Yelena89: Here you go :)
Fanfict imagination: Emotional stuff, that's what's next.
A/N: I hope y'all aren't still emotionally compromised from Wednesday. I sure am. The rating for the story is now T because I relent to graphical violence towards the end. Speaking of which: I'm done writing this story so for me it is only editing and uploading from here on. Let's hope I can fit that into a school schedule.
She just stood there staring. At first he didn't see it but then she started to shake more violently. Was she crying?
"You're supposed to be dead," she said after forever. There were definitely tears.
He opened his mouth to speak, then realized he was missing the words. After Waller had told him that Felicity had agreed to help Argus he had thought the situation through a billion times. What she would say, what she would look like, what he would say to her…..but now he was too overwhelmed by her presence.
"I'm sorry," he finally managed.
That made her angry. Or maybe she had been angry the whole time? He couldn't tell.
"Sorry?," she echoed, her voice thick from crying. "After all this, after all the-" she sobbed "after all the things-" another sob "and all you can say is you're sorry?"
"Felicity." He reached out for her.
She held her hands up protectively. "No. Oliver, please, don't. Don't."
Lowering her hands she took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He let her.
"I-I-I can't. Not now. I'm sorry," she said when she stopped shaking. Then she bolted from the room.
He let himself fall back into the pillows, huffing, running his hands through his hair, then settling them on his neck.
Of course this would have happened. Of course it would shock her more than any other re-appearance. She wouldn't have freaked out that much had he shown up at three in the morning at her place. She wouldn't have freaked out that much had he shown up at the club some night. She wouldn't have freaked out that much had he just sent her on a scavenger hunt for him, showing his face in random security cameras over the city. But no, he had to have her for the mission. A mistake, he realized. Mistake, mistake, mistake.
Just what could he do to make it up? To make everything up?
Five hours later a knock finally pulled him from pondering over that question. He pulled the sheets straight and tried not to look like he had spent hours trying to figure out what the heck exactly was wrong with him that he always had to hurt people, especially those he loved.
"Come in."
Felicity had returned. She pushed the door open with her back, carrying a tray in both hands.
"Hey," she said, trying her best to smile.
"Hey," he said back, surprised.
She held up the tray and took a deep breath. "I thought you might be hungry. And we need to talk."
She placed the tray on the table next to his bed and then stood there, awkwardly.
"You can sit wherever you want," he said, secretly hoping she would sit on the bed. Felicity choose the chair instead, only pulling it a little closer. He handed her one of the plates and then picked at his food with his fork. They started talking at the same time.
"Felicity, listen, when I said-"
"Oliver, I'm sorry for exploding-"
She looked back at her food.
"Can I talk first?," he asked. She nodded.
"When I said I was sorry…..I really am sorry. For everything. And I know that sorry is a small word that barely begins to encompass the apology I owe you and Diggle and everyone for all the pain I caused. But, I don't know how to phrase it differently, so I want you to know that when I said I was sorry, I meant it that way. And if there is any way -anything that I can do- to make it up to you…."
"I just have to ask for it," she finished for him. "You can start by telling me what exactly happened on that mountain and why you are with Argus now. But before that listen to me." She held up her hand silencing, staring at her food like it contained all the answers to the universe.
"I'm sorry for freaking out so much just now. I'm happy to see you and glad you told me you weren't dead now and not in like two years because that would have been awful because who knows what might have happened to me then. I might have gotten over it and learned to live without you and two weeks were awful enough and oh God, I sound so weird right now….anyways. I'm glad to be here and know and maybe able to help and….."
She let out her breath loudly, leaving the thought unfinished. He had to smile.
"What?," she asked.
"Nothing. I just….I'm glad that you feel that way."
She smiled back and pulled the chair closer.
"So, the mountain, huh," he started, eating some of his food to make her wait a little. For emphasis, not because he didn't know how to put everything that had happened since he told her he loved her into words. "Let's see…."
He summed up everything that had happened, from the climb to Ra's al Ghul, Maseo, Argus, and what they planned to do as soon as he had recovered. She stared at him with wide eyes and put down a fork full of food more than once. When he repeated what he had said to Waller about why they needed Felicity on the team she laughed a little.
After they were done eating she went to dispose of their dishes and for a moment he was afraid she wouldn't come back. His fear was irrational however for she came strolling through the door minutes later, steering for the chair.
"No, wait," he said, patting the free side of the bed. She seemed to consider for a moment, then went around and sat down next to him.
"So, what are we going to do now?," she asked, falling back into the pillows.
He shrugged. "Talk, watch a movie...I don't know." Oliver tried his best to sound casual. He really had no idea how to approach this.
"A movie sounds good." She smiled and grabbed the remote. He lay back and tried to relax.