©Pixi
*A/N: Hello my loves. I hope that you are doing well. There was an avalanche of reviews after the last chapter and I am ECSTATIC! I know that I don't have to justify my story or the why, what and how of this story but I really want to please my audience. You guys mean a lot to me.
So, I wish to answer some of your queries and to remove some misunderstandings:
Oliver not being badass enough
Let me get something clear once and for all. Oliver is the MOB BOSS. The scene in the car where they are running from the people after them showed a different kind of Oliver. I could have portrayed Oliver differently but at this point in the story Oliver's main concern was Felicity. Had she not been with Oliver, I think he would have reacted differently. We have seen a side of Oliver who no one had ever seen before; the caring and gentle Oliver who cannot understand the concept of loving somebody so fiercely that you become addicted to that feeling. Being the Mob Boss can take a toll on anybody. I want to portray an Oliver who can be badass and be the MOB BOSS as well as take care of his beloved and be kind and loving to her.
I am not pissed or angry at my readers, instead I now know what my audience wants. I know that I cannot please every single one of you but I would be grateful if you could bear with me. Oliver as the Mob Boss will emerge.
Angst/ fights between Oliver and Felicity
Someone mentioned how they wished to see more fights between Oliver and Felicity in the present. I love reading and writing about angst between two main protagonists. There is something just so primitive and the tension- dear God! the tension is everything that I love. But here, it would become an overload of negativity between the protagonists for the simple reason that in the flashbacks, their relationship is not a positive one. I want to create a balance between the time lapses. Oliver has hurt Felicity a lot in the past; I mean a lot. I can't promise you that there will be a lot of fights between the two at present but knowing my fondness for angst, there will probably be some (wink).
Felicity's character not being consistent
I get it. Felicity seemed like a wuss at the beginning of the story but seemed like Wonder Woman in the last chapter. My only argument for Felicity's actions in the last chapter is that it was either kill or be killed. Felicity in the flashbacks is portrayed as a weak character. Yet I can't only portray her as a weak character in the present as well. Years of bullying and hurt at some point is bound to take a toll on you and at some point you do grow a backbone.
Dual POV Olicity in the flashbacks
I have taken good note. I'll make it happen.
Trinity
Thank you girl! I see you, I hear you and I will preach what you've told me. I really appreciate it. Thank you for the support and trust sweetie! Cheers to you! ;)
So here's chapter 7 for you. I hope that I have cleared the misunderstandings that some of you had. I am grateful for the reviews. I in no way want to fight with anyone or am pissed at anyone for the reviews. I will take the criticism constructively and use them to improve my writing.
Have a great read ahead.
Love,
Pixi*
Chapter 7
They were in the middle of nowhere. From what she could see, there was only huge trees around them. They had ridden for about an hour or so after their mad pursuit before Oliver had decided to stop.
Felicity hopped out of the jeep and stretched then winced at the pain in her arm. Oliver opened the trunk and pulled out some guns. Felicity looked in awe at the guns then scrambled to catch the gun that Oliver threw at her.
Without saying anything, Oliver started to wipe away some foliage which was in a hill form. A few minutes later, Felicity watched in amazement as Oliver pulled open a door-like structure. She would have never guessed that this cave was hidden under such dense foliage.
Felicity rushed to follow him and was amazed at how spacious it looked. It was very dark inside but Felicity could see a few flat rocks and a space where she guessed one could light a fire.
"We'll need some woods and luckily for us, it was quite dry so we'll be able to get a fire roaring in no time," Oliver startled her from behind.
"But won't we suffocate?" she asked.
Oliver walked further in the cave and pushed on another wall. Felicity watched in amazement as Oliver's muscles flexed from the pressure he was applying on the wall. With a grunt, it finally caved and a long tunnel appeared.
"This should stop us from suffocating but we'll have to put some leaves to hide the smoke," Oliver bent to push away the foliage and Felicity swallowed back a moan. That man was built.
Felicity turned away to stop herself from panting after Oliver like an idiot. "What time is it?" she asked when her stomach grumbled.
"Close to three in the afternoon. Why don't you gather some wood and I'll camouflage the jeep? Anyway, it's not going to be long before it gets dark and it's going to get cold," Oliver moved out of the cave and looked up. "Looks like it's going to rain as well."
"I would never have guessed that the mob boss would have such knowledge of how to survive in the wild," Felicity teased as she bent to pick up some dried branches and leaves.
"One does not just become the mob boss like that. You'll be surprised about the things that I've gone through," Oliver murmured. Felicity could clearly remember the few times that she had seen the hard life of Oliver Queen.
Flashback – 11 years ago
Oliver walked into his bedroom with his towel wrapped around his waist. He avoided looking into the mirror knowing that he no longer had the body of a boy but that of a man.
A man who could defend himself and who supported the marks from the lashing and beating worthy of the next mob boss. He looked at the clothes his mother had pulled out for him and winced. Oliver used to go to Halloween parties when he was about seven but then his life had become complicated with the family business.
This year, his mother had decided that he would go to the local Halloween fair with all of his school mates and had refused to see reason. Oliver looked in the mirror on his dresser and sighed. Malcolm's right hand man had gone a little hard and he could see the effect now- his eye was already turning blue. Luckily his mother had picked a costume which had a mask.
During last summer, Oliver had grown almost a head and he easily towered over his school mates. His body had started to firm up from the hours of training after school. He pulled on his clothes and grabbed the mask. He pulled it on and looked in the mirror to adjust it. No one would know that he was sporting a black eye.
Something caught his eye just when he was about to leave his bedroom. A black rose lay on his white bed spread. He picked it up and twirled it around in his hand thinking about a certain bubbly blond girl.
"Oliver- Oh my god! You look so handsome. When did you grow up like that?" Moira Queen stood at the threshold on his bedroom.
Oliver shrugged. His mother came in and bent his head to kiss him on his forehead.
"You look so much like your father. He would have been proud of you. Go have fun tonight and be the young man that you are. I'm sure that there is some poor girl waiting for you there," she teased. Immediately, a picture of Felicity Smoak appeared in front of him.
He wondered what she would be wearing tonight.
One hour later
Oliver was hanging out with his friends near the huge Ferris wheel when a blonde head caught his gaze. As if in a movie, the crowd parted and Oliver's breath caught in his chest.
Felicity was dressed as Alice in Wonderland. Her blonde hair was longer and curled with a head band on top. Her dress was white and blue just like Alice and she had never looked so adorable before. She was holding a little white basket with blue ribbons which matched her dress and was laughing at something that Ray Palmer was saying.
He was looking at her like she was the most precious person in the world which grated on Oliver's nerves. He watched as Felicity blushed prettily then looked down to smooth her dress. Laurel and Sara were both with her- Laurel was wearing a witch costume while Sara was dressed as Tinker Bell. Just then Felicity's eyes met his and he smirked at her. Despite his mask, she recognized him and froze then turned her back to him.
Deciding that he wanted to have some fun with her, he left his group to join hers close to a smaller Ferris wheel where they were all in line to get on it. Oliver was determined to sit next to her.
"Hey Palmer! Mrs. Lake is looking for you," he shouted when it was his and Felicity's turn to get on the Ferris.
"It's okay Ray. We'll take this ride afterwards," Felicity smiled at his crestfallen face. "Stinker! Come on! Get on!" Laurel shouted.
Oliver could see that Felicity was torn but then he took things out of her hand when he pushed Ray away. Ray looked like he was going to put up a fight but then thought better of it. Felicity looked up at Oliver then quietly got on the Ferris when the people behind them started getting impatient.
He jumped next to her which made the seat swing and caused her to tighten her grip on his arm. Instead of pulling away, he relaxed his arm. She squealed when the wheel lurched then started moving up. She had placed her little basket between them which contained sweets. He grabbed a few and popped the caramel ones in his mouth.
Felicity leaned on the side of the wheel and Oliver felt his heart lurch in his throat. He grabbed her by the back of her dress and pulled her to him.
"Are you serious right now? You could have fallen!" he snarled into her shocked face. She looked down at the bar protecting her and arched a blonde eyebrow.
"I don't think that I could have fallen Oliver," she grinned, tapping on the bar. "Small that you are, you could easily slip through the bar," he muttered under his breath. He pushed the basket on his other side and pulled Felicity close to him.
Soon they were on top and Felicity squealed with her arms raised high in the air. Her hair whipped all around her face, catching him in the face. Oliver breathed her sweet peachy and coconut scent in deeply.
The wheel froze on top, leaving them pending then abruptly lurched. Felicity screamed then put her head on his chest, digging her fingers in his shirt. Oliver pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her until the ride stopped.
"That was amazing! I want to do it again and again," Felicity shouted. Her eyes were bright with happiness and glee and Oliver found himself biting on his lip to stop himself from smiling back at her.
"Queen! Hey Queen! Mrs. Lake said that she was never looking for me," Ray Palmer's voice interrupted what he was going to say. "Thanks for the ride mouse," Oliver whispered in Felicity's ears then ignored Ray altogether.
Felicity
Felicity was changing. She could feel it in her bones. Her feelings for Oliver was changing from fear to something else and it scared the crap out of her. He still teased her mercilessly but Laurel kept insisting that it was because he liked her.
Well Ray also liked her and he never kept it a secret. She liked Ray a lot and he did make her happy but Oliver made her feel giddy and funny in her stomach. She had not dared tell that to anyone- not even to Laurel. She smoothed her dress and tried to fix her hair as she walked around the fair with Laurel, Sara and Ray.
Ray had not been happy about the lie that Oliver had told him but he was a pretty easy guy and he easily let go of the matter. She stopped eating her cotton candy as a huge plush kitten caught her eyes. It looked kind of weird and wonky but Felicity could actually feel how soft it would feel to the touch.
She immediately fell in love with it. "I sometimes feel like you like cats and kittens more that people," Ray teased. "Let's see if I can win it for you. Please don't laugh at me if I do miss," he chuckled.
Felicity bristled with excitement. "So young man? Think you can win this huge toy for your little girlfriend?" the man at the stall teased. "You need to hit six cans to win it. You have three chances to win it. Good luck!"
"I want the white kitten," a voice said from behind her. Felicity would know that voice everywhere. It sent a tingle down her spine and caused goosebumps to rise on her arms.
"Well how about you battle it out?" the man grinned, showing a missing front tooth.
Oliver decided to let Ray go first. He missed the first chance by two and the second chance by only one. Ray looked dejected.
Felicity watched Oliver pull on the gun to his shoulder and fix it like she had seen in so many movies. He relaxed his shoulder and cocked the gun then it fired. Felicity could barely believe her eyes as Oliver shot six cans one after the other without missing a single one.
Cheers erupted after a few seconds. "Damn boy! You do know what you are doing," the man praised, handing over the plush toy to Oliver.
"I'm sorry Felicity, I could not win it for you," Ray apologized. "It doesn't matter Ray. You gave it your best shot!" she grinned at him then grabbed onto his hand as they made their way to the food tent erupted just for them.
Sara grabbed Laurel's hand and rushed her to the chocolate fountain while Ray's mother pulled him away to talk to some friends. She found a table and decided to wait for her friends before grabbing something to eat.
She was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled outside of the tent. Thinking that it was probably Sara playing a prank on her, she played along until she felt the hand holding hers. It was too rough and a bit too big to be Sara's hand. Just when she was starting to pull away, the person stopped.
She breathed out a sigh of relief at the familiar figure of Oliver. They were in the middle of trees and Felicity could hear the squeals of the children at the fair but it was far away.
"Umm, Oliver? Why did you bring me here?" she asked nervously. Instead of replying, he pushed something fluffy and soft towards her. She scrambled to hold it and slipped. She gasped when Oliver's arm wrapped around her, cushioning her fall.
Her arms flailed and she grabbed onto the first thing which was Oliver's mask. Her fingers pulled on it and it slid down Oliver's face. Hard hands gripped her waist to prevent her fall. Gasping and panting, Felicity looked up at Oliver and froze. It was dark but Felicity could make out the darkness surrounding Oliver's eyes.
"Oh my God! Your eyes," she gasped. Her hand lifted automatically to his face but was suddenly grasped mid-air. Her eyes clashed with his but both remained quiet. Finally Oliver let go of her hand and she softly touched the blue-black area surrounding his eyes.
"What happened to you? Who did this to you? Does it hurt?" she whispered. Oliver's eyes closed from the peace he was feeling from her cool touch. Felicity would have removed her hand but Oliver pressed it against his face again. She slowly rubbed her fingers lightly on the bruise then down his face.
Oliver's hands dug into her waist, pulling her closer to him. Felicity's heart started beating out of her chest; her breaths became short and choppy. Oliver groaned and bent his head to her neck, breathing in her scent. His lips skimmed on her neck, causing her to break into chills. She shuddered, her body softening and moulding itself against his.
Oliver's hand dove into her hair and pulled her head back to look into her eyes.
"Give me your eyes," he growled, his breath fanning on her lips.
Felicity looked into his eyes and gasped as his normally cold eyes lost their frost and turned hot.
"What is it about you that makes me feel like this?" he asked, his eyes caressing her face. Felicity's hand dropped from his face to her his shoulder. Her heart was literally going to burst out of her throat. Oliver's head bent slowly towards her while she rose to her tiptoes.
Her eyes closed on their own as Oliver's lips touched hers in a whisper of a kiss. He pulled back only to grin when she whimpered. Her face turned hot and she meant to pull back only to have Oliver slam his lips on hers again.
Felicity had watched a lot of movies with kissing scenes with Laurel but she never imagined that it would feel like that. Her lips parted on their own when Oliver's tongue touched them. Her tongue timidly touched his and he snapped. Where the kiss had started as soft and timid, it quickly turned hot and messy.
Felicity had never been kissed before but she followed Oliver's lead. Oliver moved her head from side to side, angling her head in ways that he preferred. After what felt like hours, Oliver broke the kiss. Her lips felt swollen and hot.
Oliver's thumb rubbed on her lips.
"How can someone be so clumsy?" he muttered. Felicity was not someone who got angry quickly but Oliver's tone pushed on her nerves.
"Well if you had given it to me like a normal person, I would probably not have slipped," she snapped. She pulled herself up, wrapping both arms around the toy.
Her eyes went wide then she pressed her hand to her swollen lips.
"Oh my God! You stole my first kiss," she gasped. Oliver's face turned smug.
"I- I always thought that my first kiss was going to be Ray," she muttered to herself. Oliver's warm eyes turned icy cold again. "Well too bad because, he's not getting the second one either," he snarled, pulling her towards him again. The huge kitten stuck between them but that did not stop Oliver from kissing the heck out of her.
He put all of his frustration and anger in the kiss, bruising her lips in the process.
He let go of her when someone called her name. She pushed him away and wiped the tears from her cheeks then ran away. She burst out of the trees and found Laurel at the entrance of the food tent.
She took one look at Felicity's face then glared at something or someone from behind her. Laurel pulled Felicity to her and hugged her. "I told you to leave her alone Oliver. What has she ever done to you?" she shouted.
"Laurel, please let's just go. I want to go home," Felicity pleaded. Laurel looked down at her face and her eyes widened. "Oh God! Your lips- You ass! You took her first kiss?" she snarled at a smug Oliver.
"She did kiss me back Lance," he winked at her then lazily strolled to the tent just as Ray was coming out of the tent. Ray's body stiffened and Felicity knew that he had heard him.
She pushed her face against Laurel's shoulder, hiding her red cheeks. "Too bad you are late Palmer. I stole her first AND second kiss," Oliver gloated.
If only Felicity had known that Oliver would be her first to so many things.
Present
Felicity sat in front of the fire and tried in vain to warm her cold body. Night had fallen and she looked up to see Oliver close the night out. Felicity had warmed some canned meat and gravy on the fire.
She wrapped the blanket tighter around her and drank some water. Oliver put down the guns and sat down next to her in silence. She opened the blanket and gasped and shuddered at the cold from Oliver's clothes.
"Sorry," Oliver murmured. Felicity handed him the meat and gravy and with a quick thanks he started eating. "Stop thinking so hard," Oliver murmured.
"It just feels so surreal. A few days back, my life was boring. I mean I was taking the trash out at Stan's and eating marshmallows on Friday nights. Now I am hiding from the Mob. I feel like I'm in a dream and I'm gonna wake up and this would all have been a bad dream," she explained.
"I'm sorry that you have to go through this and I wish I could make it stop but I would not change meeting you for anything in the world," Oliver looked deep into her eyes making her flush.
"Oliver, how do you live in this fear?" she whispered. Oliver turned his gaze to the fire and after a few minutes responded. "It's been a long time since I've been afraid, Mouse. When you are born in the Cosa Nostra, you learn to not show any weakness. Everything and anything will be used against you."
"Being born in the Cosa Nostra is like being born a Prince. No matter where you go and what you do, you will always be a Prince. Being a firstborn was kind of like that for me. Even if I wanted to, I could not run away."
Felicity remained silent and watched as the shadows played on Oliver's handsome face. He looked to be deep in thought and she did not want to disturb him. "How was it growing up? I mean I know that we grew up together but – was it different?"
"I grew up pretty much like every other child I guess except I had to take classes that most parents would not want their children to take. I had extra-curricular activities like sparing and wrestling but it was only later on that I realised how different we were from other families."
"My parents." Oliver smiled, clearly having a very fond memory of them. "They were the best parents a child could ask for. Despite being from the mob, Mom and Dad were adamant that we did normal things like do our homework in the kitchen while Mom cooked or Dad and I watched football during football season. They were the most in love couple that I knew."
"I remember once Mom and Dad had had a major fight for I don't know what reason and I can still hear my father saying, 'Fuck it' before pulling my mother to his shoulder and carrying her to their bedroom. They only came out late in the afternoon," he chuckled.
"Sounds like a very loving family," Felicity leaned her head against his shoulder, suddenly tired. Oliver put down his can and pulled Felicity between his legs and wrapped her in his arms. Felicity leaned her head against his chest and sighed.
"Why were you so angry then?" she asked timidly. Oliver sighed, "Things changed when my father and sister were killed. I had to grow up way before I should have. My father's – best friend took over to groom me to become the boss. His ways were a little – harsh," he said after a pause.
"My first kill was a man who had dared to sell drugs under our guard. I was ten. I remember the feel of hot blood on my skin and the way that his eyes turned blank seconds after his death. I remember waking up in cold sweat and not falling back to sleep for months. It was at that moment that I promise myself that I would never bring a child into this world. I would be the last Capo Starling has," he whispered against her head.
Felicity looked up at him, her lips accidentally skimming against his jaw. Oliver groaned then bent his head to kiss her. "You make me feel things that I promised myself to never feel for anyone, Mouse," he groaned.
"I heard that before," she smiled against his lips. She initiated the next kiss, slowly getting to her knees while pushing Oliver on his back.
Oliver let her take control for a little while then switched places with her. Felicity's back arched when Oliver's lips skimmed on her nipples over her clothes. "Oh God! Oliver," she moaned.
Suddenly they heard a snap and they froze. "Why is everyone so hell-bent on cock-blocking me?" Oliver grumbled while grabbing his gun.
*A/N: There you go my lovelies. I hope that you guys liked this chapter well enough. I need to know something though: would you guys like a story with Oliver and Felicity as teenagers? Please leave me a review and let me know. I love you guys so much.
Pixi*