Written for the Olicity Holiday Fic Exchange.
Your secret santa is Poison's Ivy
Rating: T
Genre: Drama / Romance / Humor
Prompt: Felicity and Oliver undercover somewhere and they're on the verge of getting caught. And they have to do whatever they have to do to avoid getting caught (make out, pretend to be a couple, etc., your choice). Set anytime 2.06 so the consequences of Oliver sleeping with Isabel could still be looming above them.
Oliver Queen, CEO by Day, Vigilante by Night and Felicity Smoak's Cover Boyfriend for the Holidays
"Felicity!" Oliver shouted, his knuckles pounding against the door. "Come out of the bathroom!"
The only response he got was a loud sob. Needlessly to say, that did nothing to ease his concern for her.
"Felicity what's wrong?" he asked for the fifteenth time in as many minutes.
Oliver closed his eyes and took a deep breath in order to get a grip on the panic that rose in his chest.
"Felicity, please come out and tell me what's wrong?" he asked again, only this time his plea was quiet and soft – offering comfort instead of anxiety.
Half an hour ago, he was in the training room, beating the hell out of the dummy. That was when he heard Felicity's heels clicking in a quick pattern that tipped him off that she was running and then the bathroom door slamming shut with a bang that he was pretty sure was heard not only above them, in the roaring nightclub, but perhaps even in the other buildings nearby.
The moment it all registered in his head he'd run to her immediately, concerned that she might be unwell or sick… But then again, if she was sick why would she slam the door shut behind her – with such a force, too? No, she wasn't sick. But there was something wrong with her. Terribly wrong. And Oliver had no idea what it was.
He couldn't bear seeing Felicity upset. Ironically, he was the reason for her sour moods more often than he would like to admit. The result of an upset Felicity was a guilt-ridden Oliver. The immediate shame and regret he felt after yet another one of their spats was of proportions that not even his own mother could manage to live up to. If it were up to him, the smile would never leave Felicity's face and not entirely for her sake. Contrary to what she believed, Oliver wasn't selfless and this was perhaps one of the best manifestations of his selfishness. He needed her to keep smiling, because if she let the nature of their work to engulf her, if she gave in to negativity, anger and fear, then his shadows would swallow him whole. She was his beacon, his solitary ray of sunshine, peeking between the heavy clouds on a rainy day. It didn't matter if she only smiled, or went on one of her rambles, or dropped yet another innuendo on him, or if she was making miserable attempts at joking to lift his spirits when he was brooding – he was drawn to her light and positivity. She reminded why he was doing what he did on a daily basis – why he was leading a double life, trying to cleanse their city from its scum – her presence reminded him that there were still good people out there.
Felicity was the embodiment of Oliver's hope for a better tomorrow and he'd be damned twice over if he let her light fade away.
Which is what brought him to his current predicament of standing outside the bathroom in the lair all but pulling his hair out with worry.
Oliver sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to get any type of response from Felicity. He turned around, deciding to just give her some space.
He barely made a couple of steps away from the door when he heard the creak of the door signaling it was being opened.
He spun on his heel to face her and his heart clenched at Felicity's heartbroken expression. Her eyes were puffy and red from the tears she'd cried, her hair was flowing freely down her back, and he could see her glasses lying discarded on the floor behind her.
"What happened?" his voice is taking on that soft tone that he has been using with her lately.
Without words Felicity closes the small distance between them and hugs him. Oliver's arms wrap themselves around her immediately.
"I-I'm sorry, I just need a-a hug." Felicity said, her voice coming out a bit muffled since she'd buried her face in his shirt.
Oliver squeezed her a little harder to show her he was alright with it. "Are you going to tell me?" he asked, unable to take his mind off his worries.
"I was looking into John Nelson," Felicity said, stepping away from their hug.
Oliver was confused, why would that upset her to such epic proportions? The glare she was currently throwing her computer screens didn't make sense either. Felicity didn't glare at her tech equipment, the same way Oliver never missed a target.
He took her hand in his and led her to her computer chair, giving her some time to sort out her thoughts. Once she was seated he leaned back onto the edge of her desk and waited for her to continue.
Felicity took a deep breath and willed herself to get through her explanation without breaking down again.
"I was looking into Nelson when something came up on my searches," she said flatly, hoping that by detaching herself from the situation it would make it less painful.
She motioned to the screen to her left and gave Oliver a small nod to go ahead and read her findings, because she wasn't sure she could look at them again.
Oliver frowned at the data he was reading – he hated to have his suspicions confirmed. The further he read the sicker he felt. He definitely couldn't blame Felicity for getting upset.
Nelson was involved with illegal smuggling of children as well as selling them on the black market.
"It's true then," he murmured.
Felicity chuckled humorlessly beside him. "Keep reading"
Next were his bank records. For a while there everything seemed normal – bills, some purchases not unusual for a man of Nelson's means – but then there was a 250 000 dollar transaction to one Jerald Smoak.
Felicity saw the exact moment where Oliver figured out what put her in such a miserable state. Before he so much as opened his mouth to ask she was already giving him an answer.
"He's my uncle on my father's side." She said quietly. "And he's Nelson's lawyer." She pat, unable to control the venom in her voice.
"Are you sure it's the same person? Maybe there's someone else out there with the same name?" Oliver didn't need to see Felicity tip her head to the side, like she did every time he said something incredibly stupid or obvious, to know that it was a stupid suggestion.
"I triple checked everything. But when his picture popped up it was kind of difficult to deny… And well, you heard the rest." Felicity said with a weak smile on her face, appreciating his efforts to comfort her.
For a while there Oliver remained silent. Because how on Earth do you comfort a person who just found out his own flesh and blood is a criminal?
"I know the feeling," he sighed "if you want to talk about it…" Oliver trailed off, not really sure how to continue.
"I'd rather forget I ever saw that." Felicity confessed.
"Is that what you want us to do?"
Felicity looked at him in the eye for the first time since they started talking "Us?" she asked with a hint of confusion in her voice.
"He's your uncle Felicity, if you'd rather – " Felicity hurried to cut him off.
"Oh no. He's going to get what's coming to him. I'll do it myself if I have to. Sara taught me some pretty kickass things." The emotions on her face morphed from sadness to anger and her voice had an unmistakable edge of determination to it.
Oliver was taken aback by Felicity's words. He never expected her to say that. This was something that he would say, not 'anti-violence' Felicity Smoak.
When he finally pulled himself out of his thoughts he realized that Felicity was not where he remembered her to be. He looked around and found her walking towards the foundry's stairs.
Judging from the all too familiar, determined spring in her step and the scowl that graced her face as well as the way she was clutching her favorite bag, Oliver had a pretty good idea what she was about to do. And he just couldn't let her do this.
"Where are you going, Felicity?" he asked her once he had jogged up to her and caught her wrist to stop her from entering the code for the door.
Felicity's only reaction was to jerk her hand away from his hold. Other than that she remained with her back to him, because she knew that if she looked into those blue eyes her resolve would crumble.
"Felicity," Oliver's voice cautioned. "Don't do this, not like this." He pleaded with her.
She spun around on her heel to face him despite her better judgment. "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind." She told Oliver "And there's nothing you can do to stop me." She added after a moment's thought.
"I don't want to stop you, Felicity." Oliver replied, earning himself a raised brow and gaze full of questions from his partner.
"I only disapprove of your strategy, not your course of action." He explained with a small smile.
The question in her eyes was now replaced by agitation. "Oh really?" she asked, resting her hands on both sides of her waist. "Do you have a better?"
"I'll come with you." Oliver offered.
Felicity cocked a skeptical eyebrow. "Yes, because bringing my boss home so that I could confront my corrupt uncle is such a brilliant idea!" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Oliver faltered a bit at her reaction, but he got a hold of his emotions an instant later. "It doesn't have to be your boss, you bring over…" he said.
"Green Arrow then? Even better!" Felicity's head tilted to the side in her trademark 'are-you-kidding-me?!' gesture.
"How about a boyfriend?" Oliver said before he really had time to think about what came out of his mouth.
For the next couple of minutes the basement was so silent they could hear the proverbial crickets in it.
Felicity's face was beet red. "Are you – are you asking me out?" she stammered, still unsure that she heard him correctly.
"I'm asking you to have an undercover mission with me." Oliver said, willing himself not to think about Felicity's question and all the possible answers he could give her.
"You don't like it when I go undercover." Felicity countered with a frown.
"You've been talking my ear off for weeks about field work." Oliver stated.
"Still."
"Look, I know you," Oliver sighed, giving up, "You're going to go and do it either way. I just prefer to be there with you in case things go south, okay?"
"By pretending to be my boyfriend?" Felicity asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I can't very well join you in my Green Arrow costume, or have a legitimate reason to visit your home as your boss…" Oliver shrugged. "Besides, no one believes us when we tell them we're friends anyway, they're hell bent on believing we sleep together." He added.
"But we don't!" She answered in protest, yet again.
"Doesn't seem to matter."
Felicity sighed, she had to give it to him it was a good idea. It had potential to destroy their years' long relationship in the blink of an eye, but it was better than whatever she came up with.
"Is there more to this than being my fake boyfriend?" she asked, which was her way of admitting defeat.
"We visit – for whatever reason you decide is appropriate – have a little meet and greet, maybe stay for coffee or a meal and then we go on the obligatory tour of the house. We reach the place your uncle stores his info – probably his computer – you work your magic, I guard the door, then conveniently enough my phone rings and we get called into work for an emergency meeting of Applied Sciences, which means I need you there with me to translate all the tech-speech."
Oliver got that entire speech out in one breath and to be honest was a little surprised at both that, and the concept he just presented to her. It was pretty good for something that he improvised on the spot – not that he'd let Felicity know that.
By the look on her face, he could see that she actually saw the merits of his idea and settled on giving himself a mental pat on the back. After all, it wasn't everyday he got to surprise Felicity Smoak into a state of speechlessness.
"Talk to your family, and let me know the when and where." He said casually, patting her shoulder as he passed her to reach for the alarm system to unlock the door. "See you tomorrow. Unless you come up with a better idea, what with Digg and Lyla being away for the holidays. Let me know."
It seemed almost like the stars had aligned in order to make this mission happen. Just as Felicity was about to call her aunt, after an hour-long pacing process that helped her determine a proper excuse, her phone rang. She let out a small groan when she saw who was calling – 'MOM'.
She loved her mother. She really did, but most of the time she preferred to not be in her vicinity. Felicity was always much closer to her father. Of course it helped matters that she took after him rather than her mother. Straightening her posture for moral support she answered the phone, ready for the next lecture her mother was about to bestow upon her.
Apparently it was a day meant for surprises. Esther Smoak called to remind her of the small gathering they were going to have at her uncle's house for her Cousin Elise's upcoming birthday in two days. Nothing formal, her mother had said, just family. And just when Felicity thought she would get away with what seemed to be the obligatory topic of her love-life her mother had added that Felicity could feel free to bring anyone (she'd emphasized that word in a manner that left no doubt as to what she meant) she wanted. After which her mother had wished her a good night and ended the call. Oliver's plan suddenly didn't sound half-bad. If she took him with her to this family-reunion of sorts then her mother would get off her back and she and Oliver would get the information they needed to put Nelson behind bars.
Win-win situation.
With that in mind, she texted Oliver the details of their undercover mission.
On Sunday morning Oliver was waiting for her in front of his Lexus, Starbucks paper back in one hand and, surprisingly a small bouquet of flowers in the other.
"Those for me?" Felicity asked him with a playful smile.
"This is," Oliver said, handing her the paper bag. "Coffee and breakfast." He explained as she peeked into the bag.
"You'll make a marvelous secretary, Oliver; I didn't even have to tell you how I like my coffee." She mock gasped.
"I'm intuitive like that," Oliver played along to her teasing.
"Yet another useful skill for a P.A. to have. My, my Oliver, your resume is becoming quite impressive." Felicity continued, opening the passenger side and sitting down.
Oliver's laughter as he closed her door and jogged to his side of the car really warmed Felicity's heart. The instances where he laughed like that were too rare to her liking.
The drive to her uncle's house was filled with stories from Felicity's childhood and family. She'd told him about a not so pleasant childhood and how difficult it was to be a shy, smart kid and not being able to help it. How she eventually learned to rise above the teasing and name-calling and pretend that these people didn't exist. The many fights she had with her mother about her not acting 'like a girl her age' should – preferring to stay in her room and read or tinker with stuff instead of going to the mall or having slumber parties with other girls. She'd told him about the beauty competitions her mother had tried to put her in, in vain hope that it would bring out the 'girl' in her and how similar attempts continued well into her teen years until the day she threatened to leave home if her mother didn't stop. How she's never been close to her aunt, uncle and cousin since they disapproved of her mother (her religion to be exact) and by extension of Felicity.
She'd shared with him that she'd always been closer to his father and that the love of all tech-related stuff was actually passed down from father to daughter. She told him about the first time they'd taken apart and re-assembled a computer together and that even though her father was soft-spoken and not a man of many words, he had always made it beyond clear that she could always come to him no matter what. She skipped past the high-school years of horror, telling him only the big things that he needed to know for their cover to be believable. Not that she hoped they'd be there long enough for her family to give him the 'Felicity 101' quiz.
Then she'd told him about college and how that was the place she'd finally felt comfortable with herself and had found her niche. She told him about the friends she'd made there and how one drunken night of truth and dare ended up with her having a different hair color that she liked enough to keep for years to come. She told him, that after she'd moved away, her relationship with her mother seemed to get better.
In return Oliver told her about his own childhood, both as an only child and later on with Thea as well. He told her all kinds of stories, from the mischief he and Tommy got into, to the pranks he used to pull on Thea, to the way he used to beat up boys who made fun of his little sister. In a moment of truthfulness, he also told her that despite having everything he could have ever wished for, his childhood had been rather lonely. He never had any friends, not real ones anyway – besides Tommy and later on Laurel. He always had to be careful of ulterior motives when making friends. He never had the full attention of his parents' who were too busy being a successful businessman and said businessman's socialite wife. How they bought his love with gifts instead of earning it with affection.
When they neared her uncle's neighborhood they were both sitting silently in the car, each reveling in what they'd just learned about one another.
Oliver was surprised when they pulled onto the driveway. The two-story house was the epitome of a suburb cliché, from it's perfectly manicured lawn and flower garden, to the white lacey curtains that could be seen through some of the windows.
What surprised Oliver was the abundance of Christmas decorations.
"I thought you were Jewish." He said, his brow furrowed in confusion as he helped Felicity out of the car.
"Judaism is passed through the maternal side. My mother, Esther, is Jewish, but my dad, Charlie, is Christian – even though he doesn't practice it. Jerald is his brother." Felicity explained with a soft smile.
"And Edna is Jerald's wife while Dana is their daughter who's celebrating today and Shawn is their younger son." Oliver recited the rest and was glad to see Felicity nod at him. "And they're all Christian." Yesterday, he'd been sent via e-mail 'The Fundamental Smoak History Encyclopedia' (Felicity's phrasing, not his) so that he could learn what he needed in order to not blow their cover.
"I've been raised to celebrate Hanukkah, but we always visited my Uncle's on Christmas Day," she explained, as they walked to the door.
Felicity rang the bell and took a step back to stand next to Oliver while she waited for someone to open the door. Looking at the expression on her face, Oliver couldn't tell if she was dreading or excited about seeing her family again. A flare of guilt twisted in his gut at the thought. He had been the reason Felicity was all but estranged from her own family.
"Stop that," Felicity murmured quietly, taking his hand in hers.
"I can hear your guilty conscience whispering and it's distracting. We have a mission to focus on." She responded to the quizzical look on his face.
The door opened before Oliver could say another word, revealing a middle-aged woman, dressed to the nines, who, if Oliver didn't know any better, he would have believed to be one of his mother's snobbish sociality, trophy-wife friends, instead of Felicity's flesh and blood.
"Felicity, Merry Christmas!" The woman's voice was sweet in a way that made Oliver's skin crawl. He remembered Felicity mentioning an 'Umbridge' when talking about her aunt on their drive here.
"And you've brought a friend, how – " The woman's words died in her throat once she registered who Oliver was and for a moment there she seemed at a loss of words.
"Merry Christmas, Aunt Edna. This is Oliver Queen, Oliver, my aunt Edna. I've told you about her, remember?" The tone of Felicity's voice was much like the fake-sweet one she'd used around Isabel Rochev at first.
"All good things, I hope." The older woman let out a fake, breathy giggle that Oliver had heard too many times in his life to be fooled by.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Smoak," The fake rich-boy façade was in place as Oliver stretched a hand for her to shake.
"Oh, Edna, please!" The woman protested. "Where are my manners?! Come in, come in." She exclaimed and stepped back so that they could enter.
They shrugged out of their coats and put them onto the hanger right next to the door.
"Ready?" Felicity mouthed at Oliver
He responded with a small nod and a smile, taking her hand in his.
The living room fell silent once they entered and Felicity squirmed a little under their gazes. Sure, being in Oliver's company for over a year now, she was better used to attention, but it still made her uncomfortable.
"'Lis'!" her cousin was the first to recover from the silence and stepped forward to hug her. A hug which Felicity returned gladly, for Shawn was truly the only member of her family, her parents excluded, that she actually liked. "Did you get smaller?" he teased her, once he let go of their embrace.
"I'm the same as I've always been, Shawn, you've just reached gargantuan proportions." Felicity laughed.
Oliver couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him at hearing Felicity say 'gargantuan' – it was such a Felicity thing to say. That seemed to divert Shawn's attention to him.
The boy looked no older than his own sister and yet the apprising glare he leveled him with seemed worthy of that of a very pissed off Felicity.
"Hi," he said sheepishly. "I'm – "
"Oh, we know who you are." Esther Smoak appeared from the doorway and walked straight to him, engulfing him in a hug. "You're taller and more muscular in person." She commented.
"Mom!" Felicity's mortified exclamation made Oliver laugh once again.
"Ettie, you'll scare the boy." A middle aged man said from beside Felicity, who Oliver assumed, could only be her father because of the striking similarities between him and Felicity.
With that the ice seemed to be broken and they proceeded with some small talk once the introductions were over with. It consisted of Oliver and Felicity mostly dodging questions about their fake relationship.
"Oh!" Felicity exclaimed, jumping from her seat on the sofa next to Oliver, suddenly. "Happy Birthday, Dana." She said and pulled a small envelope from the back pocket of her jeans. "I didn't really know what to get you…" she mumbled.
"Sure," The twenty-two year old birthday girl said with a shrug, not bothering to even thank Felicity. "Not like you ever know." She added.
"Perhaps, you could give Oliver a tour of the house," Charlie Smoak, suggested awkwardly.
"Good idea, Dad," Felicity pulled on Oliver's hand eagerly. "Come on,"
"Well, it's no mansion," Jerald – or Jerry as he was called – said with a small grimace.
Oliver had paid close attention to the man since he laid eyes on him. At first glance he was perfectly ordinary. From the holiday-themed green sweater to the balding head, to the framed glasses. However, having interacted with enough shady characters in his life, Oliver knew that appearances were deceiving more often than not. Jerry Smoak made Oliver uncomfortable for no particular reason and Oliver hated when that happened.
"Mansions are overrated," Oliver offered with a tight smile and let Felicity lead him out of the room.
Once they were out of sight, Felicity's posture sagged a bit and dropped Oliver's hand "Sorry about them," she said sheepishly. "They're not usually that gossipy."
"I have that effect on people," Oliver joked, forcing himself to focus on their mission and not the fact that he was no longer holding Felicity's hand, or how nice it felt when he did.
With a shake of her head, Felicity's confidence seemed to have returned and her 'Girl-Friday-Take-No-Bullshit' made an appearance.
"Alright," She led him up the stairs "The study is up there. I'll go in and get what we need and you stay here and guard." She told him.
They stopped in front of a white oak door. "Stay put and keep your eyes open." Felicity said, before pulling her flash drive out of the pocket of her jeans and reached for the handle. "And pace. To make it seem like we're walking." With that she disappeared into her Uncle's study.
Fifteen minutes later, Oliver was leaning on the wall next to the door, wondering what on Earth was taking Felicity this long, but at the same time knowing better than to ask and therefore interrupt her work. He got a bit lost in thought about this bizarre, yet oddly normal day he was having and he jumped when he heard voices coming from downstairs and a second later footsteps approaching as well.
"I'm sure they're fine, Jerry, Felicity is probably lecturing him on our family history. You know how much she likes to babble." He heard the unmistakable voice of Edna.
The footsteps proceeded to come closer which meant that Jerry decided to pay no attention to his wife.
Adrenalin pumped through Oliver's veins and he acted on pure instinct. He opened the door to the study and got in, not caring if the door was fully shut. He all but ran to Felicity's side, causing her to jump when he put an arm on her shoulder.
Without a word, he leaned over her and pushed away most of the clutter on Jerry's desk.
"Oliver what - ?" Felicity squeaked, as Oliver's arms wrapped around her and lifted her up so that she was now sitting on the desk, facing Oliver.
He could hear the footsteps were just a few steps away from them now, so he did the only thing he could think of.
He kissed her.
Felicity tensed and froze as Oliver's hands came to rest on her cheeks – so much closer than they've ever been before. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage, as it often did when he was in close proximity of her. For a brief moment she wondered what the hell was going on and why he wasn't on guard like she told him to… All thought's crumbled to little tiny pieces when his lips came in contact with hers. She'd be lying if she said she'd never wondered how that would feel. She'd failed miserably at hiding her pathetic crush on him during the first months of their friendship and she wasn't stupid enough to think that he hadn't noticed her staring at him as he worked out on the salmon ladder.
His lips never stopped moving against hers and chipped away at the reasonable side of her.
Before long she found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer as her lips now moved along with his. The deep moaned that came from Oliver's throat at that only served to spur her on
Her response to his kiss and the way her legs opened to accommodate him between them as she pulled him closer woke a longing sensation in Oliver and he felt the need to kiss his feelings away. He wanted to let her know just how affected he'd been by this slow build up between them.
His hands drifted from her cheeks to her hair, some distant part of his brain marveled momentarily at the smoothness of the blond locks, but then got distracted by the wet sensation of what could only have been Felicity's tongue gliding across his lips.
In some tiny, dark, forgotten place in their heads they were both aware that things were slipping out of control. They've been fighting the attraction between them for months and there was only so much one's will could take before it crumbled.
Felicity's legs wrapped themselves around him as Oliver's hands drifted down to her neck and collarbone, reveling in her breathy moans of pleasure.
Felicity would have gladly spent the rest of her life like that if the door of the study hadn't slammed against the wall in that moment and along with her uncle's loud shout, hadn't broken the spell of the moment she was having.
They pulled apart hastily, with Felicity hopping down from the desk to stand beside Oliver.
She ran her hands down her blouse and through her hair – suddenly thankful that she'd decided to leave it down – self-consciously. "It's a new relationship." She smiled sheepishly, glancing at Jerry.
"Cut the crap, Felicity," Jerry's voice was sharp and cold and the glare he sent her could definitely compete with the caliber of Isabel's. "There's no way a guy like him would ever notice a nobody like you."
Felicity flinched at his words. It wasn't the first time she'd heard them, but it wouldn't be the last either.
Oliver felt like he would like to change that. He stepped in front of Felicity, giving Jerry his best Arrow glare.
"What the hell are you doing in my office?" Jerry asked, his gaze travelling between Felicity and Oliver.
Peeking around Oliver's body Felicity's expression showed nothing but determination. "I know about Nelson, Jerry. I know what you're doing and you're going to pay for it." She stated flatly.
Just then the computer ping-ed signaling that the file transfer was done.
"Just what do you think you're doing, missy?" Jerry asked in a whisper that would have terrified her had Oliver not been there.
"They're children, Jerry! Children!" Felicty whisper-shouted, wishing nothing more she could unleash the force of her loud voice on that wretch she had to call an uncle, but at the same time she didn't want to ruin everyone's holiday and life.
Then he made the mistake to take a step towards her as Felicity leaned down to get her drive from the computer.
Oliver was in his face in a flash, one hand wrapped around the middle-aged man's neck and the other raised in a fist.
"Don't you dare touch her." Oliver growled. "You so much as look or breathe in her direction ever again and .End. You." His voice left no doubt as to how painful and prolonged Jerry's end will be.
It was Felicity's hand on his back that made him ease his grip on Jerry and step back.
"This remains between us," Oliver told the man, motioning between them with his finger. "You breathe a word of this to Nelson or anyone connected to him and I'll know. And trust me when I tell you, that I have the means to make you disappear forever and make it look like you just went for a very prolonged walk." Oliver let go of him and rubbed his hands together, his eyes never straying from Jerry.
"Understood?" he added quietly.
Jerry nodded mutely and that was enough for Felicity to tell Oliver they needed to go and lead him out of the study without sparing so much as a another glance at her uncle.
They excused themselves with the sudden work emergency they had planned when they returned to the living room and were out of the house as soon as the hasty, awkward goodbyes were over.
"Det. Lance, will have the files within the hour," Felicity announced pushing her chair back and getting up from her seat, ready to head home.
"Good," Oliver's voice was almost a whisper as he fiddled with his arrows a few steps away from her.
They stood like that for a while, awkward silence filling the Foundry.
"I won't be another notch on your bedpost, Oliver," Felicity said somberly.
They had to talk about what happened sooner or later and she'd rather have that talk without Diggle, and his knowing glances and smirks, around.
"I don't want you to be," Oliver sighed, looking up at her for the first time since they came back.
"Oh," Felicity breathed, her heart dropping (figuratively) to the floor in sync with her gaze.
Oliver approached her on instinct the moment he realized how his words must have sounded to her.
"Felicity," he whispered, taking her hand in one of his. Her small flinch felt like a kick to the gut.
"I know that we crossed a major line today, one that we've danced around for a while now," He said, his voice adopting that special soft tone reserved solely for her. "But I don't want you to think that it was a mistake."
This made Felicity look at him, finally.
"I meant that if we're ever going to take whatever this is," Oliver motioned between the two of them, "his eyes never leaving hers, "and see where it goes then I need to be ready for it because I know that it's going to be everything."
Felicity raised an eyebrow at him not trusting herself to speak.
"You've seen how my relationships go and I don't want that to happen to you. That's the reason I told you about not wanting to get attached after we got back from Russia." His hand let go of her hand and started travelling up her arm, well aware of the goose bumps erupting on her skin. "You deserve everything and more in this world and at my current state, I can't give you that." His gaze fell to his feet.
Felicity's hand was quick to caress his cheek "I wish you'd see what I see in you," she sighed softly.
"Maybe someday I will," Oliver responded leaning into her touch.
"Digg, told me that when I find the right person I wouldn't have to change for them or save them, he told me I'll just know when I found them and be ready." Oliver confessed after a moment's silence.
He looked up pointedly at Felicity then. "Thing is, I'm not ready yet. There are too many demons chasing me."
"I can wait," Felicity responded without thinking, her emotions getting the better of her.
"I don't want you to," Oliver countered, much to her surprise, "I want you to live and be happy. If someone like Barry makes you happy, then be with him. I don't want you to waste your life away waiting for me to get myself in order."
This was the last thing Felicity ever expected to hear him say and it meant more to her than any over-the-top cheesy declaration of love he could have made.
She knew he was right; he wasn't in the right place for a relationship and to be honest, neither was she. They'd laid their hearts open in front of one another today, acknowledging what they've been trying to deny for so long and it wasn't going to go away.
"Okay," She nodded, her hand caressing his cheek one more time before falling away.
She stood on her toes and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Sold." She whispered against his ear.
"See you tomorrow, Oliver," she said after pulling back.
Oliver simply nodded at her and watched her back as she walked out of the foundry with a smile.
His future suddenly looked a lot brighter.