entitled: Ins and Outs
pairing: Oliver/Felicity
summary: There are times when Oliver Queen isn't the hooded vigilante, and Diggle is, in fact, dating his ex-wife, and Felicity's best friend isn't a computer. There are times when they are around each other, just to be around each other. Oliver/Felicity. Canon. 01/10. Oliver stops by the hideout one morning to see Felicity wearing a costume.
rating: T
disclaimer: I do not own Arrow.
notes: I'm hoping to have around 10 short pieces.
i. you are what you wear
"Felicity… what are you doing?"
"Oliver, I can explain."
Felicity could only think of how angry Oliver must be. She hated bad puns, but she was going to be smoaked this time. Panicked, she quickly pulled off the green hood, and along with it, her shirt.
"Oh god!"
Oliver was seriously rethinking his choice of stopping by the hideout this morning.
"Felicity, stop, please put your shirt—" If Felicity wasn't so busy wrestling the hood from her t-shirt, she might've noticed that Oliver had lost his usual composure. "Felicity—"
"I'm trying, Oliver! Just give me a chance to—" And suddenly, both the hood and her shirt were ripped away from her. She stood angry and embarrassed in her nude bra and dark-wash jeans. Oliver quickly realized that taking the hood and shirt away only added another problem.
He focused intently on pulling her shirt out of the hood.
"Sorry, Oliver," Felicity mumbled remorsefully, regretting that she wasn't able to fight the urge to put on the hood when she was dropping it off. "I know it's important and it belonged to Shado and everything but, you do realize that I have to personally wash and dry it at my place, right? I mean, I can't exactly take it to the dry cleaners and ask them to dry clean this green hood that hey, wait a minute, strangely resembles what the Arrow wears when he's out kicking ass and taking names."
Oliver doesn't respond because he's trying to focus.
Felicity, however, interpreted his silence as the gateway to brooding and felt that she had to defend herself. "And you know what, Oliver? There are times when I want to kick ass and take names, too!" she added, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.
"Really?" Oliver countered, not looking at her. "At 9 A.M. on a Sunday morning?"
"That's not the point, Oliver. You and Sara get cool costumes and superhero aliases and I'm not saying I want to wear black leather every night—though I don't think you particularly mind," she remarked, to which Oliver glanced up and arched his brow. "I'm just saying that," she continued, "I think I deserve a costume." Felicity shrugged nonchalantly, playing it cool.
Oliver finally pulled the t-shirt from the hood and tossed it back to Felicity. He turned around so she could put it on.
"I'm not upset that you wore the hood, Felicity," he reassured her, "but you're certainly not getting a costume."
"That's an abomination!" Felicity protested, slipping the shirt back on.
Oliver turned back once she was dressed and walked over to her, laying the green hood on a nearby table. He placed his hands lightly on her shoulders and made sure that their eyes were locked. "Felicity," he said calmly, "You don't need a costume. I need you here, at the hideout, where you can help me best and where you are most safe."
The last thing Oliver Queen wanted was for someone he cared about to be sneaking around in some leather costume, getting herself into trouble.
Felicity nodded in quiet understanding and Oliver thought that the matter was settled. He was going to suggest that they go grab breakfast together when Felicity replied, "I get it. You don't think I can pull off leather."
Even on days off, Felicity has the incredible ability to simultaneously charm and exasperate him.
tbc.