She was in a tree. She was stuck in a fracking tree and she was fairly certain that with any movement she was going to fall to her death, because the branch she was perched on did not feel strong enough and the ground was an awfully far distance away.
This was not how she'd expected to spend her last day of spring break in Central City. The past week was really a blur of laughter and family normalcy which she'd rarely experienced before, but her life hadn't been one that of normal. No, she had lived the life according to her father's whim, however strategic and thought-out that whim might be, they lived a life where he always needed to be ten steps ahead of his opponent; and he always was.
Then two years ago she got into MIT and dove head on into her academics; she almost wished she hadn't taken all those extra courses that would cause her to graduate in this December. Her life found a sense of grounding for the first time and she didn't want to give that up. But she was ready to start living it on her terms.
She had nearly jumped at the chance when Caitlin had asked her to come home with her for the holidays after the fall out that Felicity had with her father over the winter break; to be in a normal family, to see how they interacted had been refreshing. As nice as the past week had been Felicity had wanted a moment to herself and seeing as she couldn't just lock herself in her room, she found herself wandering around Central City.
Until she found herself in this blasted tree, because she was too kind hearted for her own good. Now she was gripping the branch that supported her with shaking arms and questioning her lunch choice since she was certain it was going to be coming up at some point in the future. She had no plan. This was how she was going to die.
She had resigned herself to this fate. She had had a good run. A decent life. A few, many, near misses. But no one could say that Felicity Megan Smoak hadn't lived a full life, well not so much in the love department. A girl did deserve one outstanding kiss before dying in a tree but there was nothing to do about that now.
In fact, she had just started to go through worse ways to die when she heard her salvation. A gruff male's voice which was speaking in a hurried way as though he was annoyed, and she didn't give a rat's ass because he was going to be her savior. Now just to get his attention.
She swiveled her head in the direction of the voice, barely making out his silhouette through the leaves, he was alone. Hopefully he was talking on a phone and not a crazy person.
"Excuse me!" His stream of conversation stopped and she saw his shoulders move, "You on the phone. This is the voice of god. Come to the tree." She added please as an after-thought. Why hadn't she just asked him to come over in such a weird way? She had surely just scared off someone who could have gotten her help. Why didn't she just yell 'help I'm stuck in a tree'?
She was chastising herself and didn't notice the man until he was ten feet from the base of the tree. Bright blue eyes looked up at her. Scratch that familiar bright blue eyes looked up at her. A memory flashed in Felicity's head, of leaning on a door frame, with the guy leaning into her, smiling at her quick words.
She was sixteen when she'd taken his wallet. Something she'd vowed she'd never do, but in that moment she figured she'd take it and maybe return it later on and get to know him better, and give her the upper hand if they met again. His driver's license let her know that he was four years her senior, three depending on the day in May. There was also his college ID, a couple of cards, a single hundred dollar bill, and one lonely condom - at least the boy was prepared.
Still, she'd taken her time to look deeper into him after that initial meeting. He had peaked her interest and she was not one to be intrigue so much by such little interaction; computers intrigued her, hacking, but people, not so much. There was a disjunction she felt around the majority of the population and she figured it came with knowing that she was the smartest one in the room without fail ninety-nine percent of the time, but she had not felt that disjunction with him. So, the first free moment she had, she found her fingers flying over a keyboard to find out who he was.
It hadn't taken long. But nothing would have prepared her from the results.
That was the first time she had actively kept something from her father.
It was also the reason why she had never sought him out after the bathroom incident. She'd never returned his wallet nor did she ever expect to see him again.
Until now that is.
"Is that you God? You're much more attractive than I would have thought." He was still a charmer, even if his smile seemed more rehearsed than what it had been three years ago. There was something harder about him than there had been.
"I regret to inform you that I'm not actually God, I just said that to lure you under me. And by under me, I mean under this tree." His smile widened barely and he cocked his head as she felt her face flush, her only saving grace was she was certain her wouldn't remember her and if there was the remote possibility that he did, he surely wouldn't recognize her; she had been blonde, where now her hair was black and she wore a fair amount of dark makeup.
"I'm stuck you see and need you to call the fire department to come rescue me. They rescue kittens, they can come rescue me."
"And how did my fiancé get herself stuck in a tree." Or he could remember and recognize her, so that she was now certain to die of humiliation.
"First, I'm certain that I called off that engagement so there should be an 'ex' in-front of fiancé. Second, I scaled this monster of a tree because I was being a courageous wonderful human and saving a tiny kitten."
"Where's the kitten?"
"Turns out it didn't need saving."
"And you're still in the tree…"
"Because I recently discovered that I am terrified of heights. Now are you going to call so that I can be saved or are you going to leave me stranded because I broke your heart?" Their dialogue was rapid fire and he had taken long strides shortening the space between the two of them to where he was standing right below her.
"Alright bathroom girl, I'm going to come save you." She had stolen his wallet and now he was coming to rescue her, this was just fabulous. The earth looked a hell of a lot closer now than it had before he appeared.
"That's the best nickname you got? And this branch will not support the both of us. Not calling you fat, but you're large and muscly, and this branch could not handle all that you've got going on." She motioned with limited movement to his whole person. How had he managed to get even more attractive? Because she had been fairly certain she'd elaborated his attractiveness in her head, and right now he was by passing it by leaps and bounds. Life was cruel.
"I know which is why I'm going to need you to trust me." His voice was lower, softer than it had been before, and every nerve of her body trusted this man who she met once. It went against everything he father had taught her; her father was a big believer in the whole 'trust no one' ideology. With her heart slamming against her chest she gave him the smallest nod possible because what else was she going to do?
"Okay, I need you to swing half of your body down. Move so you're resting your stomach on the branch and your legs are both on the same side." With slow shaky movements and his warm encouraging words she swung one leg over the branch, gripping it awkwardly still with all her might. Then she felt a warm firm touch just above the back of her knee, his one hand was gripping her the other found a spot low on her thigh. "Now I need you to trust me and yourself and just keep bringing yourself down. That's my girl."
She would let the 'my girl' reference go because right now she was just focused on lowering inch by measured inch off the branch. One hand was now wrapped her thigh and his free hand had a firm grip on her hip, she could feel his tight muscles as she slid down further, "I might be up for putting our engagement back on the table after you saving me from dying in a tree."
"I don't know. You left me extremely heart broken." His voice had a rough undertone that caused her to flush. It was times like these that she was happy she was in a position that he couldn't see her face, though he was getting a good feel of her body. He changed his grip on her, when she was mostly off the branch and it was him supporting the majority of her weight. His arm snaked around her, high on her thigh, and she felt his chin brush against her low on her stomach as he tilted his head back, "Joined the army to get over the heart ache."
His other hand had slid up to her waist, finding its home in the natural dip and applying pressure. It was a nonverbal way of him telling her that he had her, and to let go of the last bit of tree, but she wasn't ready just yet. Not ready to give up some of the support she felt from the branch that she had been clinging on to.
"Not that sounds like a lie. You don't seem like the type who would end up in the army especially because of a girl." Billionaire. Playboy. He had stolen a taxi, urinated on a cop, and assaulted a paparazzi, all within the span of a year. She knew his bio, had combed through the information on him. He would have been a prime target for her father and she had hid it from him.
"You're right. I signed up a year later and figured it was time to get my life back in order. The army did help heal the gaping hole that was left after our last meeting." He said in a light manner, but Felicity could hear the weight under his words. It was as though he wanted to talk about it but in the same breath didn't and she knew that feeling all too well.
"And now here you are in Central City saving girls from trees." She teased, bring the attention back to the situation they found themselves in. "Why are you here? In Central?"
"On a short leave before heading back and I had a friend to visit in the city. Now are you going to let go or are we going to stay in this position all day? Not that you'll hear me complain."
"I figured this could be a new form of exercise for you. Put those big muscles of yours to use. Maybe have it where I could hire you just to carry me around tone, we'll call you my 'bicep chariot.'" She was rambling and they both knew it. She just needed to buy some more time before letting go.
There was a heavy pause before she let go her hands going instinctively to his short hair, and felt his strength as he held her up as though she were a feather. She felt light and high and dizzy and safe with his arm wrapped around her and the other gliding her body as she moved closer to the ground. Her hands had found themselves on his shoulders and her lips were parted without her consent.
He was all hard lines and sex, and she was finding it hard to remember how to breathe. They were all heat and she was certain they would be reaching a combustible point soon. Her body was pressed to his and their eyes were locked together, then her feet were on the ground and the world came screaming back to her.
Even with her father out of her life, her life was not meant for people like him; she had protected him once. "Look at you being a hero, saving me from certain death." Teasing ground she was good with, just keep the sass and words coming and get out of his wonderful arms so that she could grab her bag. This was the plan.
"You do know you were only ten feet up." His voice was low and warm as one of his hands explored the lines of her back.
"Someone knows how to talk himself out of a win."
"It's a gift." He said with a self-deprecating tone. That was unexpected.
"At any rate, thank you." She patted his chest awkwardly. "I don't know how I can ever repay you for your valiant act."
"How about we start with your name? I could continue to call you bathroom girl."
"Still so stuck on the name thing." Names were tricky and she had no desire to lie to him about hers. If he were nearly anyone else it would have been an easy response, easy to give a small smile and her name. But he was someone who would be a target by knowing her. He was better off not knowing her, it was for his benefit that he not know her name, even if it was just her first one. Now was the point where she needed to find an exit strategy. Really badly
"I like to know who I'm taking on a date." She gave him a look with a raised eyebrow, he was so charming. Everything about him oozed Prince Charming. "Plus I like to know who to credit for taking my wallet."
"That's not something you can prove." Felicity spoke in a husky tone that was foreign to her own ears. A hand had found its way to her cheek as the smiled at one another, his fingers wrapping themselves in her hair. "We were at a ballpark, there were many people around, you could have lost your wallet at any time."
He was so close and filled all of her senses. So close that to an outside observer they would be a couple having an intimate conversation. He dipped his head down lower, his eyes flicking down to her lips, asking permission. She couldn't give him her name, but this, this was something she could give to both of them; one moment and then they would go back to separate orbits.
She wasn't giving in to him. She wasn't turning into goo at his feet. She wasn't giving him what he wanted. No she was going to be selfish and take this for herself, a moment that she had dreamt of, that she had no right to.
Her hands found his forearm, his hand cupping her face, and she pushed herself up the slightest distance to meet his lips. He gave into her. It was the only way to describe how he kissed. Tentative at first, building slowly, giving into movements and matching what she gave, till she was breathless and clinging to him. She pulled away breathing heavily with her heart pounding in her ears, the distant sound of a phone ring pulled her out of her fog.
He was cursing under his breath, digging into his pocket to answer the caller. Felicity took that moment to collect herself and her bag. After a kiss like that, he could have asked her for her social security number and she would have given it to him. She needed to leave.
He was talking in a curt hushed tone into the phone with his backed turned to her, she wasn't seen as a threat. The hardness she'd noticed earlier was back in full. The call had had him tense, taken the moment away. Gave her a window to flee.
Taking several long quick steps over to where the grass met pavement and managed to get a cab instantly. Seemed like the universe was back on her side. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement from him, he was looking for where she went then his eyes caught hers.
That look in his eyes caused a wave of heat to roll through her, he hadn't intended for that to be an ending. She needed to head back to Boston tonight and make a point where she couldn't be tracked.
"Until next time Oliver." She gave him a bright smile and quick wave, before ducking into the taxi and telling the driver to just go. Leaving behind Oliver Jonas Queen for the second time and for the second time without his wallet.
Her lips still tingling from their kiss.
Notes:
I know that some have made it known that they would like more to this story. It had been intended to be a one-shot, but hey, I wrote another chapter, because I heard everyone's comments and I really hope this is on par with the first one. I have a really vague idea to continue, but I am leaving soon for Europe for a bit so I don't want to make promises that I can't keep.
For this chapter, I was thinking was I wanted them to have a weird second meeting, but to make it more intimate and for it to show a bit of change in both. I'm wanted Oliver to be a bit more broody and Felicity to be finding herself.
From what I gather from the show and the wonderful internet, Felicity was born in 1989 and graduated MIT in 2009, which meant she graduated at 19, so I had to do some math to kinda figure out how old everyone was at this point. She's 18 here and Oliver is 22. And yes she takes his wallet again, because she can, and because I think it's funny.
Oh gosh, I really hope I haven't failed this story.