Thank you all for continuing to read, review and support these one-shots, I'm very grateful to you all. Due to illness, I've been able to update fairly regularly, though that may change somewhat as I start going back to school, again, so please bare with me.
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The five times Oliver watches Felicity dance with someone else and the one time he experiences it.
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The first time Oliver sees Felicity dancing with someone else, there are multiple reasons why he shouldn't feel at all jealous. The first being that he has no claim over her; she is an independent woman who can do whatever she wants with whoever she wants.
The second being that her current dance partner is an eight year old boy.
John and Lyla were finally married, so of course Felicity and Oliver were in attendance at the wedding; the former acting as a bridesmaid and the latter as the best man. All of the couple's friends and family were there, too, including Thea, Moira and Walter, but the church pews were still not all filled.
Cheers had erupted from the onlookers as the now husband and wife had said their vows and shared their first kiss as a married couple. That is what brought Oliver to this moment, sitting in his spot at the head table of the reception, watching Felicity dance with AJ.
The little boy had ran straight to her the second he'd spotted her in the hotel's ballroom, resulting in Felicity scooping him up and spinning him around. They'd both erupted into giggles, but as Felicity went to put the kid down and move back to her seat, AJ had grabbed onto her hand and asked her to dance with him.
Three upbeat songs later, and Oliver has turned his chair slightly so he's facing the pair as they bop and spin around on the floor. Felicity had abandoned her heels and is stooping down to be on the little boy's level, holding both his hands in hers as they move together, beaming and laughing.
He likes seeing her like this; looking so beautiful in her flowing, purple bridesmaids dress with her head thrown back in constant, carefree laughter. It warms his heart a little to see how good she is with AJ and how much the child seems to be taken with her.
A slow song comes on and Felicity's heels are suddenly under AJ's little feet as she steps around in the small space so they can dance together.
"Cute, huh?" Lyla asks, slipping into her chair at the table, leaving one space between herself and Oliver that remains reserved for Diggle.
He turns to look at her, and sees she's watching the same scene unfolding as he had been. Oliver sighs before a smile lights up his face and he turns his attention back to the two dancers, only to find Felicity has finally been released and is making her way back towards their table.
"Yeah, pretty cute." He might feel a little jealous.
o
The next time he sees her dancing, it's not in person, but rather through the security camera feed he has streaming from Verdant through to the foundry.
If asked, he'll swear he's not spying, he's really not; Oliver is just looking out for her safety and that of his sister - Felicity's current dance partner.
Both girls had decided they were long overdue a girls night out together, which brought them to Oliver's night club for drinks - non-alcoholic, of course - and some much needed fun.
They'd taken to the dance floor almost immediately - Thea more so than Felicity, the little brunette dragging the blonde along behind her. Not that she had to pull very hard, as Felicity didn't put up much of a fight, but rather allowed her young friend to tow her along.
Now, they stand in the middle of a huge throng of people, bopping and swaying to the loud pop tune. Occasionally, men will approach them and ask for a dance, but the two girls wave them away every time, content to just enjoy each other's company.
A few of the guys, though, had been a little more persistent in their pursuit of the pair, so much so that Oliver had nearly went up to there to teach them a lesson, but a moment later they'd be dealt with, either by the girls or by Roy who seemed to appear out of nowhere.
As he watches them, he can't help but zone in on the light in Thea's eyes or the way her mouth is constantly moving, whether to speak or laugh along with Felicity. Oliver can't remember seeing her so at ease with someone outside of the family since he returned home.
Seeing the two most prominent girls in his life so close, though, begs the question as to how a friendship between them had formed. It would make sense if Oliver himself ad introduced them, but that had not been the case; instead, the first time he'd seen the pair in the same room they'd greeted each other with friendly hugs and a kiss on the cheek and fallen into an easy conversation like they'd known each other for years.
His attention turns back to the monitors and finds that one man has finally managed to get in and dance with his sister and IT girl; that man being Tommy Merlyn.
Oliver watches as his best friend throws his arms around the shoulders of both girls, allowing them to continue to move around to the beat of the song before he guides them back toward the bar.
He finds himself feeling disappointed when he doesn't see them - Felicity in particular - return to the floor that night.
o
There's something about the way she moves that fascinates him. The way that the awkward, babbling blonde can let herself go so completely and oh so gracefully when the music's playing.
There's something in the way her feet take step after step, but her heels never seem to deter her. Something in the way her hips and her arms move in time with each other to the beat of whatever it is she's listening to.
Through the bay window of her living room, he can clearly see her singing into a hairbrush as she moves, occasionally bumping or spinning with the other woman in her apartment who Oliver doesn't recall ever seeing before.
Maybe this time, he admits, his watching of her is a little weird. He is, after all, perched on a rooftop of the opposite building wearing full green leathers and watching her through the window. So, just a little weird.
Oliver hadn't intended on staying so long; Felicity had left the foundry earlier than usual tonight, so he'd decided to check in on her during his nightly patrol, only to find her jumping around her living room in her pyjamas.
He'd considered taking a picture - either to use as blackmail or just because he thought she looked adorable - but then decided against it when he thought about having to explain how he'd acquired the image.
From this distance, he can't be sure, but Oliver thinks she's removed her make-up since she left Verdant, and her hair is tied atop her head in a messy bun with the odd blonde curl framing her face.
Both women seem to stop abruptly and burst into a fit of laughter, holding onto each other for support until they eventually lose their balance and fall down, right out of Oliver's line of sight.
o
Watching Felicity dance with this guy leaves Oliver with the same pain in his chest he'd felt seeing her with Barry Allen at his failed attempt of a party for his mother.
She seems familiar with him, comfortable in his arms, and it makes Oliver angry.
But, alas, when this total stranger - well, not a total stranger; Oliver was sure he'd seen him around the office a few times - had approached Felicity and asked her for a dance, he'd had no reason to stop her accepting the offer.
He was jealous. A line has been crossed where there's no use denying it, at least not to himself. Seeing his girl Friday dance with anyone who wasn't him brought out a shade of green he never thought he'd wear.
This could all be solved, he thinks, if Oliver would actually ask her to dance before someone else swooped in and did it for him.
He considers walking over there, taking Felicity for himself - because, this is his company's event, the kid couldn't exactly say no if his boss were to ask to cut in. A hand claps down in his shoulder before he can move and when he turns Oliver finds himself looking at John Diggle, a knowing smirk on his face.
"I can see the cogs turning in your head, man, and if you go running over there and make a scene, she'll never forgive you." Digg tells him, retracting his hand to cross it over his chest with his other.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He retorts, but it sounds weak even to his own ears.
Diggle rolls his eyes but says no more on the matter, choosing instead to nod his head and turn his attention elsewhere.
Three songs later, Oliver's foot is tapping against the floor impatiently as he sees Felicity laugh at something what's-his-face said and her hand tighten on his lapel - Oliver's own hand tightens in response and he finds himself wishing it was grasping his bow and arrows.
He's pretty sure that guy asked her for a dance, one, not a whole evening's worth.
o
"Okay, now you've gotta put this foot forward - no, that one." He hears her voice before he sees her as he makes his way down the stairs to the foundry.
"Yes, I got it, 'Licity." Roy's exasperated voice replies, and Oliver can practically hear the eye roll in it.
When the pair comes into his line of sight, though, he stops in his tracks. Standing in the open space, atop the training matts, are Felicity and Roy; the former with a hand on his shoulder and the later with one placed awkwardly on her back. Their remaining hands lay limply by their sides, with Felicity's occasionally moving around to point something out or correct the younger man's stance.
Oliver nearly doubles over laughing when he realises Felicity is teaching Roy how to dance.
It's not even that funny of a concept, more just one he'd never thought he'd see.
"What are you guys doing?" He asks, finally, startling the pair.
"Gosh, Oliver, do you have to do that?" Felicity asks, a hand placed over her heart. Oliver thinks he hears her mumbling something about getting a bell, but he can't be sure.
"What are you doing?" He repeats, a light smirk on his face as he leans up against one of the large, glass cases.
"Felicity is teaching me how to dance." Roy says bluntly, before turning his attention back to the affor mentioned woman.
"Yes, I gathered that much," Oliver responds, rolling his eyes, "but why?"
"Thea asked me to go as her date to one of those fancy events your family insists on attending." Roy huffed, obviously displeased with the idea of having to go.
Felicity adjusted the young man's stance as he sulked, trying yet again to get him to keep both his chin and elbow raised.
"And I know she's going to want to dance, so I asked Felicity to show me the basics." He finished, begrudgingly complying with the little blonde's silent instructions.
"That's better. Come on, let's try this again." Felicity says, finally, rejoining her right hand with his left one and holding it level with their heads, stopping for a moment to make sure her partner keeps his arm high and back straight.
When the talking stops, Oliver hears music playing from somewhere in the foundry. He recognises the song as one he'd heard before the island, but doesn't think he's heard since. It sounds like a boy band and not at all the kind of music he tends to listen to; maybe Thea had played it to him.
Roy puts his right foot forward, awkwardly, and Felicity moves her left one back in sync, both of them then sliding to one side. They continue like this for a while, alternating between feet, and eventually Roy starts to get a little more comfortable in the dance, his movements more confident.
"Yeah, that's it. Now if you could just do it without staring at your feet, you'd be good to go." Felicity teases with a light smile, using their joined hands to nudge his chin up.
Almost instantly after raising his gaze, the young man stumbles a little, but they continue to make the steps, with only the occasional fault. They reach a point where Felicity begins to wordlessly move them in circles as they move, so every few steps she's putting her foot forward as they turn.
The pair talk a little as they move, laughing together as they grow more comfortable in each other's hold, but Oliver can only pick out a few of the words. His attention is focused is too much on watching them to really worry about listening to what they're saying.
Silence falls over the room for a moment before that same song kicks in again and this time Oliver is sure he's heard it before. Something by - what were they called? - East Life? No, that's not it.
With a shrug of his shoulders, Oliver let's the thought drop as he watches his two team mates run through the dance again, this time moving around the space almost effortlessly, with only the occasional chiding from Felicity about posture.
When they finally stop, Roy pulls the blonde in for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before he hurry's out of the foundry, calling 'thank you' over his shoulder as he goes.
Felicity laughs and rolls her eyes as she watches the young man retreat, shaking her head as she moves to collect her iPod from a docking station that definitely hadn't been there this morning.
Oliver let's the quiet settle over them for a few minutes before finally he cracks;
"Okay, seriously, what was that damn song?"
o
To dance with Felicity Smoak was pretty high up on Oliver Queen's bucket list.
Actually, her name appeared quite regularly; so much so that there may as well be a whole separate list for all the hopes and dreams Oliver had when it came to his IT girl.
So, of course, when it finally happened, it was in the most cliched way possible.
In the rain.
Oliver's not totally sure how they got there, standing in the middle of Starling City's central park during a pounding downpour. He's pretty sure they'd been arguing not too long before, and she'd walked straight out of the foundry, slamming the door behind her.
Remembering that her car was in the shop, Oliver had chased after her a few minutes after she'd left, hoping he could catch up with her if she was on foot. When it started raining, when the water starting slamming down against him, he'd started running.
Because it had been a sunny day right up until that moment, and so Felicity hadn't been wearing a coat. She had no car to drive home in or jacket to take shelter beneath. She was out there. In a freaking monsoon.
Oliver broke out into a full sprint.
When finally he'd spotted her, walking as quickly as she could in her soaked through panda flats, he'd called out to her as loudly as he could. Felicity turned quickly at the sudden noise, but made no move towards him - she didn't walk further away, either, though. Oliver counted that as a win.
With long, quick strides, Oliver tore through the space between them. He was already pulling his jacket off before he was even within six feet of her.
He stepped in close to the blonde, pulling his jacket over her shoulders and tight around her before stepping back a little. It was a few sizes too bag and the material practically swallowed her, but seeing her in his clothing awoke something very primal in Oliver.
His hands came up to her cheeks and then almost recoiled when he felt how wet and freezing her skin was. Only with the contact between them did Oliver realise that her whole body was shaking with involuntary shivers at it tried to fight off the cold.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The words passed his lips so many times, tone hushed but still loud enough to be heard over the storm brewing around them.
"It's okay." She'd whispered, leaning tipping her head towards his, an action which he responded to by resting his forehead upon hers, "I'm sorry, too."
"You don't ever have to apologise to me, not ever." Oliver told her, blue eyes piercing her's with a seriously intense gaze.
There was nothing but Felicity to do but nod gently, her head rubbing against his with the action, and wrap her arms around his neck.
Oliver's hands had come away from her face then, travelling down until they met her hips and he'd pulled her flush against him. Felicity's head settled below his chin with her cheek resting against his chest as they embraced in the middle of the downpour.
At some point, having long forgotten about the weather, Oliver had begun to sway them from side to side, one hand rising to the back of his neck to grasp one of her own. He lifted it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to it before pressing their entwined fingers against the side of his chest that Felicity wasn't currently occupying.
Minutes passed where they stayed like that; content to sway in each other's in silence, but this time, it was Felicity's voice that broke it.
"Are we dancing?" She asked, tilting her head to look up at him, but keeping her cheek pressed against his body.
"Yeah, I think we are." He laughed, raising one arm so Felicity could spin beneath their clasped hands before he pulled her back against him.
"Finally." She sighed, a shy smile appearing on her face when she realised what she'd said.
Oliver stared at her in shock for a moment before he'd laughed and nodded his head in agreement.
"Do you think maybe we could go and find somewhere with a roof to dance? Not that this isn't great, it's just that I'm kind of freezing and my toes are going numb."
With one quick move, Oliver had her swept up in his arms and he was moving towards the exit of the park, carry his girl friday down the path towards her home.
"Oliverrr!" She'd squealed, "I can walk, you know? My toes aren't that numb."
He'd ignored her protests, not letting her feet touch the ground again until they were inside her apartment.
There, they proceeded to dance some more, laughing and swaying and spinning in the private space. Neither payed any mind to their soaking wet clothes or the puddles they were leaving in the white carpet.
The next day was spent curled up in Felicity's bed with tissues and cough drops, but, looking back, it was worth it.
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So, thoughts? I almost considered a flash mob; maybe Oliver finding a video of Felicity's MIT graduation where the students had broken into a choreographed dance - something along those lines. But, I'm quite happy with how this turned out, some parts more than others. Let me know what you think or if you have any prompts/suggestions, feel free to leave a review.
I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading.