asked. He didn't even like to dance, but watching her… he wanted to be as close as physically possible and dancing seemed like the most non-creepy way to make that happen. Thankfully, she smiled, taking his wine glass and placing it beside hers on the ledge. She stepped closer, wrapping one arm around his neck while the other came up to clasp his hand as they swayed together. The faint chords of a Christmas song were just barely audible, but it was enough.

"I'm really glad we finally met in person," he breathed into her hair as she rested her head on his chest.

"Me, too," she replied.

###

Felicity wasn't sure how long they swayed together underneath the sparkling lights, but eventually they sat down, huddling together for warmth—even though there were two space heaters on the deck nearby—and drinking their wine. At some point Oliver had gone back in to steal the rest of the bottle—and then a second one after that.

Felicity wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or just Oliver that made the words come so easily, but they'd talked about pretty much everything over the course of the night, even the stuff she was usually tight lipped about. She'd told him about her dad leaving, about her mom's preoccupation with finding her a soulmate, and even about Cooper dumping her.

"So… you haven't matched yet?" he asked, and even through the solid buzz of alcohol, she still felt the surge of loneliness she'd recently started to feel whenever she thought about her soulmate. Something she'd never have imagined feeling back when she was a kid, so convinced that having a partner in life was the last thing she needed. But now…

She shook her head, then leaned back against Oliver's shoulder. "I used to tease my mom, telling her that maybe I didn't have a soulmate. Maybe he died, or lived in an area so remote that they wouldn't have access to the Registry. I'm starting to think maybe I jinxed myself."

"No," he said, wrapping an arm around her and giving her a comforting squeeze. "Maybe… maybe he's just not ready."

"What about me?" she asked, tilting her head to look up at him. "What if I'm ready?"

"Well, then, maybe you just find someone else who's ready too…" His voice was soft, so soft, and Felicity could swear he looked down at her lips as he spoke. The tension that had been present between them all night surged and he leaned closer, his breath warming her cheek as he whispered her name.

Her heartbeat sped up and her breathing faltered. She knew he liked her, that had been obvious since they'd been introduced by Mr. Henry earlier. To be perfectly honest, she'd known for a while that he liked her, she just hadn't been sure how much until tonight. And now he was about to kiss her.

A blush rose in her cheeks and she hoped that the cold December air would be enough to hide it. It wasn't like she'd never been kissed before. She'd had a few boyfriends in the past. She shouldn't be acting so weird about this. But… all of those guys, even Cooper, had just been fun. Losing Cooper had hurt, but a part of her knew she'd be fine because he wasn't her soulmate. A few hours face to face with Oliver and she wasn't sure she'd ever be the same when things inevitably ended.

"Oliver," she said, and he must have heard something in her voice because he immediately pulled away, looking down at her with confusion and disappointment swirling behind his beautiful blue eyes. "I'm sorry."

He shifted away from her and she immediately missed his warmth.

"I'm so sorry," she said again, watching him get to his feet.

"No, it's my fault. We've both had a lot to drink and I shouldn't have—"

"No, it's not you!" she cried, struggling to stand. "It's just…" She slammed her eyes closed, suddenly wishing she hadn't had quite so much to drink, but she managed to get to her feet, even in the ridiculous heels she was wearing. "I have a soulmate out there, somewhere, even if they haven't registered yet. So do you. It's not fair, to us or to them." Her voice was getting thicker as she spoke, the tears threatening to escape. "And… Oliver, I don't… I've lost one boyfriend to the Registry, and just the thought of losing someone like that again…"

"Hey, hey," he said, pulling her into a hug, and she let herself melt into him. "It's okay. Shhh. It's okay."

"I wish things were different," she said, tears catching in her lashes as she blinked.

"Me, too."

###

They'd said their goodbyes quickly after that. He offered to have someone drive her home, which she reluctantly accepted since she was is no shape to drive herself. Once she'd gone, he found himself back out on the terrace, avoiding what was left of the party guests.

He was surprised that his mother hadn't been looking for him, ready to demand he return to the party. When he'd first taken Felicity outside he'd been sure their time was limited, but his mom hadn't come storming out after him, and eventually everything had faded away except for Felicity. Her voice, her laughter, the weight of her head resting on his shoulder as they spoke about anything and everything. He'd even told her about his dad, about how he'd gotten a good hard look at himself after he'd died. About how he didn't like what he saw. She'd reached out, dropping a hand to his knee and giving it a gentle squeeze.

He blinked his eyes shut, trying to push back the tears. Somehow he'd ruined the one good thing in his life. What the hell had he been thinking? He wasn't good enough for Felicity, and even if he was, she would never be his. She was right. They both had soulmates out there, somewhere. Genetically predetermined partners that they would spend the rest of their lives with. But what if he just wanted to choose for himself? He'd spent so much of his life choosing wrong… now he had something that finally felt right and he wasn't allowed the choice. And the thing was, he was sure Felicity would have chosen him too, given the chance.

"Oliver?"

Running his hands over his face, Oliver took a few seconds to compose himself before turning to see his mother standing behind him. He hadn't even heard her come outside.

"Where's your friend?" she asked.

"She left," he said. His voice sounded emotionless and hollow, a side effect of trying to bury his emotions as far down as they could go, he supposed.

Moira knew something was wrong and stepped closer. "You two seemed to be getting along," she said, her voice nearly as closed off as his. She was trying to hide something too, but he figured it was just her happiness that Felicity had clearly not wanted anything to do with him. "What happened?"

"The damn Registry is what happened," he growled, then closed his eyes. It wasn't his mother's fault things hadn't worked out with Felicity, he reminded himself. He shouldn't take it out on her.

"What?" she asked, moving closer. When Oliver looked at her, she truly did look confused.

"She said… she said that nothing could happen between us because we have soulmates out there somewhere. And I understand that, I do, but it's not fair."

"Oh, sweetheart," Moira said, reaching for him, but she couldn't quite hide her amused smile and Oliver pulled away.

"I really liked her, Mom! I've never felt like this with anyone before." His tears were now plainly visible for her to see, even in the dim light out on the terrace, but he didn't care. How could she smile when he felt like he'd lost the only damn thing worth having? "And now I messed it up and you're laughing at me?"

"Oliver, you listen to me," she said, sobering. "You didn't mess anything up and I'm not laughing at you. You've clearly had a lot to drink, but all I think this means is that you're finally ready to register."

He could concede that she was right about the drinking part. He was being overly emotional and had, what felt like, a truly awful headache coming on, but despite knowing that, he still said, "I don't want some stranger as a soulmate, I want Felicity."

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what fate has in store for you, Oliver," she deadpanned, not swayed by his dramatics in the slightest, but she did reach out to give him and hug. "I promise, you will feel better after you do."

Which is how, after a good night's sleep and some aspirin, Oliver found himself at his doctor's office, getting swabbed for the Registry. After the emotions of last night had passed, he just felt tired. He was done fighting his mother on this. He cared about Felicity, but she wasn't his, and as much as he wished it, he wasn't her's. She had someone else and so did he, so now it was time to find out who.

It was only a few hours later when his phone vibrated, a notification saying he had several new emails popping up. He opened his email, his heart skipping a beat when he saw one from the Soulmate Registry waiting for him at the top of the list. His thumb hovered over it for a long moment. He knew he needed to open it, to find out who his soulmate was and move on with his life, and yet…

He closed his email app, switching over to his internet browser for a quick search. When he had the information he needed, he shoved his phone into his pocket. He turned around to leave and… ran directly into his mother.

"Oliver!" Moira gasped, as he caught her elbows just in time to stop her from falling backwards. "What is going on?"

"Sorry, Mom," he said, dipping his head to kiss her cheek, before hurrying past.

"Did you receive your Soulmate notification?" she called after him, and he looked back to see a warm smile on her face.

God, he hated to disappoint her, but he couldn't open that email. Not yet. He had to try one more time…

"I've got to go, Mom. I'll see you later."

With that he was out the door.

###

Felicity sat on the couch in her apartment, a bowl of mint chocolate chip in her lap, as Doctor Who played in the background.

There was a bottle of wine in the kitchen she wanted to open, but she was still regretting all the wine she'd had last night. Or maybe, if she was honest, it was regret of a different kind that had her stress eating…

Oliver had tried to kiss her.

She scooped up another spoonful of ice cream, unceremoniously shoving it into her mouth as Ten and Rose went on yet another adventure through time and space together. She'd be jealous of their love except she knew they'd eventually be ripped apart by… fate. The same reason she couldn't start something with Oliver, despite how much she wanted to.

Last night had been one of the best nights of her life and all they'd done was talk. They'd hidden away outside and talked for hours and it had been lovely. She'd been aware that they had a connection, but it wasn't until meeting him, seeing him face to face after all this time, that she understood just how powerful that connection was. Even now, knowing how heartbroken she'd be when he inevitably left, she still wanted to call him, tell him she'd changed her mind.

They were both older now, venturing into the age range when casual dating started to be seen as a faux pas. Or worse, was looked upon with pity because it meant you hadn't matched yet. It would be completely inappropriate to text him, asking him to come over. Still, she found herself putting her bowl on the coffee table and picking up her phone. Just to distract herself with some of her favorite apps, that was all. Absolutely no other reason.

She noticed a notification for a new email on her screen and nearly dismissed it, but then she realized it could be work related and, seeing as she was up for a promotion, she should probably check, just in case. Her jaw—and her heart—dropped when she saw it was a message from the Soulmate Registry. Talk about a distraction from Oliver. Taking a steady breath to compose herself, she clicked open the email, quickly perusing its contents for a name.

Then she blinked and read the name again. And again. Then she scrolled back to the top and read the message in its entirety, taking in every ounce of information it offered to make sure she wasn't misunderstanding anything.

Because the Soulmate Registry? It had just matched her to Oliver Queen.

She didn't realize she was crying until she tasted salt on her lips, and then she used the sleeve of her oversized MIT sweatshirt to wipe her face and nose so she could reread the message again. His number was right there, under the contact information the Registry had sent over. She was just about to tap it when a knock on her door startled her.

Sniffling, and wiping her face once more, she dropped her phone onto the couch. If this was her neighbor asking if she'd seen her cat again, she was going to be so pissed. She didn't stop to think that it might be anyone other than Mrs. Flannery until she was pulling open the door to see Oliver standing on her porch, and then she immediately regret her decision to wear her oldest, ugliest, sweatshirt to mope around the house and eat ice cream in.

Oliver didn't seem to notice, though. He stepped closer, without coming inside, and took her hand in his. "Felicity, I'm so sorry for showing up like this, but—"

"I know!" she said, laughter and more tears bubbling out of her as she smiled up at him. "It's okay, I was just about to call you."

"You were?" he asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

She used the hand he was still holding to pull him inside, and closed the door. He glanced around for a moment, taking in her apartment, and she nearly cringed when she saw the mess of blankets and junk food she'd left piled around her couch, but then he turned back to her, and suddenly nothing mattered except for the fact that he was her's. She threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist in a vice grip.

He stiffened slightly, before wrapping his arms around her as well. His voice was soft when he finally spoke. "But you said you weren't interested, because of our soulmates…"

She pulled back, blinking in confusion as she met his eyes. For a moment she thought maybe he was teasing her, but he looked genuinely perplexed by her behavior.

"Oliver, why are you here?" she asked.

"Because I registered today," he admitted, pulling his phone out of his pocket, showing it to her like it was evidence of some sin he'd committed. "I matched, but I couldn't bring myself to open the email."

"Oliver," she sighed. He hadn't registered, which was why she'd never matched. Yet, somehow, fate had still sent them into a collision course with each other. Tears pricked her eyes again, and she wiped them away with her sleeve.

"No, listen. I understood where you were coming from last night. But today… I got that email and I just… Felicity, I don't care about soulmates or what anyone thinks. I want you, and I couldn't open that email until I knew for sure that you didn't feel the same." He thread his fingers through her hair, cupping her cheek, and she let herself lean into his touch.

"You should open the email," she said, biting her lip to hold back her smile.

"Felicity," he murmured, leaning in to rest his forehead against hers. His breath was warm against her cheek and she tipped her head up to brush her nose against his.

She reached out, taking the phone out of his hand, but he didn't react. He didn't move at all, keeping his head against hers. When she looked down to open his phone he shifted so their cheeks were touching. Unlocking the phone, she clicked on the email and, sure enough, her name and information was all right there. Oliver still hadn't lifted his head to look. Instead he seemed to bury his face further in her hair when he heard the phone unlock.

"You sure you don't want to see who you matched with?" she asked, twisting her free hand in his shirt.

He shook his head, but finally looked up. "I don't care who she is. Felicity," he said, cupping her cheek again, "I don't care about some stupid gene that thinks it can dictate our lives. I care about you. And I know that we could have something. For the past nine months we've had something, and last night it all just came rushing to the surface."

His voice was watery and desperate and Felicity couldn't stop her grin. "Oliver—"

"Don't tell me you don't feel it, because I know—"

"Oliver!" she cried. "Look at the damn email!"

Something in her voice finally broke through to him and he stared at her for one long moment before he took the phone. She watched his eyes widen as he read the email, watched his lips part on a surprised intake of breath when he got to her name. When he looked up and saw the grin stretching her lips, he reached for her, pulling her to him in a crushing hug.

"Felicity," he breathed, his warm breath sending goosebumps racing across her skin. "You're… we're…"

"Yeah," she said, hugging him even more tightly to her. "We're soulmates."

"That explains so much," he laughed, pulling back just enough to look at her. His smile faltered and the sadness that etched itself into his features had no place there as far as she was concerned. "Now I feel like an idiot for refusing to register for so long. I wasted so much time… " He laughed again, but this time it was full of self-loathing instead of joy. "I'm sorry."

"No," she said, placing a hand on his chest, directly over his heart. "I… I don't think I was ready until right this moment." She let her fingers wander, playing with the buttons on his shirt. "For the longest time I wanted nothing to do with my soulmate. I was kind of rebellious like that," she teased, loving the way he smiled down at her. "I don't know how I would have reacted to you back then, but I don't think it would have been good."

"You're trying to say maybe my stubbornness is a good thing?" He was teasing, but she could see the regret swirling in his blue eyes. "You're probably right. I was a real asshole back then."

"I'm being serious, Oliver. My parents matched when they were teenagers and my dad still left. I've been terrified of the same thing happening to me ever since."

Tears shone in her eyes and he reached over, cupping her cheek, using his thumb to wipe them away. "My parents matched when they were eighteen," he said, "and my dad cheated and worked so much he was barely ever home when I was a kid. I've always been afraid of becoming like him. But, Felicity, I need you to know that that won't happen to us. I won't let it happen."

"Me neither," she said. The conviction in his voice spurred her own. She believed he'd fight for her. After all, he'd shown up on her doorstep willing to fight for her before he even realized they were soulmates. If that didn't prove he was worth taking a chance on nothing would. She smoothed her hands up his chest, wrapping them around his neck. She loved the way his hands immediately went to her waist, pulling her closer. "Maybe it's not enough just finding the person you're destined to be with. Maybe you have to be ready to find them."

"Felicity?" he murmured, closing his eyes and leaning down until his lips were just inches from hers.

"Yes?" She turned her face up, brushing her lips against his as she spoke. Her lips tingled with his touch and she pressed closer, loving the way nipped at her bottom lip in response.

"I'm ready."

"Me, too."